I had to think about what I was going to do yesterday because the energy and focus eluded me. I finally settled on this chest that ended up near the front door last year for no good reason. I decided to clean it out because while searching frantically for Mikey’s chess book yesterday morning (he had open play at a bookstore) I looked inside on the off-chance I stuffed it in there this summer. The chess book wasn’t in there, but it made a good clean up project.
My goal was to decide what to do with the chest once it was empty, but I never got that far. The Mister suggested we “chop into little pieces and burn it” and Mikey suggested we “use it as a mini coffin for Halloween.”
I was thinking something a little less serial killer, like maybe using it as a place to store backpacks or dress up costumes, so I made an executive decision to leave the fate-making for another day.
Aside from some books that I put in the donate pile, the chest was full of old magazines I was saving because…I don’t know. They’re Martha Stewart Living magazines, so I felt I needed to save them? They’re now on their way to Mikey’s class to be used as craft material. Louise Allana mentioned in the comments of the paper towel post that she no longer reads magazines and it has been amazing for her mental health and body image. I couldn’t agree more. I stopped reading magazines a few years ago, though it wasn’t intentional. Between writing here, reading, and other entertainment (watching TV, internet), magazine reading took a huge hit. I don’t miss it, believe it or not. I shop less, I spend less, and I covet less.
I’m not sure why this is, because everything that made me shop/spend/covet in magazines is available online. It’s not like I’ve eliminated all advertising or don’t follow on Twitter people with amazing taste. I do, but for some reason the presentation in a magazine makes me want it more. I guess that’s what makes them the experts! (Amiright, Martha?)
So. Huge pile of magazines out of the house. More on their way out. Next, I’m going to get rid of the books I have on the shelves that I will never read or read again but refuse to let go. I’m totally getting rid of books!
I’m not fooling anybody, am I?
No, I don’t think you’re fooling anyone. :-)
I have noticed that I spend a bit less when I don’t read magazines. I also bake less (Martha makes it so darn appealing to bake cookies, you know, because you can), which my husband isn’t too upset about. Beauty products, though, I still have problems with. I’m sure it has to do with the blogs I read, haha, but hey…it could be worse.
I got rid of most of my books the last time I moved (I’m not a re-reader, and they’re heavy). You won’t regret it, even if it is getting rid of books you didn’t know you had. :-)
I don’t find I buy more when I read magazines.. My shopping problem is makeup and it is the enthusiasm of makeup artists on their video channels that compels me to buy more so than a magazine editor’s opinion. I agree though- no need to keep them! We also donated 30 book to our library’s sale this summer & don’t miss them at all.
Ack!Books are very hard to donate. My church has an ongoing used book sale. I find it is a little easier to donate if I know the money goes to church. That said, I still have more books than shelf space. Progress is progress, right? Right.
Women’s magazines drive me crazy. It seems like they always have a big headline about how to walk off the weight, or lose 20 pounds… right next to the cover photo of a glorious cake.
I donated a ton of my books to the library after our last move. My husband didn’t want me too (his shelves are still jam packed). He thinks it is important that our kids are surrounded by books. I argued that it is more important that our kids see us reading, and that has nothing to do with books gathering dust on our shelves.
Do you need a place to put backpacks? If so the trunk would work well!
Even with the collapse of a bookshelf when we moved, we did not discard books. We relocated some to other spots, doubled up some, and put some on the breakfast room shelves. We also discovered the local library and borrow books frequently. Eventually some of the books will leave when the children mature and take theirs into their own homes, although I still find some on the shelves that have my oldest sons names inside, and they have been out of the house already almost 15 years.
So, Jules, I have no problem keeping books. I expect you don’t either.
Actually, I was completely taken in. No idea if you’re making it up about magazines or about books, but I’m guessing the latter. I have cut way down on the magazines I buy, as they are such disappointments. What they seem to think of as ‘articles’ I see as ‘adverts’; there’s very little content in mags anymore. One of my friends works in a cancer diagnostic clinic in an NHS hospital and she says they are constantly in need of reading material in the waiting room. Sadly, people walk off with magazines but because this clinic is so full and the waiting time can be variable, she still sees that people need something to occupy themselves. So a group of us all give her bags of our mags when we are through with them. After we’ve passed them around between ourselves. Another friend’s husband subscribes to several Sunday papers and I find the magazine sections of those quite entertaining. They, too, eventually find their way to the hospital.
As for books, I’m still madly in love with them. It helped me to get rid of ones I’m not going to re-read (too sad, too stupid, too boring, I have it nearly memorized) by taking them to the community centre whose annual book sale is my main source of books. I don’t have more room in my house for more bookshelves and if I don’t clear out, I can’t buy different ones. Also I remind myself people don’t look at my bookshelf and find themselves in awe of how intelligent / well-read / well-educated, etc., I am. Quite the opposite, I’m afraid, given the fact that I’ve just got around to reading the Twilight series. I’m calling it children’s literature instead of admitting that at 58 I’ve just gone back to high school… Not sure if these will be re-read, but I have a system. I put a slip of paper in each of my books titled ‘Last read’ and write the month/year each time I read it again. They make a handy bookmark. If I’ve not re-read a book in say, 5 years, and I don’t want to sit down with it tonight, it has to go.
I have two Pandora’s Boxes in my house; one has photographs I was in the middle of scanning when the PC died and the other has all the old videos I’ve never replaced with DVDs… clearing out my movie collection, that’s my weakness. Have you tackled yours yet?
I am a counselor and our office waiting room is always pretty blah. Someone I met with emailed me once to say “You know, if you want to communicate that your clients are valuable, perhaps updating the magazines might help.” She pointed out that ours were three years old and had never, ever been changed. Ugh. How embarrassing. I was so glad she pointed that out.
Not that you want to haul around old magazines but yeah- I appreciate you finding a new use for them. Crafting, or donating them elsewhere, seem like a good use.
I just did that not too long ago, got rid of all my old Martha Stewart, well, I might have kept 2, but it sure clears out old energy! Good luck with the books.
Oh! I just saw this
http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2013/10/why-im-no-longer-without.html
and thought of you!
The only magazine we get anymore is Time and since it’s the only “news” I regularly consume (I’ve become a firm believer in the ostrich policy ever since 9/11) I can’t see getting rid of it. The upside is that the only thing that makes me want to buy is books. You know, because I don’t have that problem, anyway.
As for you getting rid of books, I did it before we moved here and it’s probably the only time I’ve EVER gotten rid of anything where I’ve regretted it. Not saying you shouldn’t go for it…just saying that if I was going to be a hoarder (I didn’t even keep my wedding dress) it would be books that was my gateway drug.
Nope, not fooling anyone. I got rid of some books once and promptly filled the spots back up with different books. So good luck with that. But getting rid of magazines… now that is something useful. I delight in the fact that I just get my magazines delivered electronically these days because HELLO SEARCH FUNCTION. My hoarding problem has simply moved to the iPad.
I worked for a number of years in independent bookstores, and that left me with over 50 boxes of books the last time I moved. Several years ago I had a work injury and had a lot of trouble getting out to buy books or go to the library, and I bought a Kindle–which I never thought I would do. I love it, and I’ve donated about 40 of the 50 cartons of books.
I have a degree in costume design and I had a fairly extensive book collection -which i gave to a local theatre group–and they set up a little library and they loan out books now to different schools and groups who are doing plays.
I gave a ton of books to a local library sale as well to help them make money for their collection.
Now, I just have a few favorites–one bookcase full–and some large art books that I love to look at. Otherwise I am eclectronic–i have a couple hundred books on my Kindle–and i can access them on my phone and computer as well.
I find I spend less–most ebooks are cheaper than hardcovers, and before I was always afraid i would not have something to read–so I bought ahead–now I know I can go online and order what I want and I can have it in a couple of minutes, so I spend less.
I’m an amazon prime user, so I can also borrow 1 book a month free, so I save that for things I am not sure I want to buy.
I have let most of my magazines go–I used to be an avid magazine reader–now I get most of that online as well.
We still get way to many magazines to be easily stored, but they all get read by someone–my husband, mostly, who has a long train commute. We try to pass on the Harper’s and Vanity Fair to my dad, who likes to have some to travel with. The cooking magazines pile up (we read them, but then keep them as reference), and we really need to find someplace to store them. I don’t think I can convince my husband to go completely digital. Maybe someday when we catch up to the cool kid and get a tablet.
(I have my own Pandora’s Box/storage ottoman, and it is full of yarn, CDs, office supplies, picture frames, and I don’t know what else. Ugh. It’s also much larger than your box.)
Sell it on Craigslist! Then you’ll have some cash for a rainy day!
Ha, thanks for the quote & link! I bet my poor neglected blog just upped its hits by 900%!