Having a system to read your magazines seems like a silly thing to post about. I mean really....a system to read magazines?
What I mean here is just trying to find the time to read that one, two or three (hopefully not more) magazines a month to make them worth while to have.
1)Have a basket or magazine rack that you can store only your most recent unread magazines. This needs to be positioned near the seat where you usually sit.
When the mail comes in that day, if you are not able to sit down right then and read it, put it in your basket.
I am sure many of your have a magazine rack...but it is completely over flowing with magazines and catalogs. Go through those. If there are magazines that you have not read, and are over 3 months old...pitch them (or donate).
2) Any magazines that you have to keep (under 3 months old) put in that magazines file.
If it is under 3 months old and you are determined you will read it, then go put it in the magazine file that we discussed in the part 2 post.
Catalogs should have their own file for the couple you may want to keep (But even Penney's fall/winter 08 catalog should be thrown out when the spring/summer 09 one comes.). Do not keep all of them. Some companies send something almost weekly (it seems). You can call companies and have them canceled if you never buy from them and do not have time to look at them. Do not be scared to recycle them promptly. They all have online catalogs, so if it should happen that you have thrown one away and you realize you have to order something...either wait for the next one to come, or go online.
3) Keep the rotation going. It has to be on going to keep it under control.
Anything can get out of hand, and magazines are no exception. Magazines do not clean or throw themselves away. We have to take control to do it.
4) A good tip to read your magazines.
*Keep a folder in your car that you can keep one or two. When you end up at the Dr. office without some other productive work to do, have to wait for a child to come out of a sporting event, or have time to kill waiting for a child at a piano lesson or gymnastics lesson....you can read them then.
*Keep a small magazine file in your bathroom. (No explaination needed)
*If you have a brief case or bag from work, thrown one in there. Lunch break can be a good time to catch up on your reading.
Oh..by the way, I was thinking I didn't have any magazine subscriptions. I got the 2nd of a new subscription yesterday! I subscribed to "All You" magazine because I heard about the coupons in them. I picked up the mail before right before I had to go sit in line to pick up the kids from school. I have scissors I keep in the car, so I sat and clipped coupons while I waited. I will clip the coupons and pull out any recipes I want and then throw the rest in the recycle can within a day or two.
2 comments:
This is such a thorough system!
And, of course, don't forget to recycle!
*Or what my MIL does with her five sisters - they each have 1 or 2 that they subscribe to, and then they rotate. They all live w/in 100mi. of each other, so they see each other enough to swap. And it saves a ton of paper bc between the 6 of them they are only subscribing to 1 of ea. magazine.
Most of the magazines are cooking and decorating magazines so if they don't read the "current" one until a mo. after it's been out, the information is usually still very relevant.
Thank you so much for such awesome tips! I get tons of magazines, I'm an addict. I love the idea of keeping a rotation going in a basket, and I never thought to keep some in the car. Fabulous.
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