I use to subscribed to book clubs and that has changed since I've become a homeowner now I subscribe to magazines. I had to scaled down to two and now I just buy them at the bookstands. I did that because I realized that my interests mainly Diy and crafting were basically general and the articles were pretty much the same. It's saved me some pocket change in the long run. Are you a subscriber to a book club or magazine? Have you given it up?
I used to subscribe, but now I don't because subscribers don't get the free gifts on the cover! Also I tend to read the journals in the library as when I moved house I realized how many magazines I had and knew I had to never have that many again. I think as many articles can be read online, more people are reading that way or buying magazines they want on the spur of the moment. These days the subscriptions practices can be another headache, renewing, canceling or changing address so many people don't want that grief unless they know they are not moving.
Subscribing to book clubs and magazines is great when I have a lot of free time to read. However, as soon as work or other commitments start to pile up and life begins to get too hectic, I give up these subscriptions as I stop reading too much. I feel like continuing the subscription becomes a waste of money if I don't have the time to fully utilize the resource. Further, the internet has really taken up a large portion of the material in books and magazines. A lot of the things that you had to pay for before are now free to browse on the internet. Also, I feel like my interests have changed to more non fiction so the internet is currently the best resource to find a diverse range of this genre.
I couldn't agree more. When I was in college, it was easier for me to subscribe to book clubs and magazines since I had more time to spend for such a hobby. Now that I'm part of the workforce and much is expected of me as a functioning member of society, time has become such a scarce commodity. I am still a big fan of fiction, however, but I can only embark on a reading spree during long weekends if not the holiday season. I kind of miss those Reader's Digest subscription freebies.
Why do you buy them at the bookstand? Don't they cost [slightly] more at the bookstand than when you subscribe and get your magazine sent to you? Could it be that you get them at the bookstand because you buy different magazines every other month? Anyway, I never read magazines these days because most of the things that interest me, I can get the information free online.
When I said bookstand I should have said the checkout line. I always browse when I'm waiting in line and just as a kid wants the candy that's within reach I sometimes find a magazine that I like and buy it. As far as cost maybe 1/3 third of a magazine subscription is okay for me.
I have a couple of magazine subscriptions that I got as free rewards from Recyclebank, but I don't pay for magazines unless I see an individual issue at the store that has an amazing cover at the checkout stand.
I am just one of those people who had the book buying disease and just had to make myself stop. Once I reached the point with magazines that I had several months worth stacked up of different ones I just had to stop subscribing. I got busy, I had to move and pack all that stuff up... now I mostly read online. I used to get free ones all the time too. I was just thinking about how I don't think that program exists anymore. I"m going to have to do some research because I used to get some good stuff.
I'm not really a fan of subscription services because I see it as a way of removing money from your pocket and I am a very strict saver. Even though I'm a fan of any kind of reading materials, from blog posts to magazines, I'm not that keen on spending any money on them because I know that I have other options that are free. There are literally millions of free reading materials online and the best part about them is that I can choose what to read and what to skip which is very unlikely when you're reading a magazine. There are some articles on a magazine that's not that great y'know.
There are a few magazine subscriptions that gave me a free trial period and then if you do not cancel they will charge you and you have to pay. But after one mistake with 'Sports Illustrated' I was vigilant and have gotten 'Newsweek" and 'National Geographic' subscriptions for 3-4 months absolutely free and then canceled it.
I used to be a subscriber to some magazines because I loved flipping through them and reading all the articles and I know it I might seem weird but I even liked the way they smell. Ever since I started reading online more and more, however, I gradually just stopped paying the monthly fees. I remember picking up some when I went into convenience stores but nowadays I don't even check out the racks anymore.