First up, I want to share a link to a cyber friend who's doing a January downsizing project. Mary Anne at Magpie's Mumblings has challenged herself to get rid of at least 5 things for each day of the month. You can read about her start here, and join her if you like! I know I'll be following along with great interest.
As for my own start to downsizing in 2020, I'm starting with something relatively small (for me), but oh so easy to lose control of if one isn't careful. Magazines! In general, magazines are not things I keep or even really like subscribing to anymore. My MIL likes to give me an inexpensive magazine subscription every year or so and each month I quickly look through it and usually recycle it before the month is over. But there are some genres that, for me, are just plain hard to get rid of.
Back in November, when I was getting rid of some old homeschooling magazines I no longer wanted, Mrs. T shared in a comment on that post that she likes to swap out her saved Taste of Home magazines every season. She keeps them visible and I assume because they're handy she looks through them throughout the season looking for ideas.
I thought that was a great idea! Magazines that I have too many of, but rarely go through are Taste of Home magazines and various crafting magazines. While I thoroughly enjoyed looking through these magazines when I received them, they don't see the light of day very often, and they are doing no good at all stored neatly away in a cabinet or on a bookshelf. I need to either put them to use, or re-home them.
So... yesterday I pulled out all the early spring crafting magazines I own, and will keep them stacked on a table in my craft den - close to the rocker, within easy reach.
This little pile doesn't look like much, but I have about 10 times this many covering the other seasons, so I'm setting a loose goal of getting rid of one or two magazines each month. That should whittle them down a bit. I'm actually expecting that as I look through them, I'll pretty quickly decide I don't want to keep all of them.
Same with my Taste of Home magazines. Today I'm pulling out all the February/March issues I own. Going to do that now...
Oh boy... this may not be as easy as I imagined. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, I'm going to take a deep breath before diving in... Though, I can't help but wonder if maybe I should have started with only half of them... 😟
Another thought is that I may quickly get some clarity here. That kind of thing happens when you start getting serious about downsizing and decluttering. I'll give it this month, and then maybe report what happens on the "saved magazines" front.
As I get ready to hit "publish" on this post, these seem like good words to start the year off with:
Like what I've been blessed with.
Use what I have.
Share my surplus with others.
I am so bad with magazines! Not any more as I haven't subscribed for years and I rarely buy any at the store. But let me tell you....I still have a zillion! At one time I gathered them by month and thought I would bring them out for that month....it was overwhelming and still is! But I am getting better...I think....I hope! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteI've cut out the subscriptions for myself, but since discovering how to buy back issues of craft magazines at a pretty steep discount (I'll just say Interweave) I have accumulated these types of magazines way too quickly. Too quickly to even go through them well, let alone actually make anything in them!
DeleteWow! But honestly, I think I have about that many. I do go through them each season and I almost always find some new recipe I want to try or an old one I'd forgotten about.
ReplyDeleteI may have mentioned in my comment on that post (I've forgotten), how I did go through all of my old issues of Country Woman and winnowed them down a lot. It hurt, though. I literally shed tears over it. I also weeded out Yankee, Reader's Digest, and more.
And yes, crafting magazines. I still have quite a few of those but I really did get rid of a lot. I think I'll go through them again and be a bit more selective about what I will actually use at this stage in life.
I think you did mention about Country Woman being particularly hard to get rid of. I love you sharing this. There really are emotional layers to this getting rid of stuff. And those emotions are so individual in how they are felt and how they need to be processed. Thank you for sharing, Mrs. T.
DeleteI think (armchair shrink hat on) it really hurts to dispose of certain magazines because they were aspirational. The me I can see myself being. And it's saying goodbye to that me, either because I'm no longer that person or because it wasn't the right dream, that's what gets you.
ReplyDeleteI'm downsizing my studio, and have to say goodbye to the kind of art I used to make. I'm not her, it ran its course and I now make different art. Still serious, still exhibiting. But there's mourning for the excitement of those years. Greedy, really, since current plans are just as exciting!
Steps down, carries away soapbox.
I agree! That is something I have to repeatedly deal with - that getting rid of something isn't giving up on the idea of ever doing it. And oooh... I understand mourning over the passed years. For me, it's often a regret over what I didn't do. How great that you have new and exciting things in this stage of life. I want to always keep life interesting by exploring new things - as long as I am able to.
DeleteOh the dreaded magazines - how I identify with those! Several years ago I got heartless and ruthless and got rid of a ton of them and guess what....I haven't missed them! The ONLY ones I keep now are the 'Crazy Quilt Quarterly' ones and that's only because I'm the Assistant Editor. Now here's a little story for you (which might be an incentive!)....my parents were married in September of 1954 and at the time Readers Digest was offering a life-time subscription for a really good deal. My parents succumbed and thus began a marriage filled with those magazines which were lovingly read and then bundled up by years and stored carefully in their basement. For what reason I never knew, other than my mother verged on being a pack rat. Needless to say they were tossed in the recycling bin when we cleaned out their house.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness... that IS a story! I think a fair number of people did that with National Geographic magazines too! Okay... I imagine the first thing that would go in the recycling bin if I were to pass suddenly would be these cooking magazines. I hear you. I should just save someone else the effort.
DeleteI have that many! I just went downstairs and made them into seasonal stacks. I am going to just relook at the old instead of buying new. I do enjoy each year going through Christmas ones especially. I did not buy a new Christmas one this year. I was so proud of myself. I once loved magazines so much. I think with the advent of so much at your disposal on the Internet, phone, etc. that I don't enjoy them as much. We will see if I cull any of them this year.
ReplyDeleteI must be slow getting with the program. This is such a good idea, I don't know why it never occurred to me. I will say... I was looking at a 1998 TOH magazine earlier this evening and hardly anything looked good in it. Sensibilities change, I know, but I'm wondering if I thought things in this particular edition looked good 22 years ago. I'll be saying an easy goodbye to one so far! :)
DeleteI do know what you mean about some of the recipes. However, I love my oldest oldest ---not gonna tell you how old ---Southern Livings and their home decor. I am going to chunk some this year and keep some. I also took the stack of Southern Livings from two years ago that I pulled nothing out of and wrapped a piece of twine around them and took them to Goodwill as a set. I thought someone might like to look at them. They are pretty much a dying breed. Even in the doctor's office everyone is on their phone. I do keep interiors that I really love in a file box.
DeleteThank you, Laurie! I just visited your blog and I love it - and the name! :)
ReplyDeleteGood goals to eliminate magazines. My 2020 Vision word is CLARITY and I believe it will guide me well. I give my magazines to family and friends throughout the year. I am visiting from Magpies Mumblings and following her lead of eliminating 5 things daily. 2020 Blessings...
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by, Sherry. I think these particular magazines will be popular ones to pass along. At a minimum, they'll surely be snatched up from the free shelves at one of our library branches. :)
DeleteThat is why I don't collect mags. I have to go through what I have and rip out what I want to keep and put them in a binder.
ReplyDelete