Journals and other snippets of papers

[SueC]

I thought of this question after reading Kris's organizational tip (good idea by the way!). Anyhow, what do you all do with all of those journals, photocopied articles, and other papers that your husbands (or wives) bring home but never have time to sort through? My husband is constantly bringing home piles of papers that he assures me are very important and should not be thrown away. So, I put them in a pile on the desk, until it is such a huge pile that I transfer it to a box in our office. I now have 4 full boxes of "very important papers" and journals collecting dust that would take forever to sort through. I'd love to throw them away, but I know that if I do, some paper will turn up missing and I don't want to be liable for that. Do any of you have good systems developed so that the clutter doesn't get out of hand?

Sue,

You have just described the closet in our office I'm ready to hear any ideas..I'm almost afraid to go in there...we have papers from back when we first began residency..including old contracts, etc..that we just can't get rid of...

Kris

I actually filed all the journal papers in a fit of organization. It was kind of dumb, because I filed them the way I saw them-so I doubt DH could find what he needs. (Of course, I know he'll never actually NEED them ) Now, I have no room in the file cabinets for our important papers (household)! They're sitting in the box on the floor. Brilliant, huh? Paper and I don't get along.......

[DCJenn]

Well ladies- I have no answers but a very frightening tale-

My dad has almost every "Sky and Telescope" magazine, several decades worth of journals related to his field (computer science) and they are all in my mom's basement. Like technology hasn't changed? They are getting ready to retire and she wants to move to a smaller house- except that she can't get him to clean up. She did get him to donate the National Geographics to a senior center.

She keeps asking him why he thinks he needs to be the archivist for the computer industry.

She says that if something ever happens to him she's going to call this service called "Junk to the Dump" and have it all hauled away.

My one answer? I throw them away. I figure everything is available online or at the library anyway and if he really needs them- he can just look it up. And he's finally conceeded that we can get rid of the majority of his medical textbooks before we move again. (I had one box, he had 10)

Jenn
Edited by: jloreine at: 8/8/02 10:33:36 am

THROW THEM AWAY!!!! If my husband doesn't know it exists and will never have time to realize it exists I get rid of it! When he wants to have references for something he's doing he looks up the journals on the internet. So, I repeat: THROW THEM AWAY!

Jennifer

My husband would have a heart attack if I threw them away Maybe we are hoarders? I don't know.. I'm considering getting a filing cabinet just for our junk that we're afraid to part with but will never need....how pathetic is that? I'm relieved to hear that others find themselves in a similar predicament!

Kris

Kristen - throw them away before he knows they exist! Seriously, when you get one of the accursed suckers in the mail while he's at work, put it in the recycling bin immediately! Unless he actually reads the things - and rereads them - then I guess you have to save them....

Jennifer

[DCJenn]

Kris-

I even throw away the ones he brings home from work. I figure why does he need a journal article on "X" topic after he's finished with that rotation and/or why does he need a journal article after he's read it and I know its not somehting he'll be doing research on.

Toss them- don't be afraid- it's such a liberating feeling. (and I also threw away his moldy stained Papsan chair and his futon, and 90% of his raggity T-shirts and all of his socks and underwear.) I love it when he goes to Ft. Hood for a month, too. Then I really start throwing things away. I figure with a 1000 square foot home and the prospect of moving at least 3 more times with the Army alone- I am NOT moving this garbage more than once.

Jenn