Clutterbugs: Magazine Declutter Ideas
One of the big clutter problems in our homes is clutter from magazines and newspapers. For some reason, clutterbug-types tend to be unusually attracted to print media. We are always on the lookout for great ideas, recipes, and articles, so we tend to keep a large quantity of magazines and newspapers with the intention of going through them *someday*.
Well, here's a newsflash for you - if *someday* hasn't happened yet, it isn't going to. I'll say it again. If you were ever going to go through all that stuff, you would have done it by now. I'm not trying to be mean or to keep you from having stuff that you really want, but you've got to be honest with yourself. If you don't have enough time to go through all this on a regular basis, make another choice.
OK, given that I am different from most of the rest of the world, here is what I do. I subscribe to one, count 'em ONE magazine, and I talked my husband into only getting the Sunday paper. That's it! I used to have a daily newspaper and at least four magazines, so it's a big reduction.
Sidebar: I'm kind of on a news diet. The news is always so depressing, negative, and unproductive, I've pretty much banned it from my life. I've not watched a regular news show, read a full paper, or listened to a regular radio show ever since 9/11 and the interesting thing is that I've not missed a single important thing. I get all the news I need from the Internet or word of mouth without wasting a lot of time filtering through a bunch of stuff I don't care about. My father-in-law used to spent about 5 hrs a day watching/reading the news, over his 80 year lifetime, that's probably about 10 years of his life. That's not how I want to spend my life.
Anyway, strategy #1 is to be selective about what you bring into the house. Look at each publication you are getting and see if you are getting what you want out of it? Does it carry it's own weight? If not, then either stop it and get a refund, or change the address to a doctor's office, or nursing home. They'll be happy to get it.
Strategy #2 - if you decide to keep a publication, make sure you get your goal out of it. If it's recipes you want, tear the good ones out and keep them in a file, so you will be sure and use them. Same thing for craft magazines. Make time for a quick scan through, tear out the good ideas and keep them in a folder in your car. Then when you are waiting for the kids, or at a Dr's appt or something, go through them, and see what is useful to you. You paid for the magazine, don't feel like you shouldn't tear out the pages if you want to. If you're really compulsive, use a ruler and a craft knife to get a nice straight cut.
Strategy #3 - organize your magazines. This one is my favorite. The one magazine I hold onto is People magazine, which I love. But it is a weekly mag, so it's a lot of material to go through and they all look somewhat similar. So a lot of the time, I would find myself re-reading an issue I had already read. So I came up with a brilliant idea. When I finish a People, I fold down the whole back cover diagonally. Then I can tell at a glance which ones I have read. Then I take them to work and share them with co-workers. I must say, I think it is so wasteful for only one person to read a magazine, so I always make sure that I pass mine onto someone!
Strategy #4 - set a limit. If you are overrun with paper, set a limit on how many issues you are willing to keep. I suggest 3. That means only 3 days worth of newspapers in the house. Any older and out they go. 3 issues of each magazine. If you haven't read it in 3 months or even 3 weeks, you aren't likely to get to it soon and it has become clutter. Release it and let it go.
Strategy #5 - find a clutter-free way to get the information you want. If it's recipes, you can get just about any recipe in the world just by going to Google and putting in the main ingredients, and then when you find one you like, either bookmark it, or cut and paste it into a Word doc you keep on your computer. Many magazines like People and Oprah are on-line, so you can go there to read your articles and not have the clutter in your home.
Which of these tips do you think will be the most helpful to you in dealing with your magazine clutter?
Which of these tips do you think will be the most helpful to you in dealing with your magazine clutter?
By TwitterButtons.com
3 comments:
I like to cut the pages out I want to save and i Keep them in a binder. I also like to pass my magazine on to a friend or sister after reading it. It makes me feel less wasteful.
Hey, these are great ideas. I know what you mean about the news-- I've always been a news junkie, but lately I'm cutting back-- it IS too discouraging!
I found you via SITS-- come visit me, too-- I'm making fresh coffee!
L.
EXACTLY what I needed - I had a huge box for a local women's shelter, but had more left here. I am going to save this post and follow the rules! GREAT ideas - thank you!!
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