Magazines and newspapers…more sneaky paper clutter. For many years, we subscribed to some of our favorite magazines and even the Sunday newspaper. It was certainly more cost effective than individual purchases.
Over time, they became a burden, rather than enjoyment to read before the next one arrived. Gradually, we reduced the number of subscriptions but were still harassed by endless mailings from publishers offering “lowest price ever” if we renewed.
While I could easily cycle the magazines themselves, I found all the extra mail to be wasteful and irritating. It required diligence on my part to know when our subscription REALLY expired because the notices started 6 months in advance. Even when we renewed, notices continued. At one point, I had paid over 2 years in advance.
Eventually, we went down to just one magazine. It used to be my favorite. I enjoyed the articles about living simply until I realized that every other page was an advertisement. I thought this can’t possibly be the entire magazine? It was. It was twice as thick with unnecessary ads. This, was just the motivation I needed to end the final subscription.
For months, the mailings continued. Even a letter that stated I was delinquent in paying my bill. But that’s just another sales tactic because advertising works. We see over 4,000 advertisements per day. So, I don’t need help from a magazine to view even more ads for stuff I know I do not need.
I don’t object to an occasional magazine or two. Reading is good. My new approach eliminates the wasteful nature of subscriptions and prevents the influx of advertising.
Decluttering Challenge Day 21
Boundaries – If you currently subscribe to magazines or newspapers you enjoy, great! Be realistic about how many you can read monthly or daily. Establish a container to hold the current publication and recycle the rest. Be mindful of how long it takes to read each periodical. Perhaps it’s time to cancel or allow a subscription to lapse?
Topic of Interest – Do you still enjoy the information? Is it still relevant or are there other publications you would prefer to read? Do you talk yourself out of buying yet another magazine because of your existing subscriptions? I did.
Room for Spontaneity – Sometimes it’s fun to pick up a new magazine in the airport to take on vacation. Or perhaps a title catches your eye in the grocery store. While I’m not an advocate of impulse buys, I do think it’s ok to pick up a new magazine once in a while. With thoughtful purchases, you’ll spend less than with subscriptions. And there’s always the library where you can enjoy a quiet afternoon reading periodicals for free!
Magazines might not add a lot of clutter to your home. In fact, you might have a great system like I did. But when it comes to living simply, I think it’s important to look at any area that will save money, eliminate clutter and simplify life.
Suggestions on where to go with the older issues. I struggle with hanging on to them.
Nancy – I understand! Here are a couple of thoughts. Nail salons and beauty salons often have older magazines out for customers. A senior center or nursing home might could use them but I would call ahead and perhaps try to group them by what would be most appropriate for the audiences of each location.
Another idea is church Sunday schools, schools, preschools etc who could use them for cutting and pasting pictures on paper for various projects. Again, call ahead and see how many they might be interested in. You might have to drop off at two schools. Or check with any teachers you know.
Lastly, you could post to freecycle or a buynothing group or neighborhood page like Nextdoor or a FB page. If there are local teachers in those groups, they may appreciate them. I hope this helps you to pass them on!