Magazines

I subscribe to too many magazines, namely this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, and this one, as well as the Ensign, New Era, and The Friend. I used to receive "Blueprint" as well (another Martha Stewart mag), but the publication went in the tank after less than a year. They still maintain the blog associated with it.

I subscribed only to The Ensign until after I was married. When I became a homeowner, I finally started taking "Better Homes and Gardens" at my sister's suggestion. I finally added "The Friend" once I became a mother (even though my first child couldn't even read yet), mostly because I was called to serve in Primary and needed it as a resource. And that was it for many years. I recently added "The New Era" because Collin was reading through "The Friend" too quickly, and it seemed like he needed something a little deeper.

So, now I have all 3 church magazines and it will stay that way. But somehow I added all those others! I had decided to quit "BHG" because it has gone seriously downhill over the years (it seems to be mostly ads these days) but they begged and begged me to stay, offering me 2 years for the price of one, plus a free gift subscription. I couldn't resist.

Several years ago I subscribed briefly to Martha Stewart Living, but cancelled after a year since everything was way too, you know, Martha-Stewart-ish. But they kept begging me to come back, and finally made me an offer recently that I couldn't refuse. Then they offered me a deal on "Everyday Food" (another Martha mag) which I know my sister-in-law likes, and well, yes, I took it. Ditto with "Blueprint." Uh oh.

I the meantime, I had already signed up for "Real Simple" to replace BHG. I enjoy it, and plan to keep it. But then my sister-in-law turned me on to "Domino" which is very fun, and I got a really good deal so once again I couldn't resist. Then the same publisher offered me "Lucky" which was much different than all the others which are mostly "domestic" in nature. But I thought I would try it out since it might help me figure out what to wear. (Could YOU resist a 12-month subscription for $10?)

This all happened within a matter of months. Yikes! What had I gotten myself into? I had justified the first few as practically a necessity since I was trying to get my house organized (when I decided we didn't need a bigger house, just use our space more efficiently), and they offered many good ideas which have been very helpful. I figured I would give them all a try and only keep the best ones after the first year was over.

The year came to an end and I really liked all of them and couldn't decide which to keep. Soooo, I renewed them all. Oops. Now I'm regretting it. But I still can't decide what to do. I still have several months to go on my second year, and I am reluctant to let any of them go. But I really do have too many to read.

So, I need some advice here. I am definitely dropping BHG, no matter what they offer me, and definitely keeping "Real Simple." (It fits my life the best.) But I'm undecided on the rest. I have a love/hate relationship with Martha, so maybe I should drop hers. That would be 2 more down. Domino and Lucky are tough. They are both really fun, but probably don't really fit me, but I would like to keep one of them, since I need some "style" in my life.

What should I do?