Magazines always find their way into our homes for one reason or another. Sometimes we read the teasers on the cover and just can’t resist them–“The ten easiest recipes you’ll ever make!” or “The five-minute trick that will make you look fifteen years younger!” Or sometimes we come across a deal that we just can’t pass up–“a year’s subscription for only ten dollars? Are you kidding me?”

Then they come in our homes…
and never, ever leave!

Trust me, there are no tricks or gimmicks. If there were, I would have told you about them by now. With a few exceptions, most magazines are just stacks of advertisements with a morsel of information here and there.

Here’s how to manage those magazines that are stacking up all over the place.

First, grab a timer or put on some music (this will motivate you to plow through those magazines quickly. You can set a target for cleaning out your magazines…such as six magazines in fifteen minutes, or one song for two magazines.

Second, go around the house and gather up ALL your magazines…

Third, it’s time to make stacks. Decide what your goal is when it comes to magazines. Do you like the articles? The recipes? The fashion ideas? These are the stacks you’re going to make. For example, when it comes to decluttering magazines, I pull out recipes that I want to try (stack 1), exercise routines I want to try (stack 2), and fashion ideas (stack 3). Set your timer or some songs and start flipping through magazines, pulling out the FEW things you really, really want and put them on the stacks.

Fourth, DO SOMETHING WITH THE STACKS. Here’s what I do: with my recipes, I put them in my binder and then write down on the meal calendar when I’m going to prepare them. If the recipes are keepers, then I add them to my permanent collection. If not, I toss them out. For fashion ideas, I fold them and tuck them into my purse so I can keep them in my mind if (and that’s a BIG “IF”) I’m out shopping. For the exercises, I put them on my fridge. I try them out in my workouts and if I like them, I put them in a folder. If not, I toss them out.

Whatever you choose to do with them, PLEASE don’t let them just sit. And don’t beat yourself up if you haven’t tried the recipes or even glanced in the magazines. There have been plenty of times when I didn’t even look in a magazine when it arrived at my house. I just tossed it in the recycling container. The real waste is not just the money you wasted on the magazine, but the time, energy, and space you give it when you allow it to take up residency in your home.

Be FREE from your magazine mountain!

Laundry Mom~Hannah♥