Sunday, February 8, 2009

The Cost of Being Simple




DREAM OF THE DAY: Home Makeover comes to West Virginia and knocks on my door! I have a great apartment in town. Perfect for one! Yes, you correctly recall that I am happily partnered, but maintaining separate living spaces a few miles apart works for us for now. The apartment is cozy and comfortable, but I want more shelves/drawers and a re-organized kitchen to maximize the space. And, the office could use a re-do.

Real Simple, Country Living, Martha Stewart Living, Domino, and Ophra are my favorite magazines. I constantly think about organizing spaces, creating a soft country feel (not rustic, and not country as in country music), unique furniture pieces, flea markets, re-purposing things, and self-improvement. Although I dislike the subscription cards that are loose inside the magazines because they fall out in the most inconvenient nooks and crannies, I admire the good marketing tactic because you just can't ignore them. The price of these magazines is on the edge of making them a luxury. How many things in the mags are really worth the standard off the rack cost? $4.95 for another recipe that gets stored in the already overflowing box? $6.95 for
another article on weight loss as if we don't get it by now. $3.99 to find out that clipping coupons saves on the grocery bill. When I think of the number of mags that I have kept for years and never opened again, I am tempted to send the publisher a storage fee. Yet I continue to gather the information. No kidding, I read every page. Why? Am I an infomaniac? A magaholic?
I feel good about saving 70% off the cover cost of the five jewels mentioned above by renewing my subscription. Never mind that I have to clip coupons to afford PB & J for the brown bag lunch, use reward points to finance presents, get gas at Kroger with ten cents off a gallon based on my accumulated grocery points, and get my DVDs from the library. It's a good thing.

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