My books had been boxed up in the garage for several months since we dismantled the old bookcase. I finally purchased new bookcases and hauled the boxes back in the house. Opening the boxes and shelving the books was like visiting with old friends. I love books. I have the hardest time getting rid of them. I even found myself debating about keeping copies of the 2008 Consumer Reports Buying Guide and Investing for Dummies that was published in 2001.
Several months ago one of my blogging buddies, Linda over at Thoughts from a Bag Lady in Waiting, wrote a post about getting a book from paperbackswap.com. This website turned out to be the perfect solution to my book hoarding problem. I collected a pile of books that I was willing to part with and listed them on the website. For every book that I mail out to another member, I receive a credit that can be used to receive a book of my choice. The only cost to me is the postage to mail off my books to the members who request them.
Knowing that sending one of my books off will earn me a credit good for a new (to me) book, has made it easier for me to let them go. Of course, the one flaw in this is that I’m not actually cutting down on the number of books I own, only retricting their multiplication. Well, maybe there are two flaws. No one has yet requested the Investing for Dummies book. There are just some books that have to be tossed!
I now have a comfortable credit bank for new books. I love shopping in all forms, and paging through the book lists has been a great way to feed my shopping addiction and not spend any money. As I adjust to retirement, it can’t be all senior meals at Denny’s and bus tours to the casinos. (And if you really believe that is what I've been doing with my time, you haven't been reading the blog!) Seniors need creative ways to live on a fixed income and paperbackswap.com works for me.
If you decide to check it out, you need to register. Each household receives two free credits with a completed registration. On the registration there’s a place to list who referred you. Tell them MissNana sent you!
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Glad to have been helpful! When I get home from Italy I'm going to look for "The Agony and the Ecstasy"!
ReplyDeleteI seem to have my book buying down to a science: buy one at the local bookstore (they have used ones), read it and swap with my friend Judy. She brings me tons of books, all interesting, and she takes the ones I give her and passes them on to her daughter in law. But I'm glad you've found one that works for you!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a perfect solution!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea. I can't seem to find a similar scheme here in England though. Now I wonder if there is something here for the Lions Club...
ReplyDeleteI am working through the same project of getting rid of books. Your solutions are great. I will be post a blog soon on my project thanks for sharing your ideas.
ReplyDeleteSally, Another option if you have professional books or textbooks that you want to get rid of is Cash4Books at http://www.cash4books.net/
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried it yet...I know I should get rid of all of my teaching books, but I'm not quite ready to let them go. I still think I'll use them when I write a grant or something. I read about this site in a magazine (Woman's Day or something like that) and I entered a few ISBN to see what my books were worth. They pay the postage for you to ship the books to them and then send you a check.