I've hit the $2 a Day Savings Challenge target by cutting my reading costs by $21. One of my favorite magazines is Poets & Writers. With informative articles about the craft of writing and leads about grants, prizes and other income-producing writing opportunities, this publication is a must-read/must-have for me.
Bottom line: I pay $6 every two months for each edition. (There is a free on-line version, but not all of the articles are available online.) So as part of my daily savings challenge, I have paid $15 for a one-year subscription vs. the $36 ($6 x 6) for newsstand costs.
Here are other ways that I save on magazine expenses.
1) Go to the public library. Despite recent budget cuts, many neighborhood public libraries have a great selection of magazines and journals.
2) Visit bookstores. Many high-end bookstores have tables and comfy chairs for reading. Sometimes, I splurge and buy a cup of coffee. But for $3, I can hangout and read about $20 worth of magazines.
3) Accept hand-me-downs. My family, friends and neighbors often pass on their magazines to me.
4) Go on-line. Most publications have free websites. Not all of the print content is posted, but there's enough to enjoy.
3 comments:
Mr. Micah love to read magazines with coffee at Borders/BN. We only had to buy one once when I had an accident with the coffee.
I find my local bookstore frowns on people taking magazines into the coffee shop area and reading them for free. Do you just take them anyway (I am always the good one!) or read them in other parts of the bookstore?
I, too, am a magazine junkie. One way that we've cut down on magazine subscription costs is taking advantage of those letters you get from the airlines, about left-over miles that aren't quite enough to get you a free ticket so they offer you magazine's instead. Last year we were able to subscribe to 20+ magazine for $0. Also, you should look into joining your local Freecycle group so that when you're in the mood for a magazine binge, you can post your desire to get magazines or troll the list to see if anyone is offering them. Recently, someone on my local list was giving away back issues of Real Simple and O The Oprah Magazine.
Leah Ingram
http://suddenlyfrugal.blogspot.com
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