You sound like me. At one point, I just threw out a huge pile of magazines. I haven't missed one.

Now I have about 15 magazines that I found during my recent declutter. At least they are neatly in a drawer for me to go through when I have a few minutes.

I purchased the Gourmet Magazine Cookbook and it's excellent. They made all the directions so simple to follow. I have found quite a few new recipes in there that I've been cooking every week or so. Get rid of those magazines and buy the cookbook.

It's dh's magazines that I have a problem with. He has 2 extremely large piles of magazines that he will not throw out. Since he refuses to give up any subscriptions, these just keep growing. I had put them out in the open hoping that would entice him to weed them out but they're all still there plus the new ones I keep adding to the pile. I think I'll have to put them in a box in the bedroom closet and make him have to search for a magazine. I think he'll get upset at me if I do this, though.

You know, once the magazines are gone, you really will not miss them.

Remove your name/address from them and take them to the waiting room of a local hospital. Last time I was at the e/r, the magazines were about 3 years out of date. You'll feel good about yourself for two reasons: helping others and helping yourself.

Tomme, you said the magic words: Once they're gone, I really won't miss them. It's true! Heck, until this evening I didn't even know I had them!

So now they're in plastic bags ready to be taken out of here tomorrow, and another box has been emptied. YES!!

Thank you!

Susan

Susan,

GOOD FOR YOU! I remember getting rid of gardening magazines that were hard to part with, but I never missed them either.

It took me years to get to this point, but now the only magazines I have are the current issues. Believe me, you won't miss them. Toss, toss, toss (or recycle, recycle, recycle, lol), you'll feel so much better!

I toss all old 'zines, except for Reader's Digest. I grew up reading and re-reading my grandparents' old copies, and I do the same with mine. I really do go back to the old ones and re-read a lot!

But DH starting to look at me with evil eyes now! He does not read a lot so he does not understand.

I used to have the same problem with decorating magazines. I don't subscribe to them, but when one catches my eye, I will sometimes buy it. I really try to keep them from coming in the house in the first place! I used to keep whole magazines around because of one picture, recipe or tidbit of info. But I now know that I can rip out one page and keep it in a "decorating" folder. Takes up a lot less space and someone else gets to read the rest of the magazine. Our library has a "free magazine" box to leave or take. Also, the library is a good place to look at magazines - they have old issues and you don't need to store them :)

Don't forget they are worth a deduction of a buck each if you itemize and keep track of donations.

When you add that up and realize you probably paid at least 4.00 for each magazine you didn't read....oh, boy.

Those pretty picture home magazines are hard for me to resist. I have two magazine holders and once they fill up, that's it. Out it all goes. I have managed to get down to three subscriptions.

Gloria

I work for a magazine. Let me tell you, we are COUNTING on you to throw them out. Bcs then you'll want to buy more later!

If ideas in them resonate w/ you, you'll remember them.

Or, if you need the ideas again, the ones in that issue will be passé. Or, you won't think to open them again.

(and there are food trends, you know; '80s recipes are kinda out of date. If they're not out of date, then they're classic and you'll find them somewhere else.)

I'll say one other thing: You are not obligated to become a magazine museum.

I'm drowning in a bargain...awhile ago I went hog wild at IWantMagazines.com, which is a great online resource for cheap subscriptions. I have, ahem, far more magazines coming in that I care to admit. But at literally fifty cents/issue, it was impossible to resist.

Anyway, I try hard to keep a recycling pattern going. My MIL and I 'share' subscriptions so for things we both read we exchange after each of us is finished. That takes care of some. Next level is my sisters, who live locally. That gets rid of more, although the logistical flaw is I don't see them often enough to avoid a pile next to the magazine basket! Third level is taking them (after either removing or covering address/name labels) to work and let my coworkers take what they want.

So Alisande, if you can figure out somewhere to get rid of em, that might lessen any guilt. I do agree that ya gotta move 'em out though. I've finally gotten to the point at which I will be ruthless if I know I'm not going to read something-I send it on its way.

Let's see, any nearby nursing homes, community centers, even if you have any contacts with offices that have waiting rooms (ie one of my sisters is a paralegal and she takes the Architectural Digests in there) etc...just so they are re-read, or read at least.

Ann

I subscribe to only two: Romantic Homes & Family Circle. I hesitated about Family Circle because when my mom subscribed to it she passed hers on to me & I built up quite a collection of torn out articles. At least I tore them out & didn't keep all the magazines. Eventually I tossed most of that stuff. I keep favorite issues of Romantic Homes, but mostly tear out a few things & throw them away. I have to be careful with that so I don't get so many of them again. My MIL subscribes to Southern Living & Better Homes & Gardens, so I read hers.

DH subscribes to a lot of aviation magazines, but he's pretty good about getting rid of them. He has a couple of places that he keeps them & when those get full, he begins tossing.

Can you re-sell them? I took a stack of recent magazines (Wired, etc.) to the half-price book store the last time I took bonus copy books from work. They were all within the last three months. Can't remember what I got for them but it was something!

When I get interested in a subject, such as gardening or cooking, I buy bunches of old magazines on Ebay. Plus I subscribe to several monthly. So there's a lot of piles. But DH will complain, so I will purge about once or twice a year. Maybe you can sell some on Ebay or a similar site. I noticed, for examples, that a high-end magazine like Mary Engelbreit, sells for a lot of money, in my opinion.

I'm guilty of hoarding copies of Country Living also.
Some date back to the late 70's!!! LOL
I was going to donate mine as well, because I refuse to drag those boxes to Florida, but a friend told me that anitque shops will sometimes buy them.
In fact...I remember buying one issue from a shop for .50 a while ago.

Oh how I can sympathize...I too hoard Country Home and Real Simple, even though much of its content is online. I just love that moment when I sit in my favorite rump-sprung chair, so worm that the cording on the edge of the cushion is showing, next to the window, and settle in for some serious grazing with a pile of them on the table next to me. I had every good intention of totally purging this past weekend, until I opened up a copy of Hallmark magazine I'd bought at Christmastime 2003...I'd never had the time to read it, just browsed, but this day I did, and it was such wonderful and inspiring and inspired writing! And I'd almost thrown it out! What might be hidden in those stacks of Country Home that I haven't yet savored? What gems of wisdom and practicality are lurking in Real Simple!? How can I possibly just pitch all that potential?! Am I mad?! Oh, and did I mention that I then went online and subscribed to Hallmark magazine? Just one more...

Ooops, I meant to write "so worn that the cording..."

BAE909--I know the woman who was the editor of Hallmark for a while (she's not there now)--I'm thrilled to hear your comments on the writing. I'll have to pass that on to her.

As a magazine junkie -- I have a complete collection of Victoria magazines (miss that mag!) -- as well as some other Classic Home (another wonderful mag -- now gone!) magazines saved -- by month -- in file holders in the office.

Also -- I have a "milk-crate" file-holder -- with pictures saved of all kinds of rooms and occasions.

Can't help it -- I go through my magazines at the end of a season -- and cut out stuff -- and save the pages.

Talley Sue NYC: please do! And ask her if she needs any freelance writing or editing done!!!! I'm wicked with a blue pencil...

I subscribe to a lot of cooking magazines. I find that many have special Holiday Isues, like Thanksgiving and Easter and BBQ, etc.. I keep all of those organized in magazine holders. The rest I keep in a milk crate that holds about a year's worth. My rule is when the crate is full they all go away. They generally get tossed, or if it is convenient ,donated.