If you can’t wait till the beginning of the month every month, it’s probably for one specific reason: the latest issue of your favorite magazine hits stands. Whether you’re a magazine junkie or just like browsing them for new and exciting articles, it’s a different kind of high you get when you first flip through the pages of a fresh issue. It’s tough having to wait a month after devouring the last issue, but what’s even harder is having to pay the nearly $5 a pop for every new copy that comes out. If you’re like anyone else in the country with even a slight magazine fetish, you know that buying up the newest issues off the stands can put a hurting on your wallet pretty quickly. But before you run out and grab the newest Cosmo, take this into account to save a buck and a trip to the store.
Typically it’s easier to head out to Target or your local supermarket to pick up the latest issue of your favorite read every month, especially if you were going there anyway. But it’s not always the cheapest habit to have. On average, a woman’s magazine like Cosmopolitan or Glamour can run you more than $4 every issue. In one year, that’s $36 or more, depending on the cover price. So instead of spending your hard-earned gas money (which you really should be saving right now!), try opting for a less expensive and more convenient way of getting your magazines.
Every magazine on the market comes with those little rip-out subscription cards in them to either gift yourself or someone else a year’s (or sometimes two year’s) worth of issues. They usually boast that ordering ahead of time and having the issues mailed to you can save you 50% or more off the cover price. This actually is very true. My favorite magazine is Cosmo, so let’s use them for an example. Cosmo generally runs about $4.29 an issue in stores. By ordering a year’s worth of issues in one shot, you only pay (literally) $15 for 12 issues. In this case, you really do save over 50%. Plus, if you order two years at a time, you only pay $24! If you’d bought two year’s worth of magazines off the stand, you would spend $72. Um, hello—you save so much more when ordering ahead of time! Plus you are guaranteed a fresh copy that is usually in a plastic cover so it doesn’t get damaged in the mail. And some magazines will give you special offers like a free bag or even a year’s subscription to a partner magazine—honestly, free.
Although all magazines allow you to order your supply directly from them, you can always hit up www.amazon.com, www.magazines.com and www.magsdirect.com to see how the competition weighs up. You never know, maybe ordering elsewhere can save you some money depending on the magazine you’re interested in. You also get free shipping usually, a money-back guarantee and the option to keep the issues coming or to opt out after a certain period of time. And if you choose to cancel your subscription before the year is up, you get back your money for the issues you didn’t receive
So if you love your reads just like everyone else, take the time to save some money and order online (or by mail) to get your issues shipped directly to you. Doing this also saves you a little headache and anticipation – they usually get delivered to you before they hit stores. Happy reading!
P.S. – Remember that a lot of the content found in magazines is also online!