Update: Book No-Buy Year!

We are now nearing the end of July, so over the halfway mark for 2024! It's time for a check-in. I'll double-check and make sure that the rules I set for myself are still sound and are working for what I'm going for..

As a reminder, my personal set of rules for my Book No Buy Year are as follows:

Green Light: Book Purchases and Acquirements I Can Make

• Any books bought or pre-ordered prior to the start of 2024 are fair game (that being said, I did not treat this as permission to go wild). --> No problem. All pre-ordered, pre-purchased books have been accounted for at this point. There have been a few books that I've been bummed I can't purchase until next year though. I have lapsed just once in this area-- a bought a book that a friend of mine wrote and illustrated. That purchase happened recently. I'm not concerned that this will happen for the rest of the year though. I think in general, this rule is doing its job.

Yellow Light: Limits and Exceptions for Book Purchases and Acquirements

• Presents for others, thoughtfully gifted (thrifted books as much as possible).  The only occasions where this can happen are birthdays and Christmas.  I want to avoid "just because" gifts of books. --> No problem here!
• I can enter contests for books as long as I don't have to pay for them.  The odds of me actually winning these drawings are very, very slim.  I'm thinking particularly of GoodReads for this. --> All good here. I have entered contests through GoodReads and I haven't won a single one of them. So I think this is an okay exception still!
• I can buy a book if I need it for work or a class.  First though, I must check the library to see if it's available within a week or two there.  If it's not, I can opt for a digital copy.  If a digital copy isn't available, then a hard copy can be acquired (secondhand as often as possible). --> I have taken advantage of this one, so I have acquired a few books because of this. I have acquired two writing instruction books and two books that college students were trying to teach to middle school students. I don't think I've gone too overboard in this area!
• Request books on NetGalley if I have immediate plans and desires to read that book.  I don't want to create a new backlog just because I want to read brand new stories. --> I wouldn't call this out of control, but I have definitely gotten a NetGalley book or two have haven't finished all of them in a timely manner like I'm supposed to. With summer quickly nearing an end and school coming up, I should prioritize reading those books. We'll see what happens though!
• I can use the library to find a mode of a book that I don't already own (for example, if I own a physical copy of a book but I'd rather listen to the audiobook). --> You know, I haven't done this as much as I thought I would. I think this is a reasonable accommodation, so I'll keep it.

Red Light: Hard Boundaries Around Book Purchases and Acquirements

• I won't repurchase any books I used to own but previously gave up-- nostalgia is not a good enough reason to acquire or re-acquire books --> No problems here!
• Keep Audible account on pause so that I can keep listening to the books I already have but without acquiring more credits --> Okay, I had a very small issue here. I forgot that when you pause your Audible account, it only lasts for three months. So I believe I was accidentally charged for a month. As a result, I chose an audiobook because otherwise, I would lose that credit. I canceled my account since then so it hasn't been an issue.
• Sites like Chirp and BookBub can be used to inspire requests at the library and adding books to my GoodReads TBR, but I cannot take advantage of any of the steep discounts for the duration of 2024, including books that are free. --> You know, it's been easier to avoid these emails advertising cheap ebooks and audiobooks altogether. So this hasn't been an issue, really!
• No buying physical versions of digital books I fall in love with just to own a hard copy of that book. --> No problems here!

I have severely limited the number of books I am personally bringing into my house. I don't feel like I need to have a ton of books in my possession. Even physical books from the library I'm a little resistant to because I always turn them in late and that upsets the librarians a little bit. I have noticed that I've shifted my attention to the other books in my house that belong to other people. With my son, that's not such a problem. It's been ages since I decluttered his books. His books are my purview and it's my job to keep them organized. But my wife's books? I shouldn't be concerning myself with those, but I am. So I'll have to work through that thought process and help give her space to store her books. 

Overall, I'm pleased with how this challenge is going. It's keeping my impulses in check. But now I'd love to see me start reading more of the books I own (physical or otherwise). That'll be my challenge going into the rest of this year.

Wish me luck!