We have developed a bit of a magazine situation around here: the little one gets National Geographic Kids and LEGO Magazine (a freebie that I signed him up for), I get Wired and Vogue, and my partner gets Mother Earth News and Men's Health (which I sort of ordered for myself). They're great resources but we can't keep all of them! Enter: The All-Powerful Files of Restraint...

We each get two files to fill as we see fit: the little one likes to save magazines for long car trips and art/science projects, and the man of the house filled his files with invaluable issues of Mother Earth News, native seed catalogues, and a few commemorative issues of Sports Illustrated. I have new Wireds and Vogues I'm saving for plane trips, precious issues of Gourmet I scored for 25¢ at a thrift store, and any magazines that feature my or my friends' work.

Once the magazines we're hanging onto overflow the borders of our files, it's time to reconsider. We swap a few different issues into the car for the kid, only keep the most recent seed catalogues, and I rip out pages to add to my beloved and only somewhat obsessive inspiration binders.

When we're officially done with a magazine, provided we haven't ripped all the good stuff out, it can be donated to a doctor's office, laundromat, or school. We'll see how long this system works out for us (there's always one oversized issue to ruin the fun!), but I have high hopes!