Why Going to the Beach is Essential to my Stuff Management

mohamed hassan via Pixabay

Book-related jobs have been a part of my life since I was a teenager. When I was in junior high, I worked as a student page in the children's room of my local library. At fourteen, I got my first summer job, working in a local used bookstore. In college, I worked in the campus bookstore from February of freshman year until partway through my master's program. In my late 20's, I worked at a local bookstore during the summer when I school was not in session.

The love of books and reading that drew me to this job also drew me to collect books. And, with easy access through book-related jobs, my collection and my appetite grew. As an adult and an educator, I'm intrigued by far more books and magazines than I'll ever have time to finish, many of which end up in my house.

Fortunately, the summer provides an opportunity for me to get my collected reading material under control. One thing that helps me make a dent in the pile is taking some of it with me when I travel. I'm particularly fond of packing magazines. Since my husband usually does the driving, I can usually polish off an issue or two on the car ride alone, depending on the length of my trip and the amount of down time I have. I clip any articles of interest, then recycle the rest of the magazine, ensuring that once it's out of my house, it stays out. And, as a bonus, I travel home just a bit lighter, and, perhaps even a bit smarter as well.

Checking the contents of my bookshelves before packing for vacation is also a two-for-one deal. Not only do I find books to take with me, but I also uncover books I don't really need to hang on to. Whether I've read them once and won't read or reference them again, or I purchased them with good intentions, but have since changed my mind, once I decide I don't need them, I can remove them from my shelves. I'm fortunate in that my local library accepts donations of books in good condition, making it a win-win for me. Either they sell the books at their book sale, funding the purchase of new books, or they put them in their collection where I can check them out, should I ever change my mind about wanting to read them.

Pixabay

Though my predominant personal style is I need to see it, when it comes to books, magazines and other reading material, I must confess to some I love stuff tendencies. Though my Kindle will never fully replace my book collection, it, along with bookshelf clearing sessions once or twice a year, helps me avoid the need for more bookshelves. 

What do you like to collect? How do you keep your collection(s) from taking up more than their fair share of the space in your home?