Magazine Management

For lots of years, I didn't subscribe to any magazines. I didn't have the time or money to spend on them. But in the past couple of years, I've come across several free or really cheap offers for some great home and food magazines. Now, I have tons of magazines showing up in my mailbox each month! But I have two problems. First, I still don't have much time. Secondly, if I keep all of those magazines setting around, my house will look more like a life-size recycle bin than the beautiful homes featured on those glossy pages.

So, what to do? Rip them up! Well, it's more like "rip them out". When I find a few spare minutes to flip through a magazine, I tear out any articles, pictures, craft projects, or decorating ideas that I like or think I might want to look at again. Then, the magazine goes with the recycling, and I put the items of interest into clear page protectors and file them in a notebook. Later, when I want that article on how to wrap the perfect Christmas gift or I'm wondering when to plant my herbs, I know exactly where to go.

It's also been really helpful as I've been trying to improve on my skills in making my house a home. I had to laugh at myself a couple of weeks ago. My husband and I had been browsing the home improvement store, looking at the kitchen cabinets. Knowing that we'll eventually need to update our kitchen, Brian asked what style I liked. The mere thought of having to settle on one look made my head spin....until I was looking at my magazine notebook a few days later. Every single kitchen photo I had in there looked exactly the same! Um....I guess I do know what I like.

Finally, in order to keep all of my saved pages from becoming as big of a problem as my countless magazines, there's one job I do from time to time. Actually, it's more like a fun afternoon instead of a "job". Every now and then, I sit down with my notebook (and a cup of tea, of course) and flip through, rereading some of the info and analyzing the pictures. I always find pages I'm no longer interested in or no longer need (like all of the dining room table ideas I was finished with after I finally got my new table). I'm also reminded of the projects I wanted to do and the recipes I wanted to try. I have my own little (or big!) magazine, filled with things I love. That works for me!

Find more helpful ideas over on Works for Me Wednesday.

Photo credit: Omahan Ashley