Magazine Bling

I love to catch up on my magazine reading and have several "free" subscriptions that come to my mailbox several times a month. I have discovered some really great magazines this way that I had never read before or considered. I think I currently receive 12 magazines a month, and several of these I donate to the school, and to a local gym waiting room, so they definitely get recycled use. Out of these 12 magazines I pay for one, and one is a gift subscription that my aunt renews for me every Christmas.

Three of the magazines that I have really enjoyed and never would have gotten myself are TV Guide ( just never thought I had a real need for it , but it sure comes in handy sometimes), Memory Makers, and Instructor.

Memory Makers is a wonderful magazine for people who like to scrapbook like me. It has innovative ideas and creative layouts. It has product reviews and plenty of information to help a novice scrapbooker like myself be more creative on my limited budget. This is definitely one I would consider buying if the budget became available.

Instructor is an innovative magazine that takes a look at what teachers all over the country are doing to improve their classrooms and learning environments. As the mother of two girls and a part time school district employee. I like that I have ideas to help my girls study and lots of educational projects to occupy their summers and weekends. It has really turned into a great tip mag on creative parenting too. I also share tips and articles with the school staff if they seem applicable to a lesson plan that is happening. The teachers are really appreciative to have some innovative ideas available to them.

The one magazine my Aunt gets for me every Christmas is Southern Living. Wow, do I just love this magazine. It has recipes of foods that my family would actually eat, and the ingredients can be found in my local grocery store. Believe me not all cooking magazines share in that practical tip. It has great ideas for landscaping your house. Wonderful travel destinations throughout the south, that are many times very reasonably priced when looking for weekend trips. They have beautiful home decorating ideas. Nearly every article and picture in my house decorating folder are straight from my Southern Living magazine. This is one of those magazines that I can not pass after I finish reading it because I have cut out way to many recipes, and articles, to file away.

Now the one magazine that I actually pay for is Taste of Home. It is full of wonderful home cooked recipes, party planning, and menu tips, and the best part of all is that it is not bogged down with advertising. It is like the PBS of magazines. I have gotten many compliments on dinner parties I have given and food made that were easy and required very little effort. It also has many healthy choices and many of the recipes include the nutrition exchange for those watching their diets, or are diabetic.

Many of the othr magazines I get simply because at the time they were free, and I thought they might also be interesting. What I have learned though is that without some people getting trial or free issues they might not realize how much is out there they could still learn and enjoy. I will have to seriously consider some of the magazines that I have received so in this respect free subscriptions will probably benefit some of these comapanies in the long run and make loyal subscribers out of some of us.