Be frugal like Paul :) Part IV - Magazines

Hello, My Name is Paul and I have a problem :)

Oh yeah. My postman really hates me. Well, not really. Though I'm sure he curses my name every other day when he stuffs 10 pounds of magazines into my woefully inadequate mailbox. I'm sure one of these days my mailbox is going to topple over from the constant strain of holding so many magazine subscriptions (not to mention all those catalogs too).

Yes, I'm addicted to magazines. I've been addicted for as long as I remember. I must have a magazine wherever I go. I also never pay full retail for my subscriptions. And neither should you.

Just about all of my magazine subscriptions cost me less than $5 per year. There's virtually no reason you need to pay more. Yes, there are the odd magazines that don't go on "sale", but for the most part, you can subscribe to your favorite magazine for less than the cover price of one issue.

How do I do it? Easy.

1. Go to Fatwallet.com and search their Hot Deal forums for coupon codes for "Best Deal Magazines". Write down the coupon code (e.g. right now there is a code for 27% off your entire order).


2. Go to XPBargains.com and find the store listing for "Best Deal Magazines". Click on the store name and look in the listings for more coupon codes. Write them down. There is currently a code for saving $5 off a $30 purchase.


3. Go to eBates.com. Make sure you're signed in (registration is free).


4. Click on the link for "Best Deal Magazines". That will take you to bestdealmagazines.com (you must use the eBates.com link or you will not get back 10% of your order as cash back).


5. Click on the "Free Magazines" link on the BestDealMagazines.com website. At the bottom of the next page, you can select "show all" to see all the magazines that are available for "free" - actually, you pay $4.69 "shipping" for each one year magazine subscription.
   
6. Pick as many of the magazines as you like. Each one is only $4.69/year.


7. When you check out, enter in your coupon codes.

Things to keep in mind:

• The selection changes frequently, so if your favorite magazine is not listed for "free", check back in a week or two. It may show up. Also check the "$5.95" or "Under $10" links for other cheap magazine subscriptions.


• Be patient. Magazines take anywhere from 6 to 18(!) weeks to start coming depending on the publisher. I have always received my magazine subscriptions.


• Unlike some other magazine websites, you don't have to worry about receiving spam with Best Deal Magazines. They only email you when your subscription is ready to expire.

One more thing. You can also use this very good Magazine Search and Price Comparison Engine to quickly search various websites that sell magazines. It's called "A Magazine Area" and is found here. It will search multiple websites for the best price on just about all magazines for you.

If you do use the magazine search engine and find another website selling your favorite magazine for less, make sure you read the fine print on the website. Some of the other websites automatically renew your magazine at the "going market rate" at the end of your subscription. This is NOT what you want. Some also say that you agree to receive emails from their sponsors - this is spam. This is NOT what you want.

I've had very good experiences with Best Deal Magazines, and good but limited experience with NetMagazines. So always read the fine print, or stick with these companies.

Soon, you'll quickly find that your mailbox is filling up with cheap magazines too :)