Getting Organized: Old magazines

My one and only New Year’s resolution is to become a better housekeeper. I am starting with simply getting each room organized: determining what to keep, what to sell or give away, and, my favorite, what to just throw out. Once the organization is complete, I’ll work on developing better habits to keep the house tidy…or as close to tidy as can be expected with a toddler on the loose.

The big project I’m tackling right now is my home office. It currently occupies our very small spare bedroom. As much as I love the idea of having a little retreat of my own, truth be told it became more of a catch-all room, and the desk is rarely, if ever clean. It wasn’t serving its purpose as either an office or a relaxing retreat, and I came to realize that the space could be better utilized. So, the computer desk will be moving down to our living room (most people think I’m crazy, but I have my reasons), and the office will become Mr. Boy’s play room. We desperately need a place to stash his toys, all of which currently reside in a corner of our living room (when they’re not strewn across the floor).

Because I am doing away with the office altogether, I needed to take a harder look at all of the things in it to determine if I could downsize. I spent a good chunk of my day today sorting through magazines. It was a good task to devote time to because I am still recovering from an awful cold, and I could do the job while sitting in a chair listening to classic rock.

I love magazines and have a tough time throwing any of them out, but my Architectural Digests were especially important to me. Not only did I have every issue I subscribed to over the years, but my aunt also gifted me a stack from the 90’s when she was a subscriber. It was okay for me to keep them before–I had plenty of shelving in my office for that purpose, but outside of the office there is really no good place for them. They had to go.

So, I spent a couple hours today flipping through every single issue and cutting out the images that really spoke to me. Waste of time? Not for me. The practice gave me peace of mind about throwing out my favorite magazines, so I think it was worth the effort. Most issues had at least one image that I wanted to save, and some had several. I stacked up the magazines that I cut up and will throw them out, but the ones that are untouched will be sold or given away.

I was left with a stack of miscellaneous beautiful photographs that I sorted according to room type. I could have been more specific than that, but since I have a tendency to get too involved in the minutiae, I decided to keep it simple for now. I had a plastic project presentation folder with clear plastic sleeves that worked perfectly for storing my clippings. I used one sleeve for each category.

I went from this:

to this:

Now I can easily refer back to the images that inspired me most without having to worry about which magazine I saw which image in, and where I’m going to keep my magazines. The folder will be stored in a plastic storage bin containing other interior design items, like my paint chip collection, favorite design books and miscellaneous samples.

I’m sure that part of me will miss having that stack of magazines that served as one of my only connections to the design career I used to love, but then again, none of those photos I cut out have stacks of Architectural Digest in them. Just sayin’. Now my house is one step closer to actually looking like the spaces that inspire me so much.

There is still lots more organization to come, and I will share the tricks that work for me!

Jennifer Roberts

is the founder, designer and author of Jen Spends Less. Formerly an architectural drafter and designer, Jen cut her spending and embraced a frugal lifestyle to be a stay at home mom.