Print Article for : Free Magazines And Catalogs

Your Online Guide » Home Decor » Home Management

[F700]Free Magazines And Catalogs

by Marilyn Bohn, Mar

One thing I have noticed as a professional organizer of homes and offices is that most people hold onto magazines and catalogs way after they have 'expired'; which creates clutter. It seems today everything has an expiration date, from food, medicines, children's car seats, batteries to parts in cars.

Expired magazines or catalogs are the ones that have been around for so long the articles are out of date, you didn't even know you still had them so weren't missing them and new catalogs have replaced the old ones. If you have received a new catalog and haven't tossed the old ones, do it before the day is over.

Here are a few suggestions for eliminating this problem. Keep catalogs separate from magazines. When a new catalog for a specific company comes, toss the old on into the recycle bin. I know some people who only look at catalogs on line-on the internet. I say good for them. I am the kind that likes to sit and look at a catalog in my hand and earmark the pages I think has something I want to buy. When I look back later I often think, "Why on earth did I think I wanted that?" Do you do this too?

Regarding magazines: only subscribe to those you honestly read, be tough and honest with yourself. Often our eyes are bigger than the time we have for all the things we think we will read. If you have craft or hobby magazines that have a project you think you will make someday here is a suggestion: Photocopy the front page and the table of contents. Put these in a plastic sleeve and place in a three ring binder. Then you can store the magazine in a magazine organizer somewhere less prominent than on your bookcase. You will have the magazine for future reference without cluttering your space. Organize by the name of the magazine and the year.

If you keep your magazines in a basket or on a table they need to be 'weeded' out regularly. If you haven't read an article 'you just knew you would read', but haven't found the time; then rip it out and put it where you usually read or sit down right then and take five minutes to read it. Or just recycle the magazine then and there. No matter how good our intentions are sometimes we just have to let it go. Remember all those articles are probably on the internet. This will eliminate a lot of clutter and guilt feelings while you are at it.

Another thing you can do with magazines is to repurpose them. Give to a clinic or hospital waiting room or women shelters. Just remember to cut off your personal identification. My daughter loves The New Yorker magazine and saved them for years because she liked the covers. She decided to repurpose them by using the front cover and covered suitcases with them using modge podge. They are now end tables and great conversation pieces. Another person took the covers and wallpapered her bathroom walls with the interesting covers.

Lots of the magazines we find on racks or receive in the mail are free of charge, but someone has to pay for those glossy issues, and without a subscription or sales price, these magazines are underwritten by sponsors. Sometimes the sponsor is simply a publisher who uses the magazines as a way to sell advertisements to retail companies or others. In other words, a magazine might be published at a cost to the magazine's owner, but recoup those expenses by selling paid space in the magazine. In fact, most magazines operate on this kind of ad revenue basis, although many also depend upon consumer purchase of the magazines to offset costs or provide a profit margin.

Some magazines exist thanks to being underwritten or sponsored by a club or organization, in which case the members themselves ? who are the primary readers of the publication ? foot the bill by paying their annual dues and membership fees. The magazines that they get in the mail to keep them informed of the organization's goings on arrive free of charge, but only to those members who dues and club fees are up to date. So, in essence, the readers themselves are paying for the cost of their ?free? magazines, without really knowing it or making a direct financial contribution or payment for the magazines themselves.
There are also rather significant magazines that are given away for free. For instance, the airline magazines ? those that are stuffed into the seat pockets of airplanes and given away free to all passengers ? are paid for by the airlines, who will contract with a magazine publishing company to produce the magazines and supply them for giveaways. Of course these magazines also thrive on ads and that promote the airlines, travel agencies, hotels, car rentals, and other businesses that are frequently used by the traveling public.

And because the magazines reach so many rather affluent readers, advertisers are willing to pay a hefty premium to have their products and services featured on the pages of these magazines. And because readers of airline magazines often have nothing else to read or to do except thumb through the issue they find in their seat, they represent a captive audience, unlike the readers of most magazines. Because they are left with few options, passengers are more likely to read the magazines and the ads, which makes them a better target for marketing and advertising.

Article Source : Pg. 24

About Author

Both Marilyn Bohn & Jeff Lakie are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Marilyn Bohn has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Improvement, ADHD and Kitchen Home Improvement. . Marilyn Bohn's top article generates over 823000 views. to your Favourites.

Jeff Lakie has sinced written about articles on various topics from Bankruptcy Law, Day Trading and Free Credit Report Score. Jeff Lakie is the owner of the Plastic Surgery Wwebsite. At their website, you can learn more about as well as many. Jeff Lakie's top article generates over 110000 views. to your Favourites.