I used to be proud of filling my bookshelves with as many books as possible.  I dreamed of having a study/library packed with books.  Then I had to move across the country.  Packing and moving my books became the most dreaded part.  There were so many heavy boxes to move!  Especially the tech books.  How many of those books have I gone back and reread?  Very few.

I very rarely buy brand new books anymore.  I have a rule for movies and books:

if read/watched more than twice, buy (used if possible);

else rent/borrow

I still have stacks and stacks of fiction books from my past.  There are specialty books that are hard to find at the library or used book store, and have to be bought new.   Current programming and technology books, for example, are rotated in and out most frequently.

Thus, if I want to buy a new book, I try to sell my old ones on Amazon.  This usually works out to about a 3 to 1 ratio.  At that rate, I make rapid progress on decluttering my bookshelf.

I’m not quite there yet.  My goal is to fit only the essential books that I need in a couple of book boxes.  I try not to buy fiction books anymore, and opt for the library when I can.

I doubt I could be a true monetary monk minimalist, but I’m sure I can have a neat desk and bookshelf with items that I truly need.

I save money on packaging by custom fitting a box to my item using an old box. Here’s how I do it without a lot of measurements or an advanced engineering degree.

Warning: See comments below. Do not try to do this with USPS Priority Mail boxes! Thanks, Stephanie!

Step 1: Get an old box you have lying around from your last Amazon.com order.
Step 2: I just sold one of my old books and have it ready to pack.
Step 3: Unfold the box completely.
Step 4: Lay the book inside. Looks like it should fit nicely with a few cuts.
Step 5: Push the book’s spine against the box’s fold, then make a crease and fold on the opposite edge.
Step 6: Fold the box against the top cover.
Step 7: Make a crease and fold the box so that it is enclosed except on the top and bottom edge. Note I haven’t made any cuts in the box yet.
Here’s the book with its folds and creases. See? No cuts yet. The creases will give us some guides to follow when cutting.
Step 8: It’s time to start cutting. Fold the box’s existing flap and trim it to the width of the book.
Step 9: Cut vertical lines at the corner approximately the same width of the book.
You should end up with a flap that folds along the bottom of the book.
Step 10: Repeat the cuts on the remaining 3 corners so you have 4 flaps.
Step 11: Cut off excess from the flaps. I have approximately 1/2 inch flaps here.
Step 12: Fold the top and bottom edges over the flaps.
Step 13: Repeat on the other side. Fold all your edges over and cut off any excess.
Step 14: I taped the bottom edges together once I had them folded over the flaps to hold them tight. The box is almost done. Just pop the book in and fold the top flaps and edges. Tape all edges tightly with good quality packing tape.
Step 15: The finished product! Just need to put the shipping address on, and drop it off at the Post Office on my way to coffee in the morning.

I consider the cost of this negligible since I’m using a box and tape I already had lying around the house. It’s a sturdy box with no excess packing materials. In the past when I bought envelopes from the Post Office, it would typically cost me about $2.30 to ship the book, then another $1.35 on the bubble wrapped envelope. If I had $5 profit after Amazon took their cut, that would leave me with $1.35. Lame. I could buy a short Americano with that; barely enough to annoy David Bach with. I need a real latte. Now with my custom box, I get to keep $2.70. Yay! Double tall mocha, please!

I learned this method from Instructables.com: Build a Cardboard Box. Try reading there if my instructions seem confusing.

Update 3/17/2009: Fixed numbering problems – oops. Reformatted steps for easier reading.