A book lover's dilemma (Day 14 of 21)

Hello Reader,

Have you ever visited a Little Lending Library?

We found one of these delightful libraries during the pandemic. When the libraries were closed, someone in our neighborhood made sure we had a consistent stream of books at our disposal.

I never met the owners of the little library, but I'm so grateful to them, and I hope, in some small way, we contributed to the neighborhood by participating in their endeavor.

Every week, my girls and I would walk the neighborhood and stop by the little library. There must have been another little girl in the neighborhood at about the same age as my girls, as there seemed to be a rotation of the same types of books.

So each week we loaded up a bag, decluttered our read books, and added more to our little library at home.

We no longer live in that neighborhood and don't have a small lending library near us, so we've found other ways to declutter our books while still being a book-loving family.

Regardless of what some minimalists claim, I want books and lots of them. I've learned to be unapologetic in this stance. I would go as far as to say every home needs at least a small library of books!

However, as with anything, books can become clutter if we don't have a system in place.

Now, we manage our reading in a multitude of ways:

• We visit the library once a week. (Having a set day helps us avoid library fees!)
• We have an ongoing bag to collect read books. About once a month, we take those books to a used bookstore and then use the credit to buy more!
• We gift some of our finished books to friends as birthday, Christmas, or "just-because" gifts.
• We donate books to the local thrift store and shop their shelves for discounted new books.

Decluttering doesn't mean giving up what you love.

If you love books, keep reading them. Keep buying them. But, also have a system for managing them.

The same system could apply to clothes, purses, shoes, crafts, etc.

Need ideas on where or how to donate used books? You can check out this post for more ideas.

Enjoying these daily tidbits with specific tasks to complete? Keep your momentum going all year with weekly decluttering projects from The Big Declutter program. You can sign up for a 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month option (NO recurring payments).

The sale ends soon, and the membership will not be available again at this price for several months. Make this your year to clear the clutter.

Sincerely,

Brooke, Happy Simple Mom

P.S. Got questions or concerns about The Big Declutter? Please hit respond and let me know. I want to help you get the results you desire.

Enrollment ends in:

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