*shrug* this blog isn’t about being as cheap as possible, it’s about making good/better choices with your money. I suspect that Trent had the same problem I did. I would by books that I thought I was interested in. They piqued my interest while I was in the bookstore. I would get them home and perhaps read a chapter. And then it would sit because I wasn’t that interested in it. I have a lot of those books still sitting around. Now when I see a book that falls into that same category, I get it from the library and see if I read it before going out and spending the money on it.

There are some books that I will continue to buy new (and in some cases in hardback) because the cost per read is so low. I will read it over and over again. I don’t want to wait to get it and I don’t want to have to return it somewhere.

Well, the thing is, what if a person wants something because they want it? Nobody tells them to want it, nobody makes them want it. They. Just. Want. It. (Think, people and cars. People and houses. People and almost anything.)

Does exposure make an individual want something? In some cases, yes. If we don’t know it exists, we can’t want it. (I never really thought about houses until I spent time in the homes of friends who had purchased them in their 30s and started watching HGTV!)

But there are plenty of folks who have lots of media exposure and do not overspend, lust after material stuff (in a negative fashion) or want the newest in whatever.

Deleting desire is far more complex than not exposing one’s self to things. I could never set foot in a bookstore again and still want to own certain books. And no matter how much I might have other financial goals, I’m still going to want books in my life. Books that will remain in my home. (And yes, I use the library all the time AND the wonderful paperback swap.)

AS NM Patricia says: “Feeling the “enough” feeling is hard to come by.” I don’t even know if it’s about enough, when it comes to books. Enough translates into available space.

Our desires are often very deep and complex. And what I and others have learned is that it is rarely, if ever, about the “stuff.” It’s about other unmet needs.

From observation, I’ve seen myself and others let go of certain “wants” when we are “full” of other things like loving partners, family and friends. But even then, people who have those also can still overspend.

Limiting media exposure makes sense for folks who are susceptible. But you’d have to live in a cave with no net access to be totally immune from all that we’re exposed to these days (I live in a big city so I am exposed on a daily basis to more than people who live in rural areas.).

And it’s the rarest person who does not collect something that they will always continue to want and to buy.

The key is chasing after something when doing so becomes detrimental to you not only financially, but emotionally. (People who prefer to work on their cars than be with their family. People who’d rather read a book than socialize, etc.)

Our spending really just masks our emotional issues.

I haven’t plaid for a movie, cd or book in over a year!!!!
Give it a try…your tax dollars pay for it.

After reading your article, I think I can apply this to other collections that I have, especially DVDs. Thanks for your candor about the ways that you broke habits that are unproductive for you and your family, and thanks for the good ideas.

To often in our society, people assume that their is something special about our celebrities (and popular blogging sites) that make them a cut above the rest. But really, everybody is similar! We all make mistakes to some degree or another. But we get up and try it again. Slips are going to happen on rare occasions.

I like the board game idea (I remember reading that you do this in the past), plus a side benefit it you get to flex the ole mind muscle :)

Another great site for book swapping / reviews is Goodreads. I’ve been a member for a few years and absolutely love it.