Before you read this post, go look at your bookshelf, or, if you’re not at home, think about all of the books you currently own.
How many books have you opened only once or twice and never actually bothered reading them cover to cover? How many books have you read just once or twice and haven’t touched them since?
Now compare the number of books you’ve barely touched to the number of books that you’ve read multiple times or frequently use as a reference.
It’s probably safe to say you have a lot more books collecting dust than books you read or use relatively often.
I’m sure at the time you bought each of these books, you figured it was money well spent; you wouldn’t have bothered buying them if you didn’t think you’d read them a couple of times or reference them often. Unfortunately, with a little bit of hindsight, you’d probably be willing to say that in most instances you’d have been better off saving the money.
So, next time you find yourself getting ready to buy something from the bookstore, put down the book, save your $15 to $30, head over to the library, and pick up a free copy of the book.
Let’s take a real world example: you enjoy reading and spend $50 each month on books, which over the course of a year adds up to $600. Even if you end up reading or using half of those books on a regular basis, you’ll still $300 worth of books doing nothing but collecting dust.
Instead of wasting money the next time you want to buy a book, go to your local public library and see if it has a copy. If you decide you like the book after checking it out from the library and know it’s something you continue to read or use, consider purchasing it at that point.
But, if you decide that maybe the book wasn’t as good as you’d hoped or you you realize you’re probably never going to read it again, you’ve saved yourself some money and some space on your bookshelves.