I have to ask. Do you feel stressed because of the heaps of unread magazines piled all over your home?
Do magazines strewn all over your end tables make it impossible to locate even a tiny bit of space to place a coaster for your Gin & Tonic?
Are your end tables covered with magazines you are saving because, one day, they are TO BE READ (TBR)?
Do gobs of TBR magazines in your house make you wonder if you are in the beginning stages of becoming a full-fledged hoarder?
If you are like me, a former TBR Hoarder, you will love the ingenious solution that set me free.
Here is what I came up with.
As magazines flow into my home, I endeavor to either read them promptly or toss them after a specific prescribed reasonable period of time has passed.
The time for tossing can be any arbitrary figure that fits your lifestyle, such as 30 days, six months, or in extreme cases, once a year. I cannot tell you how much time is right for you. The time element is something each recovering TBR Hoarder needs to figure out themselves.
The photo below shows you just one of my 76 TBR magazine stacks.
The time limit I felt was reasonable for me is 80 years. Below you will find a specific example of my genius TBR magazine inventory management in action.
To reduce the clutter at my house, I toss any TBR magazine that has been in my home for 80 years or more. Once a TBR magazine reaches the 80 year mark, it gets thrown into our Harold Lemay’s paper recycle bin (Shameless plug for self-made garbage millionaire, Harold LeMay). The good news is I still have 18 months remaining to read my 1942 copy of Life Magazine before I reach the 80 year mark. Have confidence that on or before the year 2022, my copy of Life Magazine that has been kicking around my house for what seems like for ever, will be gone.
Not letting magazines accumulate for more than 80 years helps me maintain a neater and tidier home interior.
Something else to think about; clearing out old magazines in a timely manner will reduce the possibility of one day having a small grandchild buried in an avalanche of magazines.
Keep your magazines moving. Your heirs will be glad you did.
This public service notice has been brought to you by Lakewood icon, Joe Boyle, and The Suburban Times in an effort to help our readers conquer the dreaded TBR Magazine Hoarder Phenomenon.
You could donate them to the local VA hospital. They are grateful to have new reading materials for their patients. I leave them with the receptionist at the main entrance.
Aaron Arkin,
Good idea.
I know it is hard to believe because I think I know everything, but I never knew dropping magazines off at the VA Hospital was an option.
Good idea.
Thanks for sharing.
Joseph Boyle
As the Friend of Lakewood Library Mole who deals with all the donated magazines, I am sorry to report that donating gently-used magazines, books, and all the other items, is not an option at this time. The library is not accepting any donations at this time, as I am sure everyone can understand.
I enjoy looking over old magazines. Noticing the lower left corner of the depicted “Life” magazine reminded me of a line said to a former friend and associate.
He was talking about banking one day (not sure what, in specifics). I mentioned that his bank had a nautical term for him: “The Skipper.” Thank goodness he took it as the joke intended.
Steilacoom Library always has a box of recent and old magazines donated by library users. These are 25 cents each. The topic range is quite wide: news, cooking, Smithsonian, sometimes gardening, etc.