I'm not sure exactly when or how this happened. Maybe it started during my Maternity leave with Brendan, perhaps it has been slowly increasing since I got married. Anyway it happened, I have come to the conclusion that I have too many magazines!
I have been slowly accumulating magazine subscriptions, I guess from the time I got married and we got our own apartment. It began with Real Simple. I loved the magazine, which introduced me to Martha Stewart Living. Although her recipes and ideas are usually a little complex (or time consuming) for me, it did provide some great ideas and reading material. I also received a subscription to Better Homes and Garden for a two year subscription the kept getting renewed. One year, for my Mother-in-laws birthday, I got her a subscription to Everyday with Rachel Ray, and bought a year for myself as well. After I had Brendan, I was subscribed to Parents as well as Family Fun. Finally, one of my favorite magazines to receive is Kraft Foods.
While I love all of these magazines (with the exception of Parents which isn't really my favorite) it became overwhelming after a while. I never really thought about cancelling them because I would eventually read them. Some would automatically renew because they had my credit card number, others would send me notices and I would send them back renewal notices without realizing that I still had months left of my current subscription. Finally, my husband said ENOUGH!
I had stopped reading them, lack of time mostly. How often do I get a chance to sit down with a magazine and just read? Usually on a plane, which is almost impossible when flying with a child, or sitting poolside on vacation, and when was the last time that happened?
Currently, I have a stack of 32 magazines in my storage ottoman waiting to be read.
All these magazines are "new" and yet to be opened. Some still in the plastic wrap.
My Resolution for 2010:
Cut back on the junk mail (or mail in general)! This is mostly unneeded magazines. But also includes cancelling other junk mail that we get in our mailbox. Receiving bills electronically when possible. Cleaning out my e-mail box and unsubscribe to the hundreds of junk e-mails sent monthly.
Finally, part of my resolution is to cancel all magazine subscriptions. Read the magazines that I already have stacked up, and then if I desire, I can subscribe to one magazine a year. Except Kraft Foods, we are keeping that one!
So although it may not sound like a very exciting resolution like getting fit, losing weight, changing a major life habit of mine, it is enough to get me started.
Anyone have a need/use for a bunch of old magazines I can unload??
2 comments:
We have the same problem (more so Tim), and recently we went through a bunch and I decided that I wanted to either donate them to the Library or to Kaiser. I chose Kaiser since they were most likely in need of magazines other than Parenting or ladies magazines. Tim likes to get sailing and business/techy stuff. We also had a whole year of National Geographics that were really hard to just throw away. I took our info off all the covers and then simply dropped them off at the information/volunteer desk. No need to take them to Kaiser, maybe another dr.'s office or dentist where people just wait. Just a thought.
You can give some to a school. Sometimes the kids need pictures or words to use for projects.
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