B is for Books.
I
know that there is a previous article about books but even since my Book Blowout piece in October 14, 2011 things in the world of eBooks and eReaders have
exploded. The availability of books in
electronic and audio versions has been multiplying daily.
If you do not have
a library card, I encourage you to get one.
If you do not yet have an eReader, I would encourage you to explore the
options available and add it to your Christmas list. You would be amazed at the savings you will
achieve once you can download library books directly into your eReader…no more
late fees, no more books scattered around the house, no more dusting rows of
bookcases. I have a Sony eReader and
have read hundreds of books over the past year and a half. Of all those books I have only
purchased 4 reference books – the rest have all come from my
local library.
Many
of us have an emotional attachment to our books and the mere thought of
downsizing our book collections can cause heart palpitations. Please be sure I am not suggesting you get
rid of your favourite copies that you read again and again but, or reference
materials that you access regularly. What
I am asking you to consider, is giving up the copies you have not touched in
years, that are outdated, that are falling apart and that you no longer love.
Here
are some things to consider when beginning your book downsizing projects:
- Will I read it again? Have you
reread it already? If you have, you may indeed read it again, if you have not –
well perhaps it is time to let it go and then you can always borrow it from the
library if you do want to read it again.
- Is it reference material? Medical journals age out as do any fitness
journals – any old University or High School books are likely outdated and no
longer relevant. Often using Google
search will provide you with much more up-to-date information and take up “zero”
space in your home. Likely the best
place to dispose of these would be – gasp – putting them in your recycle bin
Now
that the decision process has been made, what do we do with the books we are no
longer keeping?
- Donate
kid’s collections to the library or Goodwill/Salvation Army. Again, the best part of
donating to the library is that if I ever want to read any of them again, I
just go and borrow them. The clutter is out of my house but the
books are just a library away!
- Take them to a used book store
- Many churches do a bookselling fundraiser,
call around to local churches or schools and see if they do this.
If
you are not planning to have a garage sale within the month, do not set your
book aside for a future sale – this is just delaying clearing your clutter – also,
the minute the garage sale ends, ensure everything unsold goes into the car and
off the Goodwill or Salvation Army – do not bring it back into the house or
accumulate it in the garage!
What
about all those manuals that I have stored/filed?
You can download
most manuals onto your computer or i Pad.
Search for the manual by item name and style owner’s
manual and you can save the documents in a file on your computer. Go through all your old manuals – make sure
to toss any for items you no longer have and the ones that you have downloaded.
Mission
for week:
1. Clear the top shelf of your bookcase - (take a rag
and some cleaner with you too, you may need it)
2.
Set your timer for 15 minutes
3. Each books needs a decision …Keep? Toss?
Donate? Be realistic here – keep it if
you indeed read this book within the next 6 months – if not – get it out of
your domain.
4. Clean the shelf, wipe off the books you are keeping
and add them back onto the shelf.
5.
All "Toss" should go into the recycle bin
