I have a pile of magazines. And by a pile, I mean a stack two and a half feet tall. I didn’t count how many issues there were exactly, but between Good and W Magazine, there were a lot magazines. Some I keep because I want to cut them up for my lookbook, and others I just keep for sentimental reasons. Some I’ve moved from New York City to South Carolina to Boston and others came just last week. For whatever reason, I keep most of them around.
I wish I could say I feel like an archivist of sorts chronicling not only last years worst trends but also my own personal interests. However the truth is, for whatever reason, I feel that one day I will need something in one of these magazines. Let’s be real here, we all know that day will most likely never come, and if it ever does, I’m sure I won’t remember where it was anyway.
Though I’ve slugged my magazines from state to state, they don’t even get a prize spot on the bookshelf. Instead they’re relegated to a box on the floor of my closet. They aren’t cherished like my favorite books–most of them I don’t remember reading.
However, there are three magazines I would be sad to lose. One is the December 2008 issue of Self with Faith Hill on the cover, which somehow marked a turning point for me where I decided I was going to be healthy. The other two are issues of Ready Made, which I saved from the recycling bin while I was interning at Planned Parenthood of New York City.
Are you a magazine hoarder like me? Do you let them go eventually? What exactly can you DO with all these magazines? Share your thoughts!
For me, I only keep, “Special Edition”, Or, “Collector’s Edition” magazines. So for me that is, Any magazines featuring Kate Middleton in them or on the cover. (I am obsessed with, The British Royal Family). So anything about The Queen and her family I collect them. I cannot even tell you how many magazines I have about Prince William and Kate’s Royal Wedding. A – Lot would be the answer I guess!.
I like to keep those ones as well! I have my People from the Royal Wedding, but I stopped at that
Haha! Oh the self recognition! I am a terrible magazine hoarder – I have UK Vogues dating from 1995! And I’ve moved about eight times lugging an increasing number of them with me!
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That’s bad girl! 17 year old magazines! Maybe some of them are collector’s items by now!
Nice post and too funny–I was hooked on my magazines in high school. I had stacks and stacks and spent more hours than I care to count clipping photos and folding corners of pages I needed to remember. I did force myself to dispose of them at every move I made, from Boston to NY to Columbus to DC to Boston and then, just recently, to Sydney. Over the last few years, as an ever-growing photographer, I’ve switched to art supplies
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Thanks for sharing!
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I’ll definitely check out your Etsy site! I can understand needing to pair down. Up until recently, I thought I was good at recycling my magazines every now and then, but after seeing that huge box in my closet, it was clear that wasn’t true at all!
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You could frame some of your favourite covers. My friend wallpapered a room with Vogue covers. Then there are always vision boards to be made!
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Oooo That’s a good idea!
ZOMG I thought I was the only person that did this! When I lived with my parents I had a huge stack and unfortunately I had to let them go (remember Teen People?! I had tons of those) but when I loved out on my own almost 10 years ago, I started up again. I have a few that have traveled with me from apt to apt and like yours, mine are piled in a stack on the floor (next to a full bookshelf). Mine are usually kept based on the Cover girl, or if it’s a special issue or if I was lucky enough to get purchase some for zines that are no longer in print. I use many as a reference, but I I never tear anything out (I only tear from those that I will take to the recycling bin. Weird, I know).
Now that I have an apt with office space, I am going to buy a bookshelf and magazine holders specifically for them so that I can move them off of the floor and get a little more organized. I don’t think I will ever stop collecting them, and whoever I marry in the future will just have to deal! lol…
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OMG Teen People! Why would you even need Teen People? No wonder if doesn’t exist. I subscribed to People, and sadly it hasn’t been as exciting as I hoped and also they just pile up like something else.
I do the same–I have some magazines I will not rip up like Good and Oprah. It just feels wrong! However, most fashion glossies are fair game for ripping.
I think I’ll have to pair down eventually. I honestly didn’t realize how bad it had gotten LOL.