Snag a Zine

I’m a magazine junkie: the short articles appeal to my equally short attention span, and the variety of subject manner covered provides me with ample conversation fodder, which, coupled with a glass and a half of red wine, reduces my social awkwardness by approximately 70%.

When it comes to choosing magazine subscriptions, I try to adhere to two rules: Cheap is good. Free is better.

Over the past few years, I’ve paid $5 or less for subscriptions to great magazines such as Real Simple, Wired, and Smart Money (which I used as a gift for my father). Spoofee, one of my favorite discount-watching sites, often lists great deals on magazines at sites like ValueMags and DiscountMags. Amazon also has a magazine department and offers some great deals–today I snagged Vegetarian Times for $5. No, I’m not a vegetarian. But I like tempeh enough that, for a fiver, I’m willing to pretend.

One caveat: Because it can take some time for you or your recipient to show up on a magazine’s circulation log, you may wait upwards of two months to receive your first issue. Thankfully, Amazon has ready-to-print certificates to show your loved ones that a year of good reading is on its way.