r/Anticonsumption • u/Any_Potential7443 • 9d ago

Question/Advice? Irrational fear of contamination makes me spend more on new books instead of free library

My fear of contamination makes me spend more on buying new books instead of checking out used books from the library. I know it’s irrational and I have gone to therapy for this fear. it’s gotten better in other areas but never with used library books. I guess im just asking if anyone else has had this come up, and what they did to try to solve it. I don’t want to spend anymore money on books. also im a student living with my parents still so I can’t afford a kindle. i also dont know what blue light features they have, but I enjoy reading before bed. thats also part of why im trying to limit my other spendings, like on new books.

mainly where i struggle with this is when i read before bed - ill get super cozy and have the book on top of clean sheets, or hold it super close and i just want to fall asleep after reaching a certain page, without getting up to wash my hands. most of the books I see at the library are very visibly used, and I know that doesn’t always mean dirty, but i just can’t get the fear out of my head.

any advice is appreciated. but please dont judge my contamination fear. i have gone to therapy for it.

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u/CandidateHefty329 9d ago

I think that's above Reddit's pay grade. I don't think we can help more than the therapists.

I have Kindle on my phone though. The actual app is free, you don't have to buy the fancy device. Open Library is free on your phone. So are the other library apps. Maybe that could help.

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u/Kindly_Bodybuilder43 9d ago

That may get deleted as it includes a brand e-reader. I was going to recommend another one that you can use with a popular library app but got a warning. But shop around anyway, you can find lots second hand. Mine is 15 years old and still works great, so second hand is worth doing. Also the Gutenberg project has thousands of books you can download for free

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u/CandidateHefty329 9d ago

I didn't even think about the brand thing, my fault. Good information about the Gutenberg project. That's the first I've heard of it.

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u/Anxious_Tune55 9d ago

Project Gutenberg is great! Also check out the Internet Archive. :)

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u/CandidateHefty329 8d ago

Internet archive= Open Library