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Resource overload (aka too many books!)
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Ladies-
Do you guys also have way too much stuff? I find myself reading your wonderful, enlightening posts and thinking, “Oh, I’ve got to order that!” I look at reviews or talk to other HS moms here in my town and think, “We would love that! Let’s get it!” We also frequent the thrift stores and used book store here so we do find great deals. Plus we are so happy to pass on most of our books when we are done to a local Title I school where the students really enjoy getting free books and movies. But even with the bargains, we’re not made of money here and it’s starting to be a bit of a hardship.
Can anyone give me some tips on how to focus my energies or tell me what they did to stall the buying/acquiring of more books? (Can there really be too many?) How can I plan and organize in a way that I know what I already have so that I don’t over-accumulate? And sage advice? I think I need an intervention!
I’m a newbie homeschooling mom (we’ll be starting on our second school year later this month), so I haven’t had a bunch of time to accumulate too many books. I have been victim to several people offloading things they think I might find useful tho since I now homeschool. Most everything hasn’t been anything I wanted to keep tho and so I now have a big box of books to donate to the free table at my local homeschool co-op when it starts back up in a few weeks.
Last year I used My Father’s World Exploring Countries and Cultures. I bought the package of books and teacher manual and then relied on my library for everything else (MFW has an extensive book list in the back of their teacher manual). This year we will be using SCM Module 1 and so things are a little different in the set up because you only buy the teacher manual and not an entire book set from SCM. I went through the book list in the front of the manual and checked to see what my local library has. Thankfully I’m able to obtain a lot of books through my library. There are some I ordered last night because either my library didn’t have them (tho I could do interlibrary loan) or they are more “long term” books that are required to be used for an extensive period of time.
Honestly, I really am trying not to buy a bunch of book because it costs my family money to buy them, we don’t have a ton of room to store them, and since we pay for our library card, we might as well use the library. I do love to have books, but too much clutter bogs me down and I really only want to buy books that will be something that is a good investment for my family (ie ones we come back to repeatedly or are very near and dear to our hearts).
I’m not sure I really helped you. My hubby & I went to a few thrift stores the other day and I picked up a few books. There were some others on a booklist I have that I printed from something on this message board, but I knew the library had them so I opted to leave them at the store even tho they were super cheap. I just really don’t want to clutter.
Melissa
P.S. I will say I’m having problems buying booklist type books lately tho! I just ordered All through the Ages and Read for the Heart. I already have Honey for a Child’s Heart and A Literary Education. Oh and I also have a problem ordered books on Charlotte Mason education even tho I can’t seem to finish one before I buy a new one. It’s a sickness I guess! LOL
Hi Jenni,
I know exactly what you are feeling! What bothers me about having resource overload is that if we are just buying more and more books, we must not be using any of them to their fullest. My first child read just about everything that came in the house. Ditto the second, not so much the third, etc. The Fifth child is really having difficulty ‘getting into’ the genre that the others did and so wants even more books! Then there are children numbers 5-8. You get the picture! Everyone of them is different – the nerve of these kids!!
Storage of books, as my husband says is easy. That’s if you have the shelves and floor space. Not everyone does!
Here are some of the things I try to remember:
It’s so easy to purchase out of fear that something else would work better than what I’m using now or because I am comparing myself to someone else. That is a feeling of desperation. It’s the same emotion that makes us get up and rush out before daybreak to the yard sales! But the fact is, I was just as excited when I purchased the old one. So, I’m learning to use what I have if at all possible. In the long run it really doesn’t matter and one well-used book is much better than 10 on the shelf that are rarely looked at because of clutter. God knows our needs. That perfect bargain will stay there if He knows I need it. Prayer is key; and resting in His provision for our children. Sounds like surrender!
I try to limit my purchases to those things I cannot get at the library, or that I would need longer than the library would let me have them. Not only does that limit the buying, it also creates an atmosphere where the child will likely meet up with God in whatever book he chooses off our shelves.
A budget really helps. I know Amazon is great for used books, but that one-click buying can really nickle and dime a budget to death! So, keeping a tally of what’s left in the budget is helpful and causes me to plan ahead so that I don’t use up the money before I know just what I’ll need for the new school year. Also, we try to plug budget in throughout the year so that it’s not all gone in one shopping spree.
Sometimes I will take stuff from well-meaning friends and I realize it’s just out of fear (there’s that word again!). I’m so looking for that thing that will work with a particular child. Again, spending the time with my child, using one well-chosen resource will go much farther than a box full of hand me downs that I have to deal with. Not that I’m against hand me downs…I’m just making a specific point here. So, I try to say no thank you when I should and also I have trained myself to say, “Thank you so much; what would you like me to do with these if they are not a good fit for my children?”
And lastly, my children will never be able to read in this lifetime all the books I am tempted to buy, so I need to let them catch up! John says at the end of his gospel, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” That tells me that the one book I do need to delve into daily and need to lead my children into on a constant basis is the Bible. I must confess, that I do not always thirst after that truth like I do a new history read aloud.
Blessings,
Cindy
I think what helps me is to keep a llist of what I already have and in what subject. That way I can look at what I have laready before I buy. After that, I can see if there’s any way I can use it in a more creative way in stead of buying a curriculum that organizes it for me. For example, using Writer’s INc combined w/the ILL that I already have instead of buying Meaning Composition. Being broke makes you very creative!
I also do what Cindy said: I only buy what I cannot get at the library or I want to pass down to the next generation. I use the All Through the Ages, so at the beginning of the year, I write down the books I’m interested in using and then take the time to enter them into the library book search online and mark which ones are available.
I have determined, too that there are certain authors and series’ that I feel very confident in choosing; so that keeps me from veering off into unknown and often dissapointing lands. I keep a list (sometimes on paper, mostly mentally) of those series and authors, so that when I can’t get them at the library, I can purchase and be pretty confident that I’ve made a right choice.
Also, if you have a used bookstore, see if they do consignment. That’s agreat way to get rid things you don’t want and earn some store credit, too.
Lastly, (actually this should be first) is to keep your priorities in order. Make sure you have in your mind what subjects are the most important to your unique family and calling; that will help keep you from being pulled into using others’ resources to no avail.
HTH,
Rachel
Good comments, and I’d like to add to what Cindy said about only purchasing things that are unavailable through the library. A while back, I decided to sell/give away several books that were leisure reading for me simply because I knew I could get them at the library when I wanted to read them again. It freed some shelf space and blessed another reader.
Sue
Hi, Jenni! I think you’ve received some great comments on resisting the urge and knowing what books you have on hand. I will add that, for me, keeping the books organized is an ongoing process. I’ve found I end up needing to purge the shelves about twice a year. As I’ve grown in my understanding of what “living books” are, the purging has gotten easier. 🙂
I have categories or sections on my shelves too. And I store books we aren’t currently using by subject in a different area. Some people organize by reading level/grade, but since I teach as many subjects as I can to all my children (I have four, ranging from 4 to 10) that method didn’t seem to fit my needs (except for readers). It was helpful for me to decide in my mind how I wanted to find such and such book. Where would I look for it, if I needed it? What books do the children need access to? You need to think things through a bit before you can begin organizing.
“We may not have an educational pope; we must think out for ourselves, as well as work out, those things that belong to the perfect bringing-up of our children.” ~ Charlotte Mason
You can do it! 🙂
Sharing my sympathy…
I am trying to build up a good home library. Many Creation and Christian books are not available at our library and these are the books we need to use most, so I shop sale prices and used books for those. It is more convenient for us to use a home library and save on trips to the public library. I only pay 50 cents or less, sometimes 10 cents at library sales and used book sales and thrift stores. They are readily available to us and I don’t have to worry about paying late fees and lost library book fees. I am selective in which books to keep in our library. You know what kind of books you could use and which ones to leave out. I think good organizing on some bookshelves and keeping lists should help keep you on track better. There are some threads on here I have read about book organizing. Some use color coded stickers and some may use barcode scanners and software to keep lists of the books they own.
http://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/bookshow-to-organize-bookshelves#post-5949
I totally sympathize!!! Don’t know if this helps, but especially with lit. and history I’ve narrowed my book choices to the curriculums I’ve chosen to follow….AO lit. and SCM history. I have printouts of our future years for these books and when I go to a book sale or catch an online deal, I try to only order these books. I have a shelf for future history books for quick reference. All the lit. books I organized alphabetically so I can check in a glance. I have books we’re currently using on separate shelves/baskets. If it’s a book I don’t think I’ll use again or is not a special classic or future grandma book I stick it on Paperback Swap if it’s a small paperback, or give away or sell if not. I try to plan ahead with Paperback Swap to make requests a year or so in advance, since they can sometimes take a while…but good deals:)
I’m trying hard not to load my shelves with all those things that look good and not feel bad for getting rid of them. It stresses me out looking at things I think I should be doing….can only do so much!!! Blessings…I know it’s challenging:) Gina
This is good information to keep in mind for planning the next school year. 🙂
I need to focus better. My bookshelves are full now, but I keep buying more books!
running out the door here (so I haven’t read all the responses) but wanted to throw this out there in case someone else didn’t. If you aren’t selling, you may consider donating to The Book Samaratin – they give books to homeschool families in need. This is where I send all my “offloads” that I don’t need/want, and things I have tried and decided didn’t work for us.
I’ve also had luck with a list. If I have next years plans written out (with materials we already own or are planning on purchasing) and come across anther “must have” curriculum, I can see whether or not we need something for that subject. When I’m making my list for the year, I try to “shop” at our bookshelves first. I ended up buying very little this year by making some substitutions with things we already had, as well as using some free curriculum and e-books.
I do make exceptions for cheap books at garage sales or thrift stores! I figure I can always pass on the good deal to another HS family if we don’t use it.
What I can’t find at the library i usually will buy used online! This has helped so much since I have little space for storing books.
Ugh, this thread hits WAY to close to home for my comfort! lol Well… after homeschooling for more than 15 years, I can tell you that I have too many books (and that’s been true for many years). It’s interesting to see that over the years there are “tides” of popular resources — whether it’s something like Classical Conversations or specific CM-related materials or whatever. It’s almost like a kind of peer pressure, if you think about it. Not to say that new resources and such aren’t welcome, but I think to a certain degree (and I only say this as I reflect back over a period of years) it is definitely easy to sow the seeds of discontent with all the many options available to us. And being on homeschooling forums — for ALL their good! — can certainly add to that as it is so easy to hear about all the books out there, people’s success stories, etc.
I wish I had a solution to offer you, Jenni — unfortunately, I need an intervention too! I think in general I am much better about not acquriing too much more but I have an awful time letting go. Even if I didn’t love a book/resource for on older child, I often want to keep it because I also know that each child is unique and it might reach a younger sib. So I am really, really trying to let go of some of that and just trust that if we need it down the road, it will come around again.
One thing that is new(er) for me is transitioning to more e-books. We have one Kindle that I use, and my elementary kids use old defunct smartphones with a Kindle app. So as we do more with that, I find it easier to let go of hard copies. Of course, I love the feel of real book, but this is a way that I can address some of the space constraints we definitely have.
Love reading all the comments! It is encouraging to me. I do believe that an imperfect resource, used consistently, is leaps and bounds ahead of jumping around in search of that “holy grail” of ______ (fill in the subject of your choice).
…I believe it, but my actions don’t always reflect that. 😉
Yep, this is me in a nutshell! I have lots of resources, some I have used and loved, some I still have that I’m not sure about, and some that are for the future. And anything we have used that I loved, I have kept for the future. But I have been doing what HollyS mentioned which is “shop” in my “store” during my planning for the next year BEFORE I shop for new supplies. BUT, with that said, I still feel the “peer pressure” that soemething esle is better than what I had planned to use and that’s when I get derailed. I don’t normally curriculum hop, but instead take too long to decide on what to use, then never get to it. I am learning to use what I have and just get started!! I feel like Mysterious said, waiting for that perfect “whatever” that everyone else loves/used/swears by, instead of just using what I have with my best effort.
So, ya, I know.
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