# Dealing with books and papers...



## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

I have started with cleaning & organizing....and doing pretty good so far...but..

The books and Homeschool materials are harder. I love books. I have a very hard time parting with books and knowing which ones do I keep and which ones to pass on. I know that any book I would ever want I should be able to check-out later from a library...or find it online...but there is something very warm and comforting about holding a real book that I remember reading at another time....or that my Mother read....or my children.

How did some of you deal with getting rid of books and papers???


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## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

With great dificulty, is my answer to the OP's question! That's why I'm reading this thread; I need "help"! The papers, well I'm starting to get a clue...when I received a tiny inheritance about 8 yrs ago, I hired the neighbor girl to help me re-organize 30 yrs of papers in about 20 hrs/$200. We worked on it for quite a period of weeks, as she was a student and I was working, for a minimum of 2hrs at a stretch. I had to change my groupings, due to the large time period I was dealing with. But it helped tremendously and more than paid for itself. Shortly after we finished re-organizing, for example, I was served papers on a car that I'd sold in 1976, to a friend of my godfather's. This man had used and was still using (2002!) this car for a livery service in Newark, NJ, and owed $29,000 on parking tickets alone...plus facing jail time, etc. Except the police tho't I still owned the car. So I merely reached into the folder with bills of sale, had a copy notarized, and got myself out of jail and out of a 29K in parking tickets! Now 7 yrs later, the neighbor is gone, but I wish she were still here to help me re-organize my ill mother's paperwork...alas! Still don't know what to do w all the books; donated 60 boxes (I didn't deal with this well at all), others are in storage, a few I sold....there are of course MORE! LOL! Good luck with this! ldc


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## ihedrick (May 15, 2005)

With papers,I'd say one would have to come up with a system and then just get started. At one point when I really didn't have a ton of papers; I just used those manilla envelopes and put into a briefcase. Now I have hanging folders in a filing cabinet. Each drawer is for a different aspect of my life. One for farm related stuff like animal pedigrees, shot records, and such. Another drawer is financial with copies of bills, receipts for purchases, warrenties, and such. Another drawer is crafts and has patterns and some books and materials. Last drawer is for self sufficiency. That has binders with printed info on anything self sufficiency related.
As for books, I too am guilty of having lots of them. When I feel the need to get rid of some; I look at which ones haven't I looked at for a long time. Do I still love that book? Others, I ask myself do I still need the info that is in that book? Like a beginner book on something that I am teaching to others-I don't really need it. Leisure reading books almost always go because I can get it from the library (normally). Once all the books are boxed up that are leaving me, I try to think of the other people who will benefit from getting to read and hold my books. Or you could list the books on half.com and when someone wants to buy your book; that means you have to let it go. Puts money in your pocket.
Hope that helps some.


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

Hello - thanks for the ideas and support. I am thrown off-base this week with two children with Flu. Older son had it but now the 11 year old is very sick. My husband did get here last night, so I have help. I will get back to cleaning up next week when everyone is well. Thank you.


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