[blairhoney]

I have a huge stack of magazines that I'm planning on donating to our local retirement home. I'm wondering, though, if it's tacky to donate things that are out of date. Most of them I think are fine - The New Yorker and the silly fashion magazines aren't as topical to the news cycle.

But I also have a mix of weekly news mags (Newsweek, Business Week, Time) that are from Sept - Dec 2008, and I'm afraid I'm dumping my junk on them. I'm happy to recycle those mags, but I also don't want to throw out anything that someone might enjoy.

So, what do you think? How old is too old?

 

[NiteNicole]

My local nursing home didn't want them. In fact, no one does. And I have LOTS. I even tried finding a craft that used magazine pages but so far, nothing much has really turned up.

 

[elsie]

We have a local church that takes any magazine a year old or less and sends them to an army hospital.

I'd also check with preschools and elementary schools to see if they need any magazines for art projects.

Or you could try freecycle - you never know what people may want.

 

[miss_sonja]

My local St. Vincent de Paul takes them, as do some of our Goodwills. Try a VA hospital too.

 

[mags]

Hospitals will take them. Also, some places, like libraries have a, "free" box for ppl to just take anything in that box. If they have something like that, just stick your magazines in there and if someone wants them, they can take them.

 

[Longhairedbeauty]

And all hospitals, such as mental hospitals. I used to work in one, and the patients hanging out in the dayroom had the same old stack of magazines for the longest time. I'm sure they would've appreciated 'new to them' magazines.

Women's shelters, too possibly.

 

[PoetryMom]

I usually just ask the place I donate to if they could use whatever titles or subject matter (and dates) that I have.

:

 

[bender]

Our local thrift has a cart for free magazines, and the few month old news magazines i dumped in there were picked up quickly.

I try to unload them asap...usually at the gym or hospital...before they get out of date.

 

[SageR]

Check with a preschool. I used a ton of old magazines when I was teaching -I had to buy mine at the Salvation Army or scrounge them from friends.

 

[Mihelinka]

Freecycle
Local used book store (I just dropped off my old cooking magazines there, they leave them out for people to pick up for free)
PReschool/school is a good idea to for cutting up pictures

 

[mamadelbosque]

I took a huge stack of old ranger ricks' to the goodwill earlier this week. I figure if they don't actually want them, they can recycle them (which is what I'd have done with them otherwise).

 

[philomom]

I leave my stack at the kid's orthodontist. They always seem to need good mags there.

 

[*Erin*]

i took a giant stack to my dd's gymnastics class to stick in the "parent holding area".

 

[Jojo F.]

How about donating them to a school for an art class?

 

[Chloe&Coop'sMom]

My dh takes our magazines to work and puts them in the breakroom. He says they are always gone really quick.

 

[ReadingMama]

I buy magazines for 50 cents from Goodwill all the time. I enjoy magazines, but will not pay $4 for one. Then I either recycle them, give them to my magazine-loving mom or best friend, or donate them back to Goodwill. I just finished reading a Martha Stewart Living from April 1999!

 

[CHoney]

I was so excited to get magazines off freecycle.org! Some are 6 years old, but I don't care. I love reading magazines.

Maybe you could try that?