A Mess of Magazines

by WomansDay.com Editors | Comments


One of my biggest clutter problems is paper—specifically magazines. My husband and I get at least 15 magazines. Why so many? Don't ask! Getting the magazines isn't the problem—it's getting rid of them. Being a dyed-in-the-wool collector, I have an aversion to just throwing things away.

I’ve tried tearing out articles that I’m interested in, filing them and then pitching the magazine. Logically, this is a good solution, but it takes a long time and frankly, I don't think I've given those piles of tear sheets a second look.

Friends have offered many decluttering suggestions: Ingrid said to get rid of anything before 2004—she thinks everything looks outdated before that. Another friend offered to help me look through them all—insisting that for every one I save, I throw one away.

My sister advised me to get rid of the ones I don’t want by using Freecycle. It promotes recycling by linking up people who want to dump something with people who need it. After joining the site, you send an e-mail offering your stuff to the local group, and interested parties contact you. Or maybe I could get a few bucks if I sell them on eBay. Someone must want my 10-year-old cooking magazines.

Perhaps I should donate the magazines to a worthy cause. Nursing homes, hospitals, women's shelters, senior citizens centers and medical clinics are all good places to send them. Children's schools can use them for crafts.

Or maybe reusing them is the answer. Lately, I've seen interesting beaded necklaces that were made from old magazines. They're relatively easy to make and you can find the instructions online. Or I could cut them into small pieces to make magnets. Other craft options are weaving them together to form placemats or decoupaging them onto boxes or tabletops. If you’re not crafty, magazine paper makes great, low-cost gift wrap. Magazines can also be rolled into tubes and used to keep wet boots in shape or slipped into dresser or desk drawers to line them.

With all these options, it's no wonder that I haven't been able to decide what to do with them.-Janet Sobesky

What do you do to get rid of excess magazines? Do you recycle them as soon as you’re finished reading?