Resolution: buy less books

So I read a whopping 126 books last year.  Here is my GoodReads list.  This list doesn't not include picture books or shorter nonfiction books that I read to my students and my own children.  This is the most I've read in the past 10 years.  I know this because I have been keeping track of my books since 2003.

I have a confession to make:  I'm a horrendous book hoarder.  I have shelves and shelves of books I have never read. I have books stacked everywhere.  Fortunately, I have my book closet to contain the mess a bit better than before, but I buy too many books.  I do read ebooks, but that isn't the solution either.  I have about 70 books unread on my Kindle. Obviously, Kindle books are a win in terms of space.  The other factor is the $ I'm spending on books, and print or electronic, books do cost money.

So my goal for 2014 is to only purchase a book every two weeks.   My husband and I have set up an allowance system to help limit spending, and any books I buy will come out of my allowance.  Even though I have a gift card balance from Christmas, I'm still sticking to this rule. I've set up a Google Doc to track the books I want to buy.  As I buy a book, I will change the font to red and remove the date from the list.  Since I know I'm going to want all the Newbery 2014 books (announced on Jan. 27) and the selections for the SLJ Battle of the Kids' Books (this begins mid-March), I'm saving up my choices this month.  I know my wish list will always exceed my funds, but there are always libraries to help me bridge the gap.