How do you keep you book buying need in check (just a little!)

[RB]

Louise wrote: "mine are 3 and 4 and I'm beginning Ellie :-)

@ Lea, Denmark is such a small country, about 6 mil. people, and postage is ridiculously expensive, so I don't think it would work. At least I can get ..."

Hej med dig Louise,
because my book purchases mostly happen online, what I do is that I *try* to delete the newsletters that I receive from the various shops that I use (out of sight of of mind - sort of).
When I do get tempted I put the books I've just purchased in an excel sheet so I can better keep track of them, for it is amazing how easily you forget what you have just bought... Visualising your purchases definitely helps putting the "urge" in perspective.
If you need a tip for a cheap purchase, then check out:
www.play.com (can also be used for 2nd hand purchases) and www.thehut.com they have saved me lots of money! Not to mention that both Play and Hut offers FREE DELIVERY - which I took advantage of many times while I was still living in Denmark myself.
And while are at the subject of 2nd hand www.vangsgaards.dk is also a nice place to look if you are looking for Danish titles!
God læselyst!

[Paulfozz]

Visualising your to-read list is a good ploy, I find that having my to-read list on goodreads makes me more aware of the number of books I own that I've yet to read. The library helps too (as Pril said), particularly when I find myself holding a few novels in a shop and then think, "I've got loads to read at home… I can borrow these from the library when I've read at least 'some' of the ones I've already got". It's only when it's something obscure or particularly interesting that I fail to resist - but there seems to be quite a lot of those still!

Buying online I try to avoid, and ebooks I think are really good for sellers but not for people who have difficulty resisting impulse spending - a simple click of the mouse buys a book in a way that doesn't feel like spending money, and there is also no physical indication of the obsession to impart a kind of negative feedback (you don't see the groaning shelves of books that might provide chastisement for your over-indulgence) and that's possibly why some users of e-readers end up having purchased vast numbers of ebooks.

The best thing I've found is to develop a very strong idea of quality control for what you buy - I have become very particular about what I'll buy and often walk out of shops having bought nothing. Doesn't mean I don't buy a lot of books but it keeps a lid on the worst excesses.

[K]

Simple: I have an allowance each week and if I can afford some books, then I get some (or one).

[[deleted user]]

If the finances are tight I check yard sales etc otherwise I enjoy a nice new book and I haven't tried shopping online yet.

[Hilary]

I don't keep it in check , but I wish I could. I'm a book hoarder...lol.

[sonya]

I use my local library and have plenty still on my home shelves

[[deleted user]]

I reread that helps a little but I really haven't tried to control myself. It all seems to even out somehow.

[sonya]

@kimberly...you might want to store your books in plastic bins...it worked for me.

[sonya]

i use gift cards to control my spending

[Thom]

How exactly does that control your spending?

[Lawrence]

I've been getting a lot of the free ebooks on Amazon everyday.

[sonya]

thom i only buy 25.00 cards every two months

[Bridgette]

i just trick my brain that i have like no money in my bank account so therefore i don't buy books. but i occasionally buy books but i only buy like one at the time. i only get gift vouchers at Christmas so that allows me to get some books that i want.

[Jocelin]

Well, I think this year, I will be able to curb my enthusiasm for books by going to the library. So far this month (December) every time I have visited the library I have walked away with a book. So the library may be my new weakness.

[Thom]

To read is to read but for some of us to have and to hold counts even more.

[Joseph]

Thom wrote: "To read is to read but for some of us to have and to hold counts even more."

Thom, that's practically poetic! I like it! :-)

[Judith]

OMG! Joining this group may not help my addiction! Guess I'm going to have to make an annual oath (a la Samuel Pepys) - this was last year's attempt! http://www.judithjohnson.co.uk/1/post...

[Noor]

Could not control the habit. I had a 18 feet wide by 8.5 feet wall to wall bookcase it was bursting out so ordered a new one which is 8 feet into 8 feet with my family threatening to kick me out if i buy more books than what I can read :(

[Frank]

I built my house nineteen years ago, and being a book collector and reader was able to fill the bookcases and then some. I stopped counting at 8,000 volumes. However, now that both of my children one in college and one graduated, I have thought of selling and buying something smaller, but what do you do with all those books?
I have of late stopped going to bookstores and try to stay away from Amazon, in an effort to slow the accumulation.
It is hard to stop the buying, especially when there are so many sites to find recommendations. Goodreads being one of the best.
I feel for all members who share this pain.

[Eric]

-Library
-Look online for free (AND LEGAL) books to pass the time.

[Hayley]

I use kindlebuffet.com. That place has lots of ebooks for free. Most are great that are posted there. Just finished reading The Sekhmet Bed that was listed there and loved it.

[Angel]

I buy one book on payday. Just one. And I buy that book before I pay bills or anything else. :)

[Milliebot]

I don't even try to keep my book buying in check. I don't really buy much else for myself, so I mostly buy books whenever I want. How many books I buy varies from month to month, depending on what books came out, or what books I just realized existed. But I'm a total book hoarder and it might be months or years before I read whatever I've just purchased.

[Sarah]

I have a really bad book buying addiction. I blame my local book shop who do a two for 5 euro deal and I cant help myself every week I buy at least two books. I love my book collection and I love adding to it even if it does take me 6months to actually get round to reading them as I always have two books on the go!!!