I'm super averse to owning a lot of stuff, mainly because I have been relatively nomadic in my adult years.

Because of this I don't like hanging on to things that don't have recurring use value. For me I hate the idea of owning a bunch of books that I will never read again. If I am going to own a book for a long period it would have to be something that holds value either in use (i.e a reference book that I will use over and over and over again such as a Sibley Bird Guide), have sentimental value which is greater than the memory itself, or is something that is rare (signed copy, but I only have one of these at the moment and I'm thinking of selling or gifting it).

For this reason I don't buy new books. I do however buy cheaper used books, but with rules:

1. I have to read them within the same year
2. Once read, I donate them to a little library
3. I can't buy more used books until there are spaces on my shelf for them (which limits the number of books I have at once). My shelf capacity is about 25 books.

The vast majority of the books I read (probably 80% or more) I borrow from the public library or my University library.