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Which Magazines Do You Save AND Go Back To?

100308-magazines.jpg Many of us at AT are big-time magazine readers. At the end of the month, there is always the struggle to determine which ones you will keep and which ones hit the recycling bin on the way out the door. But when all is said and done, how many of those saved magazines do you end up revisiting and using again? Tell us after the jump.

 
 

For years, we kept pile upon pile of magazines. In the back of our head, we always thought, "Gee, I'll need this someday to look at kitchen tables, or ceilings, or something!"
But with the advent of the internet, we don't find ourselves keeping as many magazines for quite the same period of time we once did.
We do however, sometimes love reading something that we are holding, instead of staring at a computer screen, so we do still keep several different types of publications. They span everything from art and design to architecture and food. So we ask you, what magazines do you keep and re-read.


Photos via: Wired, Metropolitan Home, Martha Stewart Living, atomic ranch, Readymade & Dwell.

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best products, organization, storage, magazines

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Comments (66)

Elle Decor *out*, Canadian House & Home *in*.

posted by ilovebc on October 3rd 2008 at 12:46pm
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Domino!

posted by BigPoppa on October 3rd 2008 at 12:46pm
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I save all of my Readymades, re-use and diy are always "in" regardless of the trends!

posted by ashbadger on October 3rd 2008 at 12:48pm
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Real Simple and Living

posted by Tabitha (From Single to Married) on October 3rd 2008 at 12:49pm
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Domino and LivingETC. They remain useful because I tag the interesting pages with those tiny post-its. Or the stickers that come with the mag.

And I don't toss my mags, I put them on the curb with a "Free"-note.

posted by Lilli K. on October 3rd 2008 at 12:52pm
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I keep them all, for the most part. But I've cut back drastically on the amounth I buy/subscribe to. So now, I need to go through all the old stacks and cut out pages I want to save. One day...

posted by miked on October 3rd 2008 at 12:52pm
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Elle Decor UK version and Living Etc.

posted by riye on October 3rd 2008 at 12:52pm
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British Elle Decor. Over and Over and Over.

posted by kristian on October 3rd 2008 at 12:53pm
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Dwell, Modernism, Metropolitan Home, and though I am embarrassed to admit it, Martha Stewart's Living.

posted by wendi_c on October 3rd 2008 at 12:53pm
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Domino, Blueprint, Metropolitan Home, Elle Decor, Real Simple, Readymade.

I read each edition, fold down the pages I like, then go back again a few months later. I then tear out those pages that I like - things I'd like to do or something that inspires me, and I put it in my big huge "home inspiration" binder. I have sections for everything - kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, stairways, fences, fireplaces, furniture, decor, etc. It makes it easier for me to reference the things I liked later...and then I recycle the rest.

posted by natalie1215 on October 3rd 2008 at 12:54pm
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domino. i have every issue since i started getting it over two years ago. love them.

posted by Signe on October 3rd 2008 at 12:54pm
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I can't bear to throw away my growing pile of Domino.

posted by Amymj on October 3rd 2008 at 12:56pm
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I have every issue of the now-defunct Blueprint in a magazine box on my desk. That mag really spoke to me and I was sad to see it go so soon :(

posted by tarynevelyn on October 3rd 2008 at 12:58pm
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none. i stopped my subscription to Architectural Digest (the last holdout) as an effort to be more green. most magazines have pretty good websites. it's impossible not to find inspiring images online.

posted by *heather leaf* on October 3rd 2008 at 1:01pm
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Atomic Ranch, and Oxford American.

posted by L1bby on October 3rd 2008 at 1:02pm
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Domino for sure- we just moved into a new place and I have gone over the issues a million times looking for different things...

Dwell- Can't bear to junk these, even though 95% of the ideas ad products we can't afford!

Other magazines I keep- Real Simple, Sunset, Self. 2 months before we moved I cut out all the pages I wanted from over 4 years of Self ad filed them in a 3-ring binder.
I also have a few issues of now-defunct Weekend and Blueprint.

posted by yukirei on October 3rd 2008 at 1:06pm
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HOW, Print, Communication Arts.

Real Simple, Readymade, Martha Stewart Living, the now-defunct Martha Stewart Kids, and Details (I love the modern page design).

posted by nani-susie on October 3rd 2008 at 1:11pm
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Dwell. Kitchen & Bath Desin.

posted by ammanda on October 3rd 2008 at 1:17pm
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i keep my domino's. if theres a page i think i will want to reference later from other mags i save it in my huge decorating binder.

posted by eribear12 on October 3rd 2008 at 1:17pm
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FYI for anyone interested

A free 2 year subscrip to ReadyMade can be found here:

http://www.valuemags.com/freeoffer/ReadyMade-BBS.asp

posted by ashy on October 3rd 2008 at 1:44pm
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real simple.

posted by animalhouze on October 3rd 2008 at 1:44pm
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Atomic Ranch and Dwell.

posted by modernmecca on October 3rd 2008 at 1:51pm
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Buttman

posted by tylerdurden on October 3rd 2008 at 1:56pm
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Domino, Real Simple, British Elle Decor

posted by thenewmrsw on October 3rd 2008 at 1:58pm
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I generally find my inspiration on different magazines' websites, and then save the images to be printed out and stuck into my inspiration binder. When I'm out and in need of a treat, I'll help myself to a home magazine (they're all from Spain, so I won't even mention their names) for fun. I cut them out, too, usually within a week of purchase, and then hand them down to my neighbors, who go through them and then take them for recycling.

posted by Erin in CR on October 3rd 2008 at 2:06pm
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style at home (canadian), house and home (canadian), metroplitan home, dwell, la cote de sud (french)

posted by formosagirl on October 3rd 2008 at 2:09pm
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I have a soft spot in my design heart for southern design and can't bear to part with my Southern Accents or Veranda magazines. Especially Veranda - their photo spreads are almost frame-worthy.

posted by LilyC on October 3rd 2008 at 2:19pm
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hahahahaha I couldn't get past Buttman.

posted by Kimber on October 3rd 2008 at 2:27pm
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Cooks Illustrated, Cooks Country, Cooking Light.

posted by ohjodi on October 3rd 2008 at 2:51pm
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Ready Made and Bluelines

posted by noah* on October 3rd 2008 at 2:52pm
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Canadian House & Home

posted by capegirardeau on October 3rd 2008 at 2:56pm
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Canadian House & Home, Style at Home, Cooks Illustrated

posted by seajenny on October 3rd 2008 at 2:57pm
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i am such a magaholic that i keep a lot of them..domino, elle decor, living etc (british version) and so many more..its an issue at times..literally..

posted by Goody on October 3rd 2008 at 3:00pm
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I don't usually keep the entire magazine, but tear out whatever interests me and keep it in a file. I have so many pages now that I'm having to divide them into rooms or areas.

posted by madampince on October 3rd 2008 at 3:10pm
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Kimber - me neither :D

posted by Maryam M. on October 3rd 2008 at 3:12pm
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I keep every issue of selvedge because it's beautiful but also terribly expensive and only comes out every other month.

posted by sissy on October 3rd 2008 at 3:15pm
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Domino

posted by LaDonnaNichole on October 3rd 2008 at 3:33pm
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I seem to gravitate toward Elle Decor, House Beautiful, and sometimes Metro Home and Domino. I mostly look online now, though.

posted by jacasi on October 3rd 2008 at 3:44pm
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I keep Domino, Blueprint, Bon Appetite, Gourmet and Real Simple.

posted by emily! on October 3rd 2008 at 5:10pm
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domino!

posted by 335ktt on October 3rd 2008 at 5:45pm
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I keep Atomic Ranch and Modernism forevery.(thay only come out 4 times a year so thay dont add up to fast) Dwell and Domino for a few weeks then out the door.

posted by moddog on October 3rd 2008 at 6:33pm
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The only magazine that I keep forever (I have almost all the issues from #1to the current #139) is Threads, the Taunton Press magazine about sewing and textile arts techniques. I keep them as a reference for technique; there are many articles that are useful for home decor DIY as well as garment sewing. (If I get brave and try to make slipcovers for the two new/old livingroom chairs I was recently gifted with, there is a great three part series in their back issues on just that process)

Design magazines here are read and savored, then my favorite pictures get cut out and put into my inspiration files, and the magazines are donated or recycled.

posted by fjorlief on October 3rd 2008 at 8:43pm
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Hell, I love my magazines so much I blogged about them.

http://thebitterfoodie.blogspot.com/2008/07/break-in-bitternesssort-of.html

I collect Cote Sud/Est/Ouest, Marie Claire Maison, Elle Decoration from various countries, Vogue Living Australia, Cottage Living, and Domino.

The shit's expensive!!

www.thebitterfoodie.blogspot.com

posted by thebitterfoodie on October 4th 2008 at 5:17am
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oh yeah, and I'm constantly revisiting them. So inspiring to me.

posted by thebitterfoodie on October 4th 2008 at 5:18am
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I don't save mags.

posted by gryt on October 4th 2008 at 6:41am
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I revisit magazine's like I do newspapers, for research, and preferably online. I can't stand the microfiche.

posted by Michael Dumas on October 4th 2008 at 7:34am
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None

I am trying to keep my life as paper free as possible

posted by La loca on October 4th 2008 at 10:30am
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unfortunately, i keep everything. Elle Decor, Metropolitan Home, Dwell, Architectural Digest, House & Garden (from '96 til they stopped), MOJO (music mag), Vanity Fair, and many more! I totally have a problem, that I'm trying to address! I've been thinking of going through some of them and saving the pages I like, but does anyone have any good ways to keep them. I did this awhile ago, but then I just ended up having a stack of random unorganized pages, that's hard to go through.

posted by megagamma on October 4th 2008 at 11:24am
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LivingEtc, Cookie, Domino (and in the past Blueprint)

posted by atelier70design on October 4th 2008 at 2:17pm
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I've given up all my magazine subscriptions, but I do have a collection of old issues of Domino, Ready Made, Blueprint and Real Simple.

posted by suzy8track on October 4th 2008 at 4:04pm
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I usually keep them for awhile until they start to pile up, then I go through them and tear out the pages I want to keep for future reference and put them in a folder. Current favorites are domino, House Beautiful, and Elle Decor. I also have a special interest magazine called Country French Decorating that I keep and a couple of big Ethan Allen catalogs.

posted by becky12345 on October 4th 2008 at 6:18pm
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Just a thought... instead of recycling your magazines as waste, donate them to a local cafe.

I take my old issues to a coffee shop nearby and they're always happy to take them. With all the hard work that goes into preparing an issue (can you tell I work at a magazine? lol) it seems like a shame to just dispose of them.

Share the wealth! There should be a whole separate post just on this subject.

posted by Stylebites on October 5th 2008 at 8:46am
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Communication Arts, HOW, along with older Adbusters, Blueprint and soon to start GOOD will remain untouched and displayed.

Real Simple's in the past year are stacked, then I also save highlights in a binder with page protectors. I've been a subscriber since 2004 at least, and those issues are just too big after a few years!

Yoga Journal, and Backpacker will stay around also in binders for reference.

Wired and MacWorld will probably face the recycle bin... though the donating to cafe idea is a great one.

posted by kristinrose on October 5th 2008 at 9:49am
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My wife and I hold on to issues of Make and Craft. For all other magazines, we tear out pages that are good for inspiration and store them in our "home ideas" binder.

posted by scojo on October 5th 2008 at 10:19am
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Natalie has the best idea. I, too, tear, toss, recycle, and every time I have an appointment somewhere, I bring a stack to leave in the office. (I tear off my mailing labels.)

However, I have all my Spy magazines saved in archival boxes.

posted by Palmetto on October 5th 2008 at 10:23am
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Domino and Elle Decor stay. I had several issues of Jane when they went under, so I kept them. I have all of the Budget Livings and Blueprint. More magazines I thought were wonderful that went under.

I tear out things from Real Simple. I had about 3 years collected and it took a week to go through them! Then I gave them to friends who were still interested even with the pages torn out.

posted by salamander on October 5th 2008 at 3:23pm
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I'll keep Vegetarian Times (or anything else with recipes - at least until I cut out the ones I want and put them in my recipe binder), and I keep Wired around for crafting - I find the illustrations and art are great, especially for small-scale projects.

But those get recycled eventually.... looking at my milk-crate of magazines (perfect size for them btw) I have a lot of Martha Stewart's, some InStyle's that I haven't read yet, and a looooooot of Body Soul's.

posted by lemonader on October 5th 2008 at 5:06pm
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Domino, I have every issue since I became a subscriber in spring 2006; Elle Decor, I keep issues for 6 months then I tear out things I like and throw the them out.

posted by Cheryl K on October 6th 2008 at 4:39am
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The only magazines I keep intact are Christmas issues. They do not seem to "age" as quickly as most design issues do.

posted by whitexb on October 6th 2008 at 5:10am
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Domino, Blueprint, Nest, Readymade

I do exactly what natalie1215 does. And ditto to tarynevelyn's comment about Blueprint!

posted by ilovecute on October 6th 2008 at 5:12am
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Domino, Elle Decor/ation (UK & US), Inside Out (Australia- not the travel mag)

posted by maggieann on October 6th 2008 at 6:03am
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I clip design inspiration and toss the mags. I keep Saveur the longest.

I miss Blueprint.

posted by gquaker on October 6th 2008 at 6:29am
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"Just a thought... instead of recycling your magazines as waste, donate them to a local cafe. "
Sometimes the greeners sound like Captain Planet.

posted by jakelegs on October 15th 2008 at 5:12am
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I save BHG, Real Simple and Martha Stewart Living and file them by season rather than year so that next year, I can pull out all the spring gardening issues or all the Thanksgiving issues when I am looking for an idea.

Everything else, I cut out favorite articles and pictures and put them in a clip file and get rid of the magazine.

I'm really tempted to leave my old magazines in the doctor's office or the dentist's sometime!

posted by mfarling on January 11th 2009 at 8:01am
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My place is small, so I try only to keep the last 2-3 issues of any given magazine. I subscribe to Domino, Allure, and Real Simple...and had just sent in my subscription card to "Blueprint" (my HOLY GRAIL of all magazines) when I got a form letter back saying that it would no longer be produced (sigh...). I also tend to accumulate a lot of InStyle, Marie Claire, etc. from work.

Before tossing my magazines, I clip out things that are ideas that are especially unique so I can go back and reference them, especially instructions for DIY projects.

I try to save them and donate them to Planned Parenthood. It has been a decade-and-a-half since I was last a patient there, but I'll never forget being 17, sitting in the waiting room for them to call my name so I could get the pill, and nothing to read but 5-year-old issues Family Circle & McCall's magazines. I really feel like I am giving something back when I donate my magazines there, but #1 reason is the unmitigated gratitude and unbridled excitement they show when I come in with grocery bags filled with hip, young, and recent periodicals. They make no secret that they are absolutely *THRILLED* to receive them.

Last time, I had so many that they even gave me a hand bringing them up in from the car and thanked me with a giant bag of condoms (which was really sweet, although, now at 33, my career sucks the life out of me to such an extreme, I no longer have the energy to date, let alone worry about sex. The condoms have an expiration date of 5/10, though, so at least I've got a deadline now! ; P).

posted by Siren16 on February 2nd 2009 at 5:02pm
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On another note, I also like donating to Planned Parenthood, because you don't have to go through and "G-rate" your entire donation bag. I once donated magazines to my general practioners office and the front staff gaped at me in horror, like I was some kind of idiot, destined to be a terrible parent, when they found a Cosmo with the word "Sex" on the front in the stack. You'd have thought I'd brought in a stack of Playgirls or something! I felt so guilty.

Heck, I have no beef with that, I'm no idiot...I plan on sheltering my future progeny as much as I can,too, and certainly wouldn't want them learning to read with one of Cosmo's "Your Best Sex Ever!" articles, either. But at least at Planned Parenthood, you can throw all your magazines in one bag without worrying about shouldering blame for corruption of elementary school children with a few PG-13 selections like Cosmo or Marie Claire. If someone is sitting in the waiting room at Planned Parenthood, you can pretty much bank that they will not be phased by a magazine cover with "sex" or "nookie" mentioned on the cover.

posted by Siren16 on February 2nd 2009 at 5:36pm
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