Tuesday's Tip 2.3.09

If you're like me, you love a good magazine. My favorites are Real Simple and Better Homes & Gardens. A good magazine is all encompassing...offers suggestions for the home, in organizing, the wardrobe and in the kitchen. A few years ago I was getting about 3 or 4 different magazines a month and very quickly realized that they could very easily take over our house. I knew that there were many ideas that I wanted to keep for future reference, but we just didn't have the space to save every single edition of every single magazine that contained every single idea. So, here's my system for cutting the magazine clutter:

Upon receiving a magazine in the mail, I will read through it, folding down the corners of pages containing information that I find to be helpful.

I usually leave the magazine on the coffee table until the next issue arrives.

When the next issue arrives, I take the old issue and tear out the pages that have folded down corners.

I have a folder in my filing cabinet for such pages (labeled home decorating ideas, organizational ideas, craft projects, gift ideas, etc). I file each page accordingly. Some people create notebooks to store their ideas in. This is great solution as well. I just figure that if I have the space in my filing cabinet, I might as well use it.

When I'm in need of a little decorating inspiration or looking for ideas for a room that's about to get a makeover, I consult my trusty file and get to work on making those ideas come to life.

Then, because I'm a little nerdy in the areas of recycling, I refuse to throw magazines away. If I don't know anyone who might like to read it, I put it in our paper recycling bin. More often than not, I pass it along to a friend of family member and ask that they do the same when they are finished with it. Sure, some of the pages are ripped out, but there are usually tons of good ideas remaining.

The end result is about 1 inch of filing cabinet space vs. 1 entire bookcase full of old magazines.