To help with controlling my book buying, I created a list with Amazon and named it ‘HOLD - things to buy’. I go through it every other week and make some edits. I’m finding I’m less likely to make those impulse purchases.

@dianaisme

5 ай бұрын

I also have a list and I go and look at it, atleast once a week and I do add quite a bit, but I also remove books aswell. Also if the library has the book, I won't buy it unless I use giftcards

I have a spreadsheet where I input my library loans and it calculates how much money I didn't spend for the year ... THAT hits different. I'm trying to get a zero TBR, it's been 3 years and I have less then 20 books to go now. For me, one of my rules is I can only buy books from indie bookstores and I have to read them that month. It stops me impulse buying a bunch of cheap books that will take ages to get through and I feel better spending more to support a local store in my area. I put my unread books on the top of my book cart and I liked it because I forgot which things I even had to read

I did something similar last year and shifted how I buy books. Now I keep all my unread books together and try to keep it under 25. It has been mostly working for me and I can read new books sooner!

IM SO JEALOUS! Compared to my current "No Buying Ban" your plans seem a lot simpler! BUT I have just so many books that I've collected for literal years that I need to either read or unhaul! So, I put myself on a "I can buy 1 book after either reading or unhauling a total of 10 from my shelves." Until I down my entire current TBR stack! Sounds crazy now that I'm comparing! Though I am allowing myself sequels to series that I need to finish!

as maybe the most feral library girl of nyc lol, the library is an incredible way to read books! I’ve been honing my routine since 2012, and basically: I have every library card available for my city. I have a wishlist inside the library apps for what I want to borrow next (so I don’t get tempted by an amazon wishlist for example!) In Libby, I also have books sectioned off into lists, so I can see which of the audiobooks I have my eye on are available at the moment, or which recommendation from friends or booktubers I watch are ready to borrow. I take pics of every book I’m interested in at the bookstore, or if I have time, I add it to my library wishlist right then and there. recently I found a book that wasn’t at any of the libraries in the city, so I requested it through interlibrary loan, which I’ve used before and got me the book from a surrounding state or city through my local library! if I love a book I’ve borrowed and want to add it to my collection (I also want my shelves to reflect me 💗), I buy it then. I’m actually trying to return to my pre-2012 buying habits, which is seeing an interesting book and taking a chance, to support my local bookstores etc, but it’s very hard now that I’ve got this library thing down to a science. and if it helps motivate you, I keep track of how much money I save by reading library books every year. here are my savings for 2023, across 100 books and 81 volumes of manga: $2,358.69 ($1,361.31 for books/graphic novels/novellas, $997.38 for manga) (edited bc I missed a couple of entries in my manga savings spreadsheet and got the totals a little wrong!) best of luck with your book buying ban jesse!!! 😊

I am strictly a Kindle library girl!! I will then buy copy of books that hit 5⭐️s and I would want to reread in the future.

You are wise Jesse! I got to the point where I wanted my bookshelves to give me joy, not stress or guilt. I did a massive unhaul and now just go through my books from time to time to see if there’s anything I want to let go of. I’m much happier with my collection now. 😊

A great way I get around this for awhile was going to my local library! It's super nice, and the options are always so nice. Also, supporting locally is something I really enjoy!

My book buying ban is that I can't buy a book until I have read it from my library or Libby first and LOVED IT (aka 5 stars). Having a shelf with only my favourite books is the goal! I love how you worded your goal though: to have bookshelves that represent you! ❤

I also use the take a picture of books in the store technique. It’s the book version of widow shopping and it really works for me as I never feel frustrated when I leave a bookstore without any purchase. I then add it to my (numerous) wishlists and that’s it. I often go through my wishlists and remove books I’m not interested in anymore. And when I want to buy a book or two I will go though my lists. And even then, they don’t always appeal to me all at once, so it’s not like I’m tempted to buy them all. I also want to tackle my physical TBR this year. It was also my goal in 2023 but so failed miserably. Mostly because I did buy a lot of books. Though to be fair I did read a good amount of them. My buying plan looking forward is: - preorder a few new releases for the year. I don’t have a lot of them but there are a few books I’m excited to read when they come out so no guilt about buying them new. - I mostly buy books used now. I live in France but mostly read in English so I have one spot where I buy books directly in the (secondhand) bookstores and for other books on my list, it’s usually easy to find used copies online. So I go to my Amazon wishlist to see what I’m in the mood for a try to find it secondhand somewhere. If I don’t, I use Blackwells to order new books. And I really appreciate that they don’t have « prime » shipping so it takes a bit longer for them to arrive, but because I know I have books on the way, I’m not tempted to buy more and it practice patience. - with that in place, I’ve recently started to hunt down hardcover copies of some books. Still used. I usually could find it cheaper in paperback but if I see one I really like, I will wait to find it in hardcover in the edition I like. Buying used books online is really nice, especially when you’re looking for a particular edition because while the gratification is not immediate, the « hunt » is part of the fun. As well as finding a good deal! - I stopped the subscription I had to a book box, and I’m not one to collect all the pretty editions but if one I really like is coming out, I will try and get it (which can be difficult if not a subscriber…), even if a bit out of my price range. That probably will amount to 3 to 5 books/year for those. • like you, I’m not declaring a book buying ban. If I’m in a bookstore and really want a book, I will get it. But again, I never do huge in-store (or even online for that matter) book haul with new books so that part isn’t really difficult for me. I hope this is the year for us to feel good about our TBR! My ultimate goal is to have less than 5 unread physical books. I also have lots of choice on my kindle and love to reread, so having a small TBR is not scary to me in itself ;)

A year or two ago I went through and donated a bunch of nostalgic books. Mainly two series (total of 15 books) that, I thought, created me and defined who I was as a person. Like, I wouldn't be who I am today without those series. It was huge work to be able to let those book go. Mental, emotional, psychological. And I don't know if I would say that I'm better for having gotten rid of those books, but I'm definitely not worse. And my house is better; there is more space, air, and movement, which is freeing. And I still think about those series with fond memories, still believe they were paramount in the making of me, but I can remember them fondly without having them physically. I also remind myself that I could read them again from the library if I wanted to... I never have. It's been about 15 years since I was obsessed with those books and I know it just won't be the same to go back and read them now. I'm different so they'll be different. So I like leaving them where they were, where they belong, and now I have my cherished memories.

Don't stress yourself out. Jesse! I bought so many books last year, and I want to reign myself in a bit in 2024. I recently discovered Hoopla, and I'm in love! Also, I ❤ my public library! The other thing I've been doing is looking back at my unread physical TBR and trying to bring back the hype of reading them. Many of them are series I just haven't finished or books by authors I already enjoy. I have also won a bunch of book giveaways from (mostly) indie authors, and I've learned it is so fun to talk personally with the writer when I finish them. Another thing I've been doing that helps is that every time I finish a book that drags or receives a low rating, I read a graphic novel/manga to hopefully bounce out of the reading slump. I hope I can keep myself motivated and read through my physical TBR! 🙏 Good luck with all your reading/book buying goals, everyone!

Putting my unread books altogether and then “shopping” for them actually really does help me!! And it’s motivating to make that stack smaller…

I love the idea of a bookshelf with just books which have meaning to you, or which you really enjoyed, instead of shelves with books you have yet to read or actually didnt like all that much. I have gotten into the habit of instantly donating books I know I will never re-read (which is anything lower than 4/5 stars to me), which I really like doing. It feels good knowing someone else might actually fall in love with that book, instead of it gathering dust on my shelves.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS JESSE! 😭 I feel like I'm not alone in this journey anymore. It's also one of my new year's resolutions to control my impulsive buying behavior. 😂 I was actually trying to go on a very restrictive book buying ban, but now I thinking of trying your "read 3, buy 1" method. It's more realistic and I feel like I'll be able to stick to it. Thanks again and hope you have a great reading year!! ❤

It was very time consuming but I inventoried my home library with the Book Buddy app and created tags for Hoopla, Libby, etc. Then I tagged all of the unread books I own with the apps that had an audio version. It’s so helpful! When I’m ready to start a new book, I can go to my Hoopla list or my Libby list and see which books I can get on audio that I also physically own and need to prioritize.

Checking out books from the library helped me. Going to peruse the shelves with no pressure, borrowing anything that piqued my interest.... :)

my version of a no buy is that i'm only allowed to buy books from my local libary book sales, used bookstores, or pick up a free book from a little free library. that cuts down somewhat choice, but that's good too, bc it forces me to read books i already own. also making a reading challenge out of prioritizing my owned books over other books on my tbr list that i'd have to buy.

@YasminBook1

5 ай бұрын

Same here!!

@farbeneath6581

5 ай бұрын

This is a lot like what I do! I read a lot of kindle books so I only buy them when they are on sale, and I go to little free libraries and the friends of the library and buy used books at 2nd and Charles etc. I only pay full price for books that I want a nice copy of. And if I pick up a used book I don’t end up liking then I can just trade it at the little free library.

I’m in a really similar place right now as well so I totally get it. I made a spreadsheet where I entered all of my owned books and had to tally which of my books I had read and it also showed me how many I hadn’t read, which was way higher. It was also a nice way to get reacquainted with all my books and realize there are so many I bought that I’m still so excited to read, so my big goal for the year is to focus on reading what I already own. Wishing you luck sticking to your ban!

I feel like SO MANY of us are feeling this same way just this year! I’m excited to get back to going in the bookstore, buying a new release & taking it home that day to read it! 📖✨

I'm in the same boat with trying to get my physical TBR down and limiting buying books until I do. To keep track of all the books I've read vs my to read books on my shelves, I made two goodreads shelves (oms-r and oms-tbr) and cataloged all the books I own. Once I finish a book, I switch the shelf it's in. It is sooo satisfying to see the numbers change as I tackle my goal! And this way, I don't have to change my physical shelves and can keep my unread books hidden among the read!

Hi Jesse!! I understand how stressful book buying bans are. I'll let you know what my method is. I used to be a huge book buyer, but now I'm down to 10-ish books bought a year (but I read 140 last year so buying and reading are not connected here). I don't *ban* myself from buying books exactly, I just prioritize the most important books I want to get. I also use Libby and Kindle Unlimited so that has made a world of difference in my book buying. I mostly buy trophies now of my absolute favorites I know I'll re-read one day. And a handful of new releases I've been waiting for. But that's it. I don't keep books I didn't love. I do a seasonal book purge of both my TBR and favorites shelf. As long as your wallet is ok, and you love your personal library that's all that matters. And if you're someone who has a hard time giving up books because of nostalgia, you can always store them away and bring them back out later. It's your life, you can do whatever works for you.

I don't have space to own a ton of books, so I've really always gotten them from the library, and there is a real thrill for me to walk into my public library at least once a week and come home with books! I use my TBR to shop the library shelves and rarely bring home something unplanned. But if I do see a title that catches my eye, I'll pull up Goodreads on my phone and check the ratings and reviews before bringing it home. It's delightful to stack them up on my shelf and then I move them into a different pile as I read them.

I just started a strict book buying ban that will span the rest of the year. I’m allowed to keep the handful of preorders I already placed, allowed to accept gifted books and gift cards (probably will get some for my birthday), borrow (from friends, hoopla, library) & I can go to the library book sale that’s this weekend and again in October. The book sale is only twice a year and is pay what you want so we usually donate $10-$20 and fill a couple bags of books! Outside of those exceptions no book buying for me until next year! I know it’s a little wild but my husband and I need to save right now for some important reason, and I’m personally also saving up for a bookish tattoo in a few months.

I take photos of books in bookstores too. In fact, a lot of the time when I go to a bookstore it is more about seeing what is available in my area than it is about buying books. And I have a lot of spending rules. One is only buy the first in a series and another is not to buy any author if you already owned an unread book by them (this is a great way to motivate you to read a book, because you may want to read the new release. This is how I read The Night Circus). My big rule though is to only buy four books a month. If any of those books are above 30 AUD they count as two. If they are above 40 AUD they count as three. Any book I buy counts as at least one. At the moment I am not allowed to buy books because I brought my four for the month. And this system is great because it does prevent impulse buying, but also makes you plan out the type of books you want to get this month. Another thing I will say, if I get a book box, then it still counts as multiple books no matter how cheap it is. Example, my bookstore was selling a box of poetry books of classic author such as Emily Dickinson, William Wordsworth and so on. it was ten poetry books and a journal for 35. That still counted as four books because it contained multiple books. The reason why it didn't count as ten is because 4 is the cap off in terms of the amount of books and I still apply that even to book boxes. The thing is, I have limited space so I have to be a bit strict with my books. And it doesn't just end with book buying. I won't keep any duplicates of books, and I won't keep any book that I don't see myself rereading. I simply do not have the space. I currently have three stacks of books in my room which are my maybe pile, my get rid of pile and my reread to see if I keep pile. It is literally what it sounds like, I reread them to see if I will return to them in the future, to give them a second chance and so on. I have not started on that pile but I think I will begin with Neon Druid which is an anthology that I found forgettable but that I want to give a second chance. I am though considering doing a similar thing to you except instead of buying a book for every three I read I start an account and put money in for every book I read. It will be a low number like ten bucks, but when you account for the fact that I borrow books and do tons of rereading that will add up over time and that money will be for book buying.

@caitlyn.m.t9618

5 ай бұрын

I actually forgot to include this so I am going to write it here. But one way I keep to my spending rules is that I let myself break them. So that way when I do break them I don't do it 50 times in a row. I break them as a treat to myself, such as on my birthday I might let myself buy an extra book or one that cost above 30 but it still counts as one. If you see it as a treat for yourself it will remain as just a treat.

💕💕 I love the idea of earning a new book in a way that keeps your tbr getting SMALLER!

I feel that I’ve been through a similar reader journey! Although my collection never reached your lofty heights… I used to want all the books - as many books as possible and to keep every book, even if I didn’t like them. Because quantity was the goal. Now, quality is my goal. I’d rather have a small collection of books I love (or at least like!!!) than books that I didn’t enjoy just for the sake of it. I often read on kindle cheaper first when a book is on offer, and then buy the physical one as a trophy for my shelf if I love it 😂

I love the "read x amount before buying a new book" version of a ban! I've done that at several points throughout my life, and I'm currently mostly sticking to a 4-to-1 ratio. Then, if I still feel the need for something new before I read four, it's super easy to just grab a stack at the library and have no financial consequences! Best of luck on the new ban, Jesse :)

I decided that this year is the year I tackle my physical tbr, so I went full on with the spreadsheets! Planning to track: -the books I read, -the books I bought, -and the books I unhauled this year So definetly shopping my selfs and using the library more this year!

I hadn't curated my library and went through two physical moves in which my books got boxed up. Having them out of sight made me reconsider owning so many. So my overall goal of 2024 is to reduce my physical book count with a focus on unhauling books I didn't love and no longer want to read. I replaced some series with ebooks, which satisfies my book dragon tendencies and enables re-reads. I am a huge re-reader of books I lhave enjoyed. So far I have unhauled about 140 books. I have been/will be unhauling a book for every book I buy this year. I also am putting up a Little Free Library to enable/incent my unhauling in the future.

love your shirt!! the material looks soft 💚

For me, I created a whole system of rules that would work best for me. So there’s a ban in place to prevent myself from buying more books until my physical TBR is down to 30 books (I started off the year at 68), with some exceptions. I made a “24 books to read in 2024” list filled with books I’ve had for a long time or have been putting off reading for whatever reason. Whenever I read 4 books off of this list, I earn a book shopping trip, BUT I can only buy sequels (I mostly read strand-alones, so this further restricts my options). In this way, I can still get my fill of buying books, but I don’t buy too many AND I’m working through my physical tbr. I’m also a HUGE mood reader, so I’m not always in the mood for the books I put in the list, so that also makes the list last longer.

I buy just two books at a time and that’s really hard to do when you just got back in to reading 🥴 and also I read them right away bc that’s what I’m afraid of buying them and just leaving them to collect dust than not being interested in them.

2024 I’m also going on a book buying ban, I bought so many awful hyped books in 2023 and felt terrible about spending the money. So I’m going on an absolute NO book buy this year. If I really want to read it I will go to the library. I also have apps I can borrow books from. And a couple little free libraries in my town. Wish me luck! 😅 Good luck to you this year Jessie!

My spending habits have increased due to the influence of the online book community. i used to have read all my books, except those I wanted to get rid of (I'm still in the process of letting go. But I am to only have books I love and I don't buy special edition or multiple editions of the same book. But that is just me. It is hard and sometimes I do want special editions but realistically I prefer the book, I've read

This year I’m really trying to focus on buying intentionally. My worst habit is going to my favorite used bookstore and browsing EVERYTHING and then buying anything that catches my eye. So instead for 2024 I’m going to try and only buy books that I have on my tbr or books that I’ve already read and want. No more buying stacks of books only to end up disliking/unhauling half of them because I don’t know my taste. That’s what the library is for!

@sassycatz4470

5 ай бұрын

This is what I'm trying to do. Keep my shopping to my wish list. No buying books I haven't already heard about, looked over any advance reviews, and put on a list. Even that list is subject to change since new reviews come in and I have second thoughts.

I just recently did a huge book unhaul of books that I'm really not interested in but I felt like I had to keep because some were very well-loved. Now I do TBR challenges (shoutout to the Magical Readathon from Bookroast) and only buy the books on that TBR for that month, and I can sell them when I'm done if I hated them or if I DNFed them. It actually works well because I still get to buy a stack of books but there's a reason for them, and this year, I'm doing a TBR challenge with just the books I already had. Hopefully by the end of this year, I'll have read all the books on my shelves and I'll have only kept the ones I really love :)

I am on a ban too. I need to make room on my shelves. Gonna use the library a LOT. And doing a saving thing "penny per page" so the more I read the more money I have to eventually spend 💖 Good luck!!!

I love the shop your shelves idea

Good on ya for creating these goals for yourself! I wish you the best of luck to keep to them!🤗

I really relate to this, this was actually a new years resolution for me. When I look at my bookshelf I want to see books that I've read and that I feel represent me, not a bunch of tbrs. I've therefore decided I wanted to go for a book buying ban this year so I can use this year to read the books I've wanted to read. Ironically I did already just buy some books yesterday but I'm also unhauling some books so it's a fair trade. Anyway this video therefore really came at a great time I will definitely be noting down these tips!

Jesseeeee, thank you for making videos. You are such a comfort and motivator. This video was beautiful! (And I love your shirt; that’s an underrated part of your content: the outfits 👏🏽 lmao)

I hear you. My physical TBR is out of control. It would take me a couple years to actually read it down. So I’ve put myself on a book buying ban from Amazon or bookstores- however I do get subscription boxes each month so I am still getting 3-4 books/month. I need to get better about utilizing skips on those boxes too but FOMO especially with the pretty editions. My one exception to my ban on Amazon/bookstore buying would be for series continuation books.

Sounds like a solid plan to read 3 books before allowing yourself to purchase 1 new book 😊👍. As someone who primarily reads Research Articles, Textbooks, & Graphic Novels I find myself not being able to fully relate to Booktube/toc but still enjoy watching book-related content all the same 😉👍📚 . Graphic Novels are my decompression books and since a series can span anywhere from 4-10 volumes per series with a page count of 100-500/600 it really depends on what I choose to collect or consume 😅. I generally pick up a series slowly throughout 6m- 1 yr and try to continue an arc/read the entire run all the way through. I find that this helps to keep me motivated to not instill a book-buying ban but rather to limit what I spend based on whether or not I need the book to complete the run. It helps me stay disciplined while also ensuring that I'm reading, rating, writing reviews, documenting, and collecting content that I want to consume. Love your videos Jesse ❤️👏📚!!

I made a tbr shelf on goodreads, actually saw how many unread books I had and also went on a (soft) book buying ban. Seeing the amount in numbers and realizing I had a years worth of books on my shelf was a true wake-up call 🙈

Absolutely horrific self control here! To the point I was over my hold luggage amount on my home bound flight back from Missouri last year 😭 and I’m a multiple edition monster! So many editions of so many favourite books 😂 I may have to implement some sort of ban this year, I love the read 3 buy 1 system! A hard ban never works for me, but that one might 🤔👀

I currently have 8 unread books, but I’m planning on reading all of them this year. All of the books that I haven’t read are on a desk bound bookshelf in my room, and all the books I have read are on my shelves of my families bookshelf. I usually get one to two books when I see that the spacing on my desk shelf is getting low.

I'm also trying to do a book buying ban this year unless it's one I'm looking forward to to finish a series, I'm sure there will be other exceptions as well but I definity need to be more intentional. I like the read one buy one reward system idea. I'm also setting up a TBR cart and bookshelf because I sometimes find shelves of books I completely forgot I even bought. I did inventory all my books with Libib last year with helped tremendously with not accidentally buying duplicates. I'm glad I don't get stressed out with seeing all my unread books and just excited to see have all in one place. I also utilized Libby and KU a lot last year to help prevent me from going on book buying sprees. Good luck to you and all of us tying to do a book buying ban this year!!

My Book Buying Ban is done every other month so I get to buy new books every other month. It made me think hard which titles to pick. Later this year, I added a mechanics where if I bought new books during my Book Buying Months I will unhaul the same number of books from my TBR. That way, I can maintain the number of my TBR and be conscious in hoarding. Regarding snapping a photo of the books that seemed interesting while I'm in the bookstore it does help to forget that book entirely especially if I saw a terrible review about it.

I decided this year to base my book buying around new releases that I’m super excited for. For example: in February, I cannot wait for Bride by Ali Hazelwood, so I’m not buying anything in January and then getting January releases that I want (Emily Wilde, Ruthless Vows (I couldn’t justify getting that literally right after Christmas)) and that one all together in February. I made a list, and so far, I’m only going to be buying books every 3 months or so

My low buy is either read 2 or remove 2 and then I can buy 1. For most of my life, I only bought 1 or 2 books when I went into a store and I didn't go shopping very often, then I found book outlet. Now I tend to buy several books at one time because they are lower cost and I hate paying shipping so I always make sure I don't have to pay for it. I have to many books now. I like Everand. I don't find it glitchy. I need to get to my library more, its pretty far away from my house and work so I don't get to it as often as I would like.

Yessss love your idea! I’m also trying not to buy as many books so I can actually get to the ones I buy haha. I have a place on my bedside table for new ones so I don’t forget I have them and then once I read them they go on my main shelves. It helps me not get too many because I don’t want the pile to outgrow where it fits nicely

I think I should go on one with you 💪🏻 Thank you for the tips 😊

I use to be like u with books but in 2022 I got rid of over 350 books because I didn't want to read them anymore, this made me realise how much money I had wasted and I changed my habits. Since 2022 1. I can buy books on Kindle when they are on sale - but to use Kindle Unlimited and also Everand (Scribed) a lot more. 2. Books only come into my house if I will read them within six months or I have read them and they got 4 stars up and they are a book I will re-read. I only have 150 physical books that have not been read, that I own at home right now and I am working through my physical this year a lot. But on my kindle u have more and I am planning to get through them too

I'm working on this too. I have a terrible of habit of going into half price books and buying like... 10 books at once. Which is insane cause I currently have 110 unread physical books which for me is like... 2 years worth of unread books cause last year I read 52. For a few months I did "read 2, buy 1" but I think with the number of unreads I have, I need to do more like "read 3, buy 1". Good luck to all of us trying to be more responsible!!

I've said it before but the library is how I tackle it. I'm very fortunate in that the city I live in I'm never far from a library, and my closest one is literally five minutes away. I also have a card to check out physical books from a neighboring city's library. Between that and libby and kindle unlimited and both libro fm and audible I have access to a lot of books fairly easily and a lot cheaper than going into barnes and nobles and buying a new book. Second hand stores are great too! My Kindle has been a game changer for my reading habits.

I love all of these ideas! My goal for the year is definitely utilizing my local library more often. I love getting audiobooks from the library and I know my wallet will thank me for it later!

This is a great idea! Good luck, Jesse! My hope for the year is to limit my book buy to favorites I have already read and want to reread or books that I can’t get from the library. One thing I did to hopefully help me stick to that is I made a list of books I’m excited to read that I don’t own and placed holds on them in the Libby app so when I want to pick them up there isn’t a really long wait time that makes me decide to just buy the book instead.

One of my goals that is similar to a ban is for every new book I bring into my collection, I read two back logged books. It doesn’t have to be right away, just an overall end of the year goal.

I’m going on a buying ban, I can still buy if one of my favorite authors or a series I already love and am collecting releases a new book; however I can’t buy new books unless I’ve borrowed it from the library and know I will be rereading it frequently

I have bought and added so many books to my physical tbr this past year because one of my local bookstores closed that I have tried to cut back. My current way to combat this is when I browse new bookstores to check if it is available on hoopla first. The second thing is to read 2 books on my tbr shelves that I've owned for longer than a year for every new book I am excited to read. Hope this helps

I had the intention to not buy any books to for the first 2 or 3 months of the year to make a dent in my bookshelves, but then I read a book that ended in a cliffhanger and I immediately had to buy the sequel the next day 🥲 Im using a page in my reading journal to track how many books I read from my shelves vs how many books I buy, and my goal is to read more books than I buy throughout the year

How did we independently come up with the exact same book buying ban? I'm flabbergasted. I explained this whole concept to my best friend like 3 days ago.

I am mixing curbing my book buying with my weight loss journey. With every weightloss goal (which is a lot of things ranging from losing 5lbs to going down a pant size, fitting back into my wedding ring, etc.) reached, I earn a "book token" which is a d20 in a jar. If there is a book I want to buy I have to use up one of the book tokens I earned. No book token in the jar, no book. It is working so far, hoping to get better as I go. I also really like the idea of having to read 3 to buy 1. Will also give that a try 😊

Book buying is such a problem for be because I work IN A BOOK STORE, meaning I come across books I'm freshly interested in ALL OF THE TIME!!! I'm currently on a book buying ban (high five for us, Jesse! We got this!!!), and one of the things I've done is put a separate bookshelf in my room full of my unread books. Thats right ... a full billy bookshelf in my room of unread books. It's kind of humiliating, but it really did make me take a step back and readdress my book buying habits. I went through and unhauled books I wasn't really interested in anymore, and now when I'm ready to read I just shop that bookshelf! I also got myself an e-reader and got kindle unlimited, which has also helped the impulses a bit in me. I'm only two weeks in, but I've done pretty well for myself! We've had a lot of special editions come in that I've talked myself out of, and I've snapped a few photos of titles I've come across that I'm interested in exploring later, but really I need to devote my time to dwindling down my TBR. Good luck on your book buying ban, Jesse!

@ellyra412

5 ай бұрын

I used to be a bookseller too, can you not just borrow the books you are interested in from your work ? That's is what we all used to do. Unless it is not allowed where you work (which would be weird because this is totally part of your work). What about ARCs ? I totally understand the temptation when you are surrounded by pretty special edition on a daily basis though

Most of my books are currently in storage so i went a little crazy buying books in 2023. So I'm trying not to buy any books until my birthday at the end of April. Might switch to the read 3 buy 1 system after, lol. I like it!

To be honest, I had considered doing a book buying ban. However, my previous ones didn't work. They simply didn't because I got frustrated with myself and ended up in bookish shopping sprees (something I also do/did until recently). So, starting February, I want to buy myself only books I want (and have longer on my TBR list) + only after I've finished a few books (maybe 3-5). I am still in planning and rearranging my idea before I really settle for it. But that's the rough plan.

i am doing this too!! a more lenient book buying ban that still gives me room to buy the titles i’m dying to read!! my rules are that i am allowed to buy books to finish a series i’m reading (ex. just started throne of glass so i am allowed to buy the other books) and if it’s a stand alone i have to read 2 books off my physical tbr AND wait 2 weeks until i actually buy it to make sure it’s still holding my attention!! best of luck to everyone trying to save their coin this year

I am very similar to you with this. I use a lot of the ideas you mentioned and it has really helped. One thing I will add is I have made the rule that I am not allowed to buy books I haven’t read unless they are from favourite authors or things like that. I will borrow the book from the library or listen to the audiobook. If I love it enough to want to own it, then I can buy it. But after a year or so, my urge to buy every book has faded. I hope you find a balance that works for you. (Sorry for potential spelling mistakes. I hope you understand me).

I'm also on a Book Buying Ban, I told myself until June. But I'm also I'm letting myself get some if I already had them on my 2024 list (like the sequel to Emily Wilde and Stuart Turton's new book). I definetely went too hard buying books in 2023, and I HATE having that many unread books on my shelves, so trying to make it happen.

I don't do bans, I just make it really easy to keep track of how much I'm spending. I have a spreadsheet calculating how much I've spent on books on total and how much of it is on books I've haven't read yet. I also have it calculate how long it would take for me to read the unread books I have sitting on my shelf.

This year I have a limited book buying goal 😊 My limit is 1 book a month and that book has to be the monthly book club book for my bookclub or a book that relates to my 2024 reading goal of reading more books by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors. I am keeping my Kindle unlimited subscription and Audible subscription so if I feel the need to get something new, I’ll download a book that’s free in the subscription, not an extra cost. It’s so I get the brain “oooohhhh new shiny thing” feeling but it’s not breaking my bank account. I also have a bad habit of starting to read a book, get a quarter in then I get bored so I pick up another book but I intend to get back to the previous book. It was to the point that I had 17 not finished books. Yup, 17. Since the beginning of this month I’ve got it down to 14. My goal is to get it down to 4.

My book ban is read 10 get 1 books. This year I'm really trying to read a lot of my Physical TBR. I am excluding my birthday and subscription books, I currently have Illumicrate and Owlcrate, I might also get a couple special editions from the books subscriptions. and if I have the first book in a series and I need the second one to continue I will let myself get the next book. I'm not going to be super hard on myself. I bought a lot of books last year! But I'm going to try to be better than last year.

In 2022 I was out of control with my book buying. For 2023 I knew that I wanted to cut back but I am the same way with if you tell me not to do something I am going to do it. So in my reading spreadsheet there is a new books section and I put in how much a spent on the books. Seeing that number climb really made me want to take another step back from buy book buying. So for this year other then preorders of my favourite authors/ series I have decided to put things in place to make me think about what I buy a bit more. So I still have my reading spreadsheet that tracks how much I spend, and then I also do the thing where I let books sit in my cart for a few weeks and edit the list as I go, and then in a similar style I make lists of books I want so that if I really feel like buying a book from the book store I don’t impulse buy and I get one from my list that I have been thinking about for a while and have looked into

Jesse, first of all watching this video I have an idea for what I want to do with my unread books and I might have said this already but I went my tbr of unread books at least twice now . I also went through my bookshelves and most my books I’m pretty happy with, however there were some books that I thought were good but they weren’t .

A friend and I made a pact on Halloween (We met and read together lmao) that we won't be allowed to buy any new books with our own money UNTIL we read our entire physical tbr. So gift cards, gifts, borrowing books, Ku and libraries are fine. It's going great for her since she only had 5 books to begin with but I'm crying in the corner with 79. And she won't be able to buy new books until I clear my stack out. Though, she hasn't cleared her bookshelves yet and she's a much slower reader than me. BUT SHE ONLY HAS 5 BOOKS LEFT. Anyways, she's great 😂 And came up with the idea. And we will gift books to each other sometimes just for the fun of it (Her plan to never have me finished)

I'm trying to downsize my tbr this year too, so I'm only allowing myself to buy books secondhand! The english language section is usually really small at thriftstores in my country anyway, plus I enjoy the hunt too much! wouldn't want to give it up :). I can get a new book if I really really want to read it, and I have to be sure I'll immediately pick it up

As I've gotten older (and wiser?!) it has definitely gotten easier for me to buy less books because I've gone through so many cycles of interests I can see the grander picture of how my attention shifts. Physical books are a kind of permanent thing where what I'm into is not. I've realized that there will always be something else I want to read, and I don't even know what, so I don't need to own it. If I read a book, I can let it go because we had a beautiful moment together. I've learned to temper my urge for TBRs because I've experienced how fast time goes by so instead of piling up, I let books swirl around me and every once in a while the timing is perfect for me and one book to share a dance together. My relationship with books is more nebulous now so I don't buy books as an investment or for a collection, I encounter them as experiences. I hope I'm making sense - I got pretty metaphorical there. Mainly, I don't "buy" books anymore, I read them, regardless of if I spent money of them or not.

Read 3 buy 1 is so smart!

your idea of having all unread books in a book cart is great, i might try implementing that!

If i can, i usually borrow it from the library and read it first and if i love it and want it to my shelf then i will buy it, usually second hand. If im really excited for a book or it is a series i enjoy then ill buy new. My only exception is that comics/graphic novels i tend to buy from kindle unless its in my library.

Like you, I am on a book buying ban…and also doing the read an amount before buying. I have to read 5 before buying 1. Although, I’ve already bought my first, when I’m on book 4

I am also trying a bit of a book ban this year where I cannot buy any new books with the exception of previously preordered books coming in (like I’m not cancelling anything). 😅 for new releases I am trying to get it from the library but I just want to clear off some shelf space bc I don’t keep every book I read. Gift cards don’t count, but I am trying to wait so that if I do buy a book it’s ones that I read that are new favorites and I want to own them.

I am on a complete book buying ban this year/moving forward I need to read any unread book I already own on my shelf or else get it from the library. No exceptions. Ive had to unhaul over 20 books because I simply lost interest with how long I waited and it made me feel horrible/guilty . So if im excited to read a book, im holding myself accountable with reading it as soon as I find out ✌️

Totally relate. This was me in 2023. I purchased 34 books & unhauled 209. 📚❤

Because I'm a sucker for pretty covers, I limit myself to only going to the bookstore once a month (sometimes twice if it's been stressful). If I don't see them, the temptation to buy isn't there. Then again, I like having a bunch of unread books because I like having options depending on my mood.

If I see a book I’m interested in, I’ll note it down (similar to your taking a photo of it). I’ll see if my library has it first. If they do, I’ll read it from there. If I’m really liking the book and really want to see it on my shelf because it makes me happy or I can see myself rereading it, then I’ll consider buying it. If the library doesn’t have it, well then, I hope the looking into it has given me enough time to decide if it’s something I’m actually interested in or not. I also look at my local thrift stores for books because they are incredibly cheap. That limits my options, but it can still satisfy the thrill of buying books without the huge financial commitment.

I did something like this in 2022 and 2023. I had about 90 books on my physical TBR. I wanted to get that number down to 15. I told myself I couldn’t go to the library, buy a book or reread a book I own until after I got to this number. At 15 books on my TBR, I could reread and go to the library. If my TBR was under, I could buy to get to 15, then had to stop. It took about a year and a half to get that number down. I did get a few books from friends as gifts through this time. I think I only bought four in whole during this. Also, by physical, I mean books I own, audiobooks and ebooks count too.

@author.s.j.palmer4137

5 ай бұрын

I had all my read books shuffled in rainbow to keep me from rereading and my TBR was on a mini shelf.

For this year I set the goal to increase the amount of read books (based on my StoryGraph stats) from 29% to 35%. This can happen by reading the books I own or unhauling them. I'm allowed to buy books I want to read immediately after I took some time to think about them.

I don't feel attacked but similar lol. I've tried putting all my unread books together and that caused me to split some series which in turn stressed me out, then I tried the turn the books read with the pages out and I just hated the way it looked and now I don't necessarily have a great system but I am on a book buying ban this year as well because I got a bit obsessive in buying books like if I didn't buy them I would be missing out somehow. This year I created a pango account and so as I read books from my tbr or books that I've had for a long time and know that I am not going to read them, I will sell them, the ones that don't sell I will donate. This way I can make money and clear down my tbr pile stress free. I do like that method you said read 3 buy 1, that sounds reasonable. Good luck!!

I dont have that big of a collection, so for my book buying I usually try to keep my unread books to half of my read books (If I have 10 read books in my library then I am "allowed" to have 5 unread ones) I need to change that this year because my collection keeps growing.

I’m also doing a semi-ban this year. If I get gift cards I can get books, or if it’s an autobuy author that I also always read immediately I can preorder and get books to continue helping them out. Other than that I’m trying to finally get through some of the older books and completed series on my TBR.

having my unread books together and rearranging them makes me more excited to read them, so i'd give it a go! i can see how it'd be stressful though too ahahaha

I also have so many unread books on my bookshelves & I started my book buying ban after Christmas. I like your system...I might change it to read 5 books and buy 1🤔..hopefully I can follow through😩

That opening montage does remind me of The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa. I don't know if you read it. It's a book about books and reading and the power of books and what that means. And really need to reread it because I probably missed so much the first time around (likely because I read it in English rather than German, but also because of the messages it tries to give you). I normally don't comment before watching the whole video, but I needed to say that.

My plan is to read (or unhaul some of) my physical tbr without buying any books until my birthday month, which is not until September. We will see how well this plan works

I check and see if I can find it on my library app and if so I put in a hold requests and then can change the date that I want it to start.

Planning to move home really helped me to not buy more books - I really need to save my money and I also don't want to move even more books to the new place than I already have to! So maybe this year will be the year I finally make some progress through my TBR!

I need to sort through my TBR and remove my impulse reads lol

I have a one in one out rule and a hard limit where I can't bring home more books this month than I read last month. Good right? Except there's a charity book sale every May. Last year I gave myself a cash budget and two tote bags so I couldn't go feral. A random guy ended up buying me lunch, because I didn't save any cash for the concession stand. I talked him into some books too. I have a problem, and I'm taking everyone down with me.