Save money on magazines

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photo by WordRidden

Print media is a dying breed. It’s an unfortunate end to an industry that has been so strong for so long, but with the twenty-four hour a day, seven day a week news cycles on the internet, the demise of the medium is no longer a question of “if”, but a question of “when”. Fortunately for you, as with every cloud, there is a silver lining, and that lining will be lining your pocket.

Now don’t feel too bad for the magazines, the editors, or the writers. The fading of print doesn’t mean that everyone will suddenly be out of a job. They’ll continue to write and thrive just like always, but the big bonus in the transfer of magazines from paper to computer screen is the savings for you. As long as you have access to the internet, lots of content is free. This means no more subscriptions, no more bills, just free online access to many of the stories, the columns, the editorials, or the photo-journals that you love.

If, for some reason, you don’t have access to the internet on a regular basis, or you just like that nostalgic feeling that one might get from actually sitting back and flipping through a mag, there are still ways to save for you.

The first, obviously, is to cut back on the number of subscriptions you have.

When I was growing up, my grandmother had subscriptions to just about every kind of magazine you could imagine. People, Vanity Fair, National Enquirer, Vogue, Sports Illustrated, Mad, Game Informer, Rolling Stone, Spin, Vibe, Better Homes and Gardens, Entertainment Weekly….you name it, and she either had it already, or would by the next time you visited. When I would ask her why she had so many different magazines that she would never read, her response was always “because you never know”.

Well, after all these years, I can tell you that her tastes have never changed, and that the Sports Illustrated, Mad, Game Informer and Rolling Stone never left the shelf in the family room. So as much as I love her, I’d have to say that I know grandma was wrong on this one (It’s okay, she’s been right every other time. She owes me this one). Cut back on the stuff you don’t read! It’s a waste of money, a waste of paper….it’s just a waste. And in this current economic climate, we can’t afford to waste anything.

A final, incredibly easy way to save money on your magazines is by doing something that my grandmother was right about: Share. If everyone else in your circle of friends purchases one magazine subscription apiece and swap them around, then you’ll get the magazine fix you need. Of course, this requires a little planning and cooperation, but done right, shouldn’t pose any significant problems.

So go get your read on, and share (it’s becoming a theme!) your ideas with everyone else! Have a wonderful day everyone!

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