By clutter, I just mean visually (semi) unappealing items that tend to lie around on the couch, floor, and just about any flat surface--not that the contents are not informative or useful.
I'm not sure how we somehow ended up with such a surplus this year. I think it was a combination of Minou subscribing to multiple trade magazines, using up some airline points that weren't enough for a ticket, holiday subscriptions for us and the boys from Grammy, and just generally being too busy to read & reuse them promptly.
The pile you see below, occupying the top of our library & encyclopedia shelf, has already been reduced by at least two-thirds.
before
Magazines are items that I firmly believe we don't all need to get individually. Think of the trees! Although I know I can access some content on-line, I also know that I probably won't. A great solution is reading them at or borrowing from the library, or sharing and rotating with friends and neighbors. So why are we currently receiving (besides our alumni publications and trade magazines) National Geographic, The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Outside, Wired, Popular Mechanics, Skipping Stones, and Inc.? And are we ever going to read all these back issues? And can you predict the response if I ask the respective recipients if they want to keep them? And do you think I should ask?
after
Don't worry, I will ask. And they will henceforth be kept in individual bedrooms, except for a basket with the most recent issues in the living room. I'm ready for clear flat surfaces. Now what to do with the piles of architecture magazines is another story. Any suggestions??
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