Spring Cleaning is in full force at my house right now. I am always organizing, but there is something about spring that really makes me want to declutter every corner of the house. This week I was working on my magazines. I used to get really behind on my magazines, I mean months behind.
But I did a few things to stop the cycle that I want to share with you.
Start Decluttering Like A Boss
Get rid of any magazines that are 3 months old or more. You may be afraid you might miss a good article, but chances are, you will see a similar article elsewhere or the article is available online. Magazines are timely so saving them in a pile most likely means they will never be touched again.
Donate the magazines to an assisted living home, hospital or pass them along to friends or relatives who might enjoy them. You can also recycle them.
If you are not reading them in a timely manner, schedule some time in your planner to read them. Put a couple in the car so that you can catch up on them when you are waiting in the school parking lot or while on your lunch break.
Retain What is Important
If there is an article or recipe idea you want to keep, tear the page out but try to resist keeping the entire magazine. I used to do this quite a bit, but now if I am looking for a recipe I do not have, I am more likely to turn to cooking blogs or Pinterest. With Pinterest, there are so many recipes available on the web that it is rare I see one in a magazine that I need to save.
You can also scan the article with your phone or take a picture if it is something you want to research later. Chances are, you only really want to retain information a small percentage of what is in the magazine.
Ways to Store Physical Articles
There is nothing like finding a delicious looking recipe in a magazine. I have been tearing these out for years. I like to keep recipes and articles in a file or binder. I recommend only save the ones you really want to try. If you are not sure, you can probably find a simple recipe on-line and consider pinning it instead.
Digital Magazines
Consider signing up for digital magazines, like this beautiful one by one of my Southern California friends. They do not take any additional space and they are so easy to retrieve. That being said, you can still keep these organized. Keep them organized on Pinterest or in a Google Drive document so that you can easily access later.
Subscribe to those that give you great value.
I used to subscribe to about 10 magazines and often, many of them had the same or similar articles. I would fall behind on reading all of them due to work, school, sports, etc… Now I have about 4 that I receive each month.
With a manageable amount of subscriptions, I can read them when they are timely. No more looking at Turkey dressing recipes in January! (Yes, that has happened) Plus, there are so many online articles now, that I spend more time looking at online magazines and blogs then I do hard copy magazines.
If you are behind on your reading, you may want to unsubscribe to some. If you have trouble parting with a magazine, consider switching it to an electronic version. That way there is no waste of paper (and less clutter taking up precious space in your home). Once the magazines stop coming, you will not miss them as much as you think you will, trust me.
Storage Solutions
Find a storage home for the magazines you keep. Most people I know still enjoy getting a hard copy once in a while. When there are too many to fit into the storage, purge them. By allocating a small space, you will ensure that clutter will be reduced. This is a good rule to apply to many of the areas you may be spring cleaning.
Whether you decide on a magazine file, a basket or even stacked on a table, try to limit the storage size. File boxes also make great storage containers as they are the perfect size to keep magazines out of site. Reducing the clutter is so incredibly freeing.
We hope you enjoyed our spring cleaning decluttering tips. For more organizing tips see:
Do you have any paper magazine subscriptions? Which ones do you love?
Tamara says
Or if you read Cosmopolitan magazine, you need only read one because they’re all the same!
I had a real magazine problem last year. I finally got it under control, but I really could have used these tips then! I like that you offer many alternatives than just throwing them out.
Kris {Driven by Decor} says
I’ve got a huge, huge stack that’s piled up! Love your tips – clutter drives me crazy!
[email protected] TIPical Day says
Paper clutter, books, and magazines are my worst enemy! I just can’t seem to keep that clutter at bay! I pinned this because you have some great tips here! I would also like to invite you to join me over on my Facebook page today. I am hosting a Facebook Link Up and would love for you to share this post! https://www.facebook.com/atipicalday
Raquel says
Thanks for the visit and the pin Meredith! I would be happy to come by!
Ann says
I have such a hard time with magazines; I love to read them, but find myself months behind on that! I have cut down my subscriptions, but they still seem to stack up. Lately, I’ve found myself just perusing them and then tearing out articles and pages that look interesting; then keeping them filed for when I DO finally have the time to check them out.
Christina says
This is on my spring cleaning list. Thanks for posting.
Raquel says
Thanks for stopping by Christina! Happy Spring!
Elizabeth Towns says
I’m having a really hard time decluttering one room – my bedroom. It’s an awful mess of baskets, boxes and other containers that I really need to tackle. I am going to spend this upcoming week working at it. Your magazine stack looks just like mine.
Mary says
We are down to only one paper magazine and it is for the kids. But I did go through our old magazines and scanned anything I may want.
Raquel says
That’s awesome that you’re down to one paper magazine. That helps a bunch!
Kaylin says
I have WAY too many magazines lying around! Thanks for the tips!
Raquel says
You are welcome! Thanks for stopping by!
Cindy Eikenberg says
Raquel, you would absolutely knock me over the head if you saw my magazine collection (which includes tons from family, too!) I need to get them organized, but I just can’t get rid of them. It’s a sickness, I know! 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing this at Best of the Weekend for the resident magazine addict! Pinning and hope you’re having a great week!
Raquel says
Thanks for the pin Cindy! I totally get it i-t’s like separation anxiety to throw one away. good luck with the organizing!
Jennifer V says
Great tips! I actually don’t have any paper magazines subscriptions if you can believe it. I stopped them all last year because I can typically find anything I want on Pinterest.
Raquel says
Good for you Jennifer! I am almost there! I still like to hold a magazine but isn’t that the troth about Pinterst?
Megan Walker says
Great tips! My library actually allows you to check out digital magazines for free, so I let my subscriptions in favor of FREE. I also greatly reduced my magazine clutter with no physical magazines.
Thanks for sharing on Hump Day Happenings!
Raquel says
Oh I love the idea of checking out digital magazines and will have to check my library!
Jenna @ A Savory Feast says
This is great! I am in desparate need of some spring cleaning! I am always afraid to throw out magazines in case I need an article again, but you are so right. I will either find something similar somewhere else or online. Great tips!
Raquel says
I used to be too Jenna, I have discovered that you won’t really miss anything you can’t find online.
Akaleistar says
I used to save all of my magazines, so now I am going through them and deciding what is worth keeping.
Raquel says
It really helps to decrease the clutter!