The cover price on even discount magazines seems to go up every year.  The cheapest way to get your magazine reading fix satisfied is to read them at your local library.  After all, your taxes have paid for that subscription already.  Short of that, here are some tips for enjoying your magazines and picketing some savings on the way.

1.      Trade magazines with friends.  If two or three of you each sign up for one annual subscription and then trade, you are enjoying two or three magazines for the price of one.

2.      Take advantage of discount magazine subscriptions.  The internet is loaded with offers for low-cost magazine subscriptions.  Just make absolutely sure that you read the fine print on the agreement.  Some contracts make if very hard to discontinue them.  You may have to call a specific phone number or write to a specific address within certain time periods.  Many will automatically bill your credit card for renewals without any further authorization.  Some may not only renew automatically but they may also increase the rates.  Other really sneaky companies will throw in other deals that may appear to be free but actually cost a lot of money over time.  Shop smart.  There is no free lunch.  Even discount magazine subscription companies are out to make a profit.

3.      See if you qualify for professional magazine subscription rates.  Those magazines in waiting rooms cost a fraction of the normal subscription price.

4.      Never buy more subscriptions than you really want.  Resist any high-pressure sales at your door, over the phone, through the mail or over the internet.

5.      Try to avoid buy magazines at cover price unless you buy only one or two a year.  Magazine subscriptions usually offer a substantial discount over cover price.  If you are in a trade or a profession, you may even be able to get free magazines related to that trade or profession.

6.      Use internet news resources and online magazines.  Many are free.  I traded my printed Consumer Reports magazine for an online subscription.  It costs the same but I love the access to the article data base and I have no paper to mess with.

7.      Don’t assume that the renewal form you get in the mail means that your subscription is about to expire.  You may have years left but they will still try to sell you more.  Check your label.  When my parents died a few years ago, I found that they had renewed their Readers Digest magazine subscription so many times they would have been well over 100 years old before it expired.

8.      Rate your satisfaction after you read a magazine.  That will help you decide whether or not to cancel the subscription for a refund, not renew, or sing on for a long term subscription at a lower rate.

At one time I was getting more than 20 magazines a month.  I finally realized that it was too much and have now cut back to a handful.  I’m saving a ton of money on magazines by buying fewer magazines and getting discount subscriptions for those magazines I buy.

Here are 35 more great ways to save money.