Today I perused my rather large book cases and pulled out 30 books. I then carefully piled these 30 books in a stack. It was like creating a house of cards. I took care to balance them so they won't lean or topple over. I need this stack to stay put for a little bit. Hopefully my dogs won't mess with them and will avoid inducing an avalanche of books from raining down on their little pug heads. I'm going to leave all of these books in this neat little stack. The books are hard and soft cover, thin and think, big and small and range from histories and biographies to murder mysteries and classic literature. They have just one thing in common.
I haven't read a single one of them yet. They're all good as new.
And therein lies my problem. I love books and every time I go into Barnes & Noble, I pick up a new book, completely forgetting that at the rate I'm going, I won't be done with this reading list until 2012, if I'm lucky.
What does this have to do with becoming a tightwad? I realize that before I buy one more book, I've absolutely got to get through this stack first or at the very least, make some significant headway. I'm declaring a moratorium on book buying. And to visually remind myself, I'm going to leave the pile stacked high.
The New Litmus Test: "Do I need it?"
As with any other type of purchase, the next time I am in a bookstore (assuming I allow myself to even go near one), I will ask myself: do I really need another book or do I just want it? If the answer is the latter, then it's not coming home with me. It's a question I mean to ask myself whenever I'm contemplating another purchase: do I really need or do I just want? Do I need that pair of fantabulous shoes? Do I need that black silk dress? Do I need that second $12 martini? (Heck, did I need the first $12 martini?)
The flip side of the "do I need?" question involves figuratively piling a stack of books and realizing that I already have an abundance. I have more than enough reading material, shoes, clothing, boots, perfume, make-up, etc., etc. (The only example that doesn't really work here is the martini - I don't really have an abundance of vodka or any alcohol for that matter, but I think you get my point.)
Realizing that I have an abudance is going to help me keep it in perspective and bring my spending down. My goal is to actually learn how to spend below my means. But additionally, it will also help me to be thankful for what I already have and learning to be happy with it. It's an attitude I'm looking forward to adopting.
