So if I hate it so much then why do I let it control my life? I used to be so good at filing my papers away, up until about 4 years ago when I started my first accounting job which included filing banks statements, journal entries, and account recons. I did enough filing at work the last thing I wanted to do was file at home.I used to get excited over filing. I loved making the new file folders using colorful markers to make decorative labels and making sure everything was in it's place. I still have a system in place but now it's just a chore.
So you think I'd try to minimize the incoming paper to my house right? Yeah I thought so too until I was offered free magazine subscriptions.
Did you see the key word there? FREE
I can't turn down anything free. I grew up going to garage sales with my dad learning the value of bartering for a bird cage just in case one day I decide to buy a bird, and if it's free?
No question, you take it.
So I jumped on that offer faster then David Letterman jumped on Stephanie Birkitt! I filled out a stupid survey (a small price to pay) and signed up for 4 free magazine subscriptions.
FOUR!
They started arriving last month. Do I read them? No. Do I save them? Yes. Will I ever read them? Probably not. So why the hell do I keep them if they are making my life miserable? Well, it's easy,
THEY WERE FREE GODDAMMIT!
Worst part is that none of the subscriptions offered were the good trashy celeb gossip kind like:
No, the 4 magazines that I am now stuck with for a WHOLE YEAR are:
They're all good right? Maybe. You know how you can tell if a magazine is good? A magazine worth taking a survey for?
If it contains crossword puzzles.
Four fricken magazines and not one crossword in sight.
What have I done?
So tell me, how do you control the paper coming into your home? What's your system?
Posts
53 comments:
I do everything online. Online magazines, bills, coupons...you name it. I'm way too lazy to file things and opening an envelope...forget it...lol!
I too get a lot of FREE magazines. And I usually look through them and when I'm done give them to the kids and they clip out things or color in them or I just recycle them!!
I too HATE paper...but I love magazines... I end up giving them to some friends at church that cant afford magazine subscriptions - or I tear the address label off & take them to Goodwill with other stuff...
but girl... magazines are the least of my problems... with knitting patterns - & youth lessons - & youth ideas & receipt for the youth & personal stuff & bank statements... UGH... my desk area is getting SWARMED myself. Makes me feel like I'm going to panic...need a purging day!
I'm a huge Entertainment weekly fan but only teh website - not the mag. Last time i was home i noticed it was about 12 pages long and all the content could be found online for free. :p
We don't get mail in Egypt. None. No junk mail, bills, or magazines. It's oddly liberating.
I once bought EVERY fitness magazine I could find, and put them on my nightstand.. assuming I'd read one or two a week.
FORTY magazines still sit there, waiting for me to read them. I am glad that losing five pounds of back fat doesn't get outdated!
As for the mags you got for free, not bad. I like SHAPE. And I'd probably like REAL SIMPLE. MAybe even FOOD AND WINE.
LOL I recycle everything, before it comes into the house I sit in the car go threw the mail and into the recyclers it goes :)
Food and Wine ... I so love that one ... LOL I just browse at the walmart check out no buying them here. I'm sick of putting magazines out on the coffee table just because it's the thing to do. What am I a doc's office? LOL
We have a lot of our bills and stuff switched to electronically send us the bill. I stopped my celeb mags bc I can read it online for free. So that just leaves junk mail which immediately gets thrown out and 'good mail'.
Um, yeah I would LOVE those magazine. Want to forward them onto me, especially the Food and Wine. I am drooling over that one.
I have a basket for magazines and when it gets too high, I throw them away. I know that's awful. I should be recycling them in some way!
Put them in the bathroom for reading material :O)
When I'm done with a magazine I put it in a bag and then give them to my friend.
Just called over to say Hi!
I have the same problem with magazines, especially the ones that come free with the Sunday newspapers!
Yes, I do glance through them and read reviews, but then what? Well, I used to recycle everything, but then I found out about this scheme that our local Church has, for every ton of paper, the church gets a donation from a local recycling plant. Our Bishop even comes himself to pick them up.
So, I can do the crosswords and cut the interesting bits out to keep, and nothing gets wasted! I always wondered why more churches don't do this. We have a beautiful 9th century church, and now it has disabled toilets!
I really like Real Simple magazine. It's the organized, perfected life I would like to have!
As far as the paper, I scan stuff in and throw away the paper. I keep the really important stuff, of course, but bills and junk - they are all saved on my external hard drive specifically for that crap.
Girl I will pay you to ship the Shape one to me!!! That will be one less one to file. ;)
I would read Real Simple and EW. But I do love my trashy magazines.
i just keep an eye out for the "pink" bills.
they're the most important ones.
everything else i throw away.
i'm an identity theft waiting to happen.
good thing i'm po'.
andrea
The biggest problem with Real Simple is that there are so many good articles in there that I never want to throw them away - so I have piles of them from over the years. But have I ever actually gone back and looked for a specific article? NO. Which just means that I should go home and throw them all away. Thanks for making me realize that.
But read that one - Real Simple - it's a good one - you'll be glad you did.
OMG, I wouldn't read those magazines unless on the crapper when you're desperate for some form of entertainment. I have a combo tp holder/mag holder and when the new issues come out, the old ones go in the trash.
Justine :o )
You don't want to know. You should see my desk, Jeff is worried that I am going to lose things and he may be right, but don't tell him I said so.
My system works for me even if it is a bit of nonsense. Sadly you can hardly see the desk top, okay, slight exaggeration, you can't see my desk top....I don't even know what color it is.
I do most things online - and I try to follow the one-touch rule - it only gets touched once and it is either put in the trash, if it is a bill, it goes into the bill system, or filed away - magazines go into 1 of 2 baskets. If it's a bill, as soon as I pay the bill, it either gets filed or tossed depending on the type of bill.
Now - about your magazines, I too agree, a crossword is great! I used to get the paper just for the crossword - but too much paper. BUT, I get Entertainment Weekly and Real Simple (the ONLY 2 magazines that come to my house) and I read them both cover to cover every month - they are actually really good, worth the time (neither takes long) to read a little each day.
Everything goes in the "round file". I throw away everything, I can't stand the clutter of it either. Filing makes me crazy!!
I've thrown away a marriage certificate, traffic tickets, and pictures...whoops!!
I am a detailed person and used to keep everything filed until I took a bookkeeping job about 4 years ago. I spend all day doing that stuff and just don't feel like doing it when I get home, so know I'm behind.
Before the job: whenever I touched a piece of paper I put it away or handled it right away. Try to touch the paper a few times as possible. However that theory turned into a to do pile, I don't touch the paper much but it's not getting done either. Got to get back on track.
Thanks for reminding me I'm not the only one drowning in paper.
I hate papers too, and the little tree hugger in me hates thinking about how many trees went into my cable bill or cell phone statement. I pay as many bills online as I can, and yet I have this phobia that if I don't get the paper statement in the mail I'll miss the email reminder or it'll end up in my junk mail and I'll overlook paying it. So alas, I'm stuck with bills that I end up opening, paying, then throwing away...what a waste!
I stand over the trash can with the incoming mail. Anything personal gets shredded. Plus, I have gone paperless on my bills. I feel better not having my credit card number out there floating around for others to find in the mail....
my husband has too many magazines that he never reads or uses. I am sick of the handyman magazine since he never does anything handy!!! I have been trashing his renewal letters.
I try to recycle our paper. I just go through it all once per week and that helps. But I still have piles of stuff everywhere...hrm..
You can forward them here... because I don't even get the free magazines. There always seems to be a catch (that's ME)
I actually really like entertainment weekly!
You will love this one.
I go to the mail box and on the way in the house, I stop at the trash can and dump everything but the real stuff. Never even enters the house.
P.S. You know what state you live in, right? What the hell do you need Food and Wine Magazine for?
Hey cutie! Here's your chance to do a good deed. Call up those magazines and have them forwarded to your local women's shelter or other charity. You get rid of the paper and get brownie points at the same time.
As for the other stuff, just toss it. Seriously, everything you can. I toss or shred almost every scrap of paper that comes into the house and you know what, I don't miss any of it. People who file every little bill and receipt, it's just a waste of time. I pay all my bills on-line and do most of my shopping on-line too, so all those little receipts are in my computer, right where they belong. Of course my computer is now bursting at the seams, but I can live with that.
I'm impressed with all the good ideas here. I need to ask my audience more questions! BTW-my counter is covered in envelopes and my coffee-table is piled high with magazines. Maybe I should follow this great advice too...one touch rule sounds good!
Entertainment Weekly is great. It took me a bit to get used to it and now I look forward to it. It's very snarky. Give it a chance and you'll love it too.
Geez, I only get one magazine and it's enough! Does anyone ever actually read them? I skim, yes, but most of it is the same crap in every issue. Still, they are camping out in cabinets and drawers and end tables, just taking up space because I haven't read them and hate to throw them away. Waste.
Our kitchen table always ends up looking like a mountain of paper - even the chairs get filled up. I started putting stacking them in old boxes and stacking the boxes in our spare room. Not very responsible (there are surely bills in there) but at least I have my sanity. On occasion.
My system includes leaving just about all the "trash mail" in the trash can by the back door. :)
Once its in the house however, that's another story....
I love to file stuff away. I have a system, but it gets junked up every now and then. Greg is a paper hoard. He keeps paper upon paper on his work desk and it drives me a little batty! I have magazines for jewelry making and at first, it was piling up and irritating me. I went through them and decided which ones I'd keep, then I organized them and put them into magazine holders.
:) I'm an organization freak!
Entertainment is actually my fav mag because it keeps me up to date on new music. That one's a keeper. I could take or keep the others. I usually throw 90% of my mail away. Sometimes I mistakenly throw important things away (woops!) but I prefer that over having never-ending stacks of paper to sort through. I dunno, that's just me.
I love mags and subscribe to about ten...and they make a big stack especially this time of year when I am my absolute busiest. BUT I justify all those mags because when done I give them ALL to a medical facility specializes in treating kids with disabilities. They can't buy magazines so I contribute hoardes to them per month.
I just recylce them. That is why I stopped getting the newspaper for the coupons.
I despise magazines and papers laying around the house! HATE it!!!
Check out flylady.net the focus this month is paper clutter
I used to subscribe to People, US, and Entertainment Weekly but no more. My life is clutter free. Anything I want, I get by just going online and reading up on it.
I have my garbage can, shredder, and basket in our entryway. That way when I bring the mail in if it's junk I shred and throw and if it's worth keeping I put in in the basket and than I write the date on the back. If I haven't read it in a week, it's thrown or donated ,if I do read it, I give it four weeks and than I throw, or donate. My sis is a teacher and loves magazines for crafts, so they normally go to her. I cant stand clutter.
I have my garbage can, shredder, and basket in our entryway. That way when I bring the mail in if it's junk I shred and throw and if it's worth keeping I put in in the basket and than I write the date on the back. If I haven't read it in a week, it's thrown or donated ,if I do read it, I give it four weeks and than I throw, or donate. My sis is a teacher and loves magazines for crafts, so they normally go to her. I cant stand clutter.
Oh giiiirrrrrl. I have two HUGE stacks of them myself. Not only do I have all the magazines I subscribe to (and get for free), but my mom saves all her magazines for me. I probably have about four months worth sitting there. But I can't bear to throw them away unread. What if there's a good recipe or coupon in there????????
Well, after I read the stuff I use this new thing called recycle. I don't know you may have heard of it. I love magazines so bring em on over. I will find the good recipes amd maybe share.
Well, after I read the stuff I use this new thing called recycle. I don't know you may have heard of it. I love magazines so bring em on over. I will find the good recipes amd maybe share.
I have no system as I have a MASSIVE pile of mags in a basket in my family room. Don't ask me why I haven't tossed them. There is no rhyme or reason to my magazine madness. Ah ha
I do not control it. It controls me...
I did just buy a scanner. I'm hoping to scan important stuff and throw out the rest. Yea, like that's going to happen.
There are several catalog's that hit the recycling without ever being opened up. There are those things (mags and periodicals) that are kept for one month. If they are not read then recycle. Then the only thing I keep are national geographic and cooks... For obvious reasons, RIGHT?????
I have the same problem. I used to love to file and even have 2 filing cabinets in my house. But none of the 'important' papers are filed. No, those are in a box somewhere to go through 'later'. Um, yeah, 'later' meaning 'never' until I get tired of trying to find something in one of the zillion boxes then send it out with the hubster to the burn pile.
I think it's time for a bonfire soon.
:)
Delegate to hubby. He does most stuff online.
And, I am the SAME way!!! Help!
It all gets piled on the table and when we have company coming over, it gets moved to the computer room. :0P
I'm the 52nd person to leave a comment? Gesh!
Okay, back to the topic at hand---paper. I'm drowning in it too. I used to get the cute magazine holders and then after a year I have to trash it.
My new system is a page through, rip out the articles of interest and stick it in a "read" folder. I know its another folder (you could throw it in a binder or drawer too) but it gets rid of 85% of the magazine(s) and so for that reason, its worth it.
Personally, I like Entertainment Weekly and I do just fine with no crossword puzzle.
I get 4-5 monthly mags. When I'm done with them, I donate them to the library.
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