Frugal Friday -- Magazines

I have never paid to subscribe to a magazine, and yet have enjoyed the benefit of reading many different publications from Organic Gardening to Homeschooling Today to Family Fun. I used to think of the library as just a place to read books without buying them, but I have recently started looking at the many other services and resources the library has available.


Magazines in particular grabbed my attention. How long is a magazine's productive life in your household? For me, they usually aren't around more than a week or two. Now, I check them out from the library and have them for free for that long and they don't just go in the recycle bin when I finish with them (another benefit to getting them from the library rather than subscribing to your personal copy).

Now, I did run into a bit of a snag because my library, and many others as well, don't loan out the current copy. Instead I was stuck checking out a season-old copy. I fully understand their reasoning, and yet a friend once recommended a way "around" this policy. Since I am generally looking for seasonally relevant articles, and my library keeps just over a year of magazines on hand . . . I merely check out the year old magazine and find advice for my summer garden, back to school tips, and family outing ideas to keep July interesting, rather than reading about spring flowers, finishing the school year strong, and Easter craft ideas.

While you browse the magazine offerings don't forget to check out the movies, audio books (great for long car rides, or just running around town), CDs, etc, etc. And, many libraries are very accommodating if you request a certain magazine or resource that they do not have on hand. May as well have your taxes paying for something that you will truly benefit from, right?

It never hurts to ask.

For more Frugal Friday tips, check out Crystal's blog.