simple questions

ONE simple question, no. 5

One simple question button

I can't believe I'm actually saying this out loud. But last month, I actually considered whether it was time to break my more than ten year relationship with my Martha Stewart Living magazine. I have to admit, I feel a loyalty to this magazine. It was my first dabbling into grown-up things. While my friends in college were reading Glamour, I was thumbing through Martha Stewart and dreaming of the days when I'd own my own home and be cooking more than ramen noodles. While Martha is the tail end of many a joke, I appreciate her desire to carry on the tradition of many time-honored homemaking skills.

But….the magazine is expensive. I rarely find myself doing more than thumbing through, looking at pictures. I don't find myself making any of the recipes. And save for a putting a "good thing" into practice here and there, it's little more than the same dreamy eye-candy that it was for me in college.  But I'm not sure if I can let it go. Long relationships are hard to break.

One simple question

So this got me thinking about magazine subscriptions. The ones I have, the ones I'm thinking of trying. The ones I'm ready to let go of. Though it may be a somewhat scary exercise to actually 'fess up to the magazines that come to my mailbox, here's a list of what I get, with commentary, of course.

Martha Stewart Living
Country Living (suddenly very appropriate after the move to this house)
Wondertime–(now automatically switched to Family Fun, which I give a 7 out of 10 stars.)
Time (one of those school fundraisers, I never find time to read it.)
National Geographic (courtesy of my grandmother, but we'll probably continue now, ourselves)
Every Day Food (love)

Ones I keep buying at the grocery store and wonder if I should just subscribe:

Mother Earth News
Bon Appetit (I'm really liking this one lately)
Cooking Light
Kiwi

Ones I recently let expire:

Body and Soul
Real Simple

The ones my kids get:

Your Big Backyard
National Geographic Kids (courtesy of my grandmother, we'll probably just stick with Big Backyard next year)

So here's my simple question:

What magazines do you subscribe to? Will you share your lists with me? Your favorites, the ones you're ready to let go of, the ones you are considering subscribing to?

I can't wait to hear your answers!! Though the last thing I (obviously) need is another magazine to grab my attention.

One simple question button

I can't believe I'm actually saying this out loud. But last month, I actually considered whether it was time to break my more than ten year relationship with my Martha Stewart Living magazine. I have to admit, I feel a loyalty to this magazine. It was my first dabbling into grown-up things. While my friends in college were reading Glamour, I was thumbing through Martha Stewart and dreaming of the days when I'd own my own home and be cooking more than ramen noodles. While Martha is the tail end of many a joke, I appreciate her desire to carry on the tradition of many time-honored homemaking skills.

But….the magazine is expensive. I rarely find myself doing more than thumbing through, looking at pictures. I don't find myself making any of the recipes. And save for a putting a "good thing" into practice here and there, it's little more than the same dreamy eye-candy that it was for me in college.  But I'm not sure if I can let it go. Long relationships are hard to break.

One simple question

So this got me thinking about magazine subscriptions. The ones I have, the ones I'm thinking of trying. The ones I'm ready to let go of. Though it may be a somewhat scary exercise to actually 'fess up to the magazines that come to my mailbox, here's a list of what I get, with commentary, of course.

Martha Stewart Living
Country Living (suddenly very appropriate after the move to this house)
Wondertime–(now automatically switched to Family Fun, which I give a 7 out of 10 stars.)
Time (one of those school fundraisers, I never find time to read it.)
National Geographic (courtesy of my grandmother, but we'll probably continue now, ourselves)
Every Day Food (love)

Ones I keep buying at the grocery store and wonder if I should just subscribe:

Mother Earth News
Bon Appetit (I'm really liking this one lately)
Cooking Light
Kiwi

Ones I recently let expire:

Body and Soul
Real Simple

The ones my kids get:

Your Big Backyard
National Geographic Kids (courtesy of my grandmother, we'll probably just stick with Big Backyard next year)

So here's my simple question:

What magazines do you subscribe to? Will you share your lists with me? Your favorites, the ones you're ready to let go of, the ones you are considering subscribing to?

I can't wait to hear your answers!! Though the last thing I (obviously) need is another magazine to grab my attention.

139 comments on “ONE simple question, no. 5”

  1. interesting topic for discussion! i gave up magazine subscriptions several years ago, simply because thumbing through all the perfectly clean, happy, perfect scenarios made me feel that i wasn’t quite making the mark. i started receiving bon appetit when i was 17, and i’m very grateful for the culinary inspiration i received early on. i received MS for years, but it only contributed to my perfectionist problem. yet i did gather so many wonderful ideas over the years. since i stopped subscribing to magazines, i feel that i’m more able to listen to my own ideas.

  2. I used to buy heaps of magazines. I went cold turkey with women’s magazines. Goodness, what a load of trash and gossip I was ingesting along with the recipes, health tips and human interest stories.

    We still get National Geographic and I also buy genealogy magazines now, which have a more direct usefulness for my hobby. I receive free copies of a performing arts magazine because I do reviews for them.

    I still buy two weekly women’s magazines which are well-known for their puzzles and prizes, but I think I will give them up, too. I am not happy with the poor quality content, the move from posted answers to expensive phone calls and the fact that there are fewer pages than there were even 18 months ago.

  3. i cancelled all of my magazine subscriptions a few years ago. every single one. (though dave still gets newsweek, a gift from my mom.) i just felt that there were the same ideas over and over again. and the same things making me feel all want-y and inadequate. and all of the inspiration i used to get from magazines, i can find on the internet (which is another story). and they were piling up. and taking me away from reading books. and making lots of recycling.

    that said, i do miss them sometimes. and think about buying them in the grocery store. but so far, i’ve stayed strong. this last airplane trip, i didn’t even buy any in the airport.

    sad. but true.

  4. We get National Geographic and Smithsonian. My husband gets Fine Woodworking. I used to get Threads, and several different quilting magazines. I have let them all expire. Occasionally I’ll pick up Martha’s Living off the library magazine give and take table but I just flip through and move on. I guess I feel like after twenty plus years the same ideas are recycled. I now use flickr and other people’s blogs for inspiration for projects and home style. It seems a bit more personal to me. If the magazines don’t come into the house then I don’t have to feel like I am letting go of something when I clean. And it does save a good bit of money.

  5. wow. maybe this is why magazines are dying right and left. I guess, no matter what, I still enjoy the flipping through of pages. though I love the internet, and all the inspiration, there’s something about tearing a page out of a magazine, or sitting with one somewhere other than a table or desk, that is really appealing to me.And it goes without saying, that they all get recycled–once I’m ready to part with them. 🙂

  6. I am very sad that Domino & Blueprint have ceased publication. they were really the perfect magazines for me at this time in my life. since i had a subscription to domino, they have filled it with lucky (but i don’t think i would continue this one on my own).i subscribe to better homes & gardens. others that i pick up almost every month at the supermarket are everyday food and occasionally cookie, delicious (australian version) bon appetit or cook’s illustrated (depending on the recipes within).

  7. Mother Earth News is my favorite. Great information, but they sure could learn a few things from Martha’s designers. I wish it looked half as nice. Still, I look forward to every issue and always learn something new.

  8. Right now, it’s just Martha Stewart Living and The New Yorker (and the Sunday New York Times). I miss Blueprint too.

    I’ve let Vegetarian Times, Paste, Good, Atlantic Monthly and Entertainment Weekly all lapse. I only miss them intermittently.

  9. My mom went on a magazine shopping spree at Christmas and I ended up with:

    Vegetarian Times (I usually just bought this one off the shelf from time to time even though we’re not vegetarians.)

    Shape – I actually read this one cover to cover and find it very inspiring even if I still just go to the gym and walk on the treadmill or catch the water aerobics class.

    Rachel Ray – Never read it before Christmas but now I love it and have tried some of her recipes with success.

    Parenting – Usually just flip through and pass on.

    I ordered Popular Mechanics and Food & Wine for my husband. He loves them both. The recipes in Food & Wine are not really suited to our lifestyle but it’s nice to read through and dream.

    The one I let go and wish I didn’t: Cooks Illustrated. Such good information & the best banana bread recipe ever! Plus the pictures – I wanted to frame some of them for my kitchen.

    The one I’m happy to see gone: Newsweek. I never read it and found myself upset by what I read when I did. Kind of like watching the news, not worth the negativity it brings into our home. (I keep up to date with online news I can scan the headlines and choose what I find worth a read.)

    Great Topic! I was thinking about getting Mother Earth News for my husband for Fathers Day, thanks for reminding me. 😉

  10. we get martha living, economist, cooks illustrated, parenting, mothering magazine, and the new yorker – all are gift subscriptions. I only have time to flip through martha. mothering comes every few months so i am usually able to read that one. forget the new yorker and the economist which come weekly, those are ones my husband reads. i dont like cooks illustrated or parenting. i really love mothering though. i would love to subscribe to gourmet or saveur. im a sucker for cooking magazines. i dont always follow the recipes, but it usually encourages me to try and make something new.

  11. emily and lynn–just want to be clear that I’m not saying it’s your fault that magazines are dying! I worried all of a sudden that my comment sounded snarky! 🙂

  12. We get National Geographic, Spin off & Velo news. I have considered subscribing to Mother earth news, Dwell & Living crafts but Im not sure yet. The one I really miss is mothering, If I am ever blessed with anoth baby I will subscribe to that again.

  13. I’ve been reviewing our list and cutting back some of our subscriptions…but here is our list:

    Cookie – I don’t know why but I love this magazine-I think of it as a wealthy mom’s magazine, but I read it every month (I am not wealthy)

    Wondertime – sad it’s gone, not as happy with Family Time

    Parenting – I’m not renewing this since I seem to just page through it.

    Living Crafts – good if you like knitting

    Ready Made – I want to love this magazine, but I haven’t found one project I liked during the past year, so I did not renew this one.

    My kids get NG kids and they like it, but I think there are too many ads in it.

    I know this has been said before, but I still miss MS kids! Great topic.

  14. I get Ottobre and Today’s Parent. I used to get Home magazine but it is no longer so they send me Woman’s Day instead. I have picked up Mother Earth News a few times at the store and enjoyed it. My kids get Chirp magazine. My husband gets Maximum PC, Canadian Home Workshop & American Woodworker.

    I too get most of my inspiration online but I still like to flip through a magazine, have something I can take outside with me to read that doesn’t involve the attention of a book.

  15. Here’s my list:

    Orion Magazine – amazing mix of culture and the environment.

    Mothering – As a mother and a midwife, I have really liked this magazine, even though I don’t always agree with some of their takes on medical/health issues.

    Yes! – This is new for me this year. Focus on building a just and sustainable world.

    The Sun – Thought-provoking writing.

    Smithsonian – Nice mix of science, culture, history. Good for my kids as they grow.

    National Geographic – Boy oh boy does my 5-year-old son get excited about the map inserts!

    We also receive some professional journals (midwifery and medicine, but I needn’t bore you with those).

    I occasionally buy things off the news stand – craft mags and the like. I have also found that the public library is a great place to sample magazines of all sorts.

  16. my list:EDF- cover to coverReal simple- flip through, read later, it’s a guilty pleasure that I usually glean one or two good ideas fromCountry Living- to stay “on trend” and eye candy, I expense it for pottery business, yes, really.Pottery Making Illustrated- cover to cover, also expensedOrganic Gardening- cover to coverCooks Illustrated- cover to cover (it’s a gift)Family Fun- I don’t even flip through, I just pass it on.

    N gets highlights and your big backyard.

    I actually called MSL up and canceled. I was so disappointed with the direction the magazine’s gone in the last several years. Even the “good things” aren’t so good anymore.

    I also let go:Cookie, after Domino folded. Too ritzy for meInterweave KnitsFamily Handyman (G had a subscription that he didn’t read)

  17. I LOVE magazines! I love the feel of the pages, the ideas that inspire, the dreaming the occurs. BUT my time is precious and clutter stresses me, so I let go of a few subscriptions that just didn’t bring me joy. When I get the magazine bug, I now go to the library and check out a few. What I found by letting go, is that I’m not missing much!

    our family subscriptions include:family funfood & family- a free food mag from Kraft- worth it!food network magazinemac worldweight watchers

    subscriptions I gave up:country livingcreating keepsakesreal simple- how can a mag that thick be simple?simple scrapbookssports illustrated kids

    magazines I search out to buy:life:beautiful

    what a great question to ponder.

  18. I have recently felt the same as you regarding Martha. I love Martha and have shelves of old Martha Stewart Living on my bookshelves. I moved them along with everything else when we moved. I don’t look at them much, I like to know they are there in case I need to see something in there, or a recipe. I’m thinking to myself that I need to break this habit! I may not renew my subscription when it expires. I’m like you; I thumb thru the pages, never make the recipes and it goes on my bookshelf. The other mags I get are:

    Country Living – Still loving this one

    Better Homes and Gardens – Still love this one. The decorating is always up to date and the recipes are good.

    Cookie – I also am not wealthy, but I enjoy this magazine

    House Beautiful – I enjoy looking at houses and interiors that I will never in this lifetime have!

    Wondertime – I really enjoyed this and was sad to see it goUs Weekly – I need my dose of celebrity!

    At the newstand I try to control myself, but I do buy Oprah’s magazine and People sometimes.

  19. I get Cooking Light, thanks to a school fundraiser, but I think I’ll be letting it expire in October. The last 6 months haven’t done much for me and we eat a lot of vegetarian meals now, which is something CL rarely touches. I get Fitness (it was free), Country Gardens (gift), and Body and Soul (love). The mister gets Runner’s World. I have been thinking of subscribing to Vegetarian Times…

  20. We’re trying hard to declutter around here — getting rid of at least 25% of our stuff — and that includes magazines.

    Lapsed:Everyday FoodReal SimpleInterweave Knits

    Waiting out subscriptions:Cottage Living/Southern Living (CL folded)Parenting (freebie when baby was born)

    Keeping:Wired (for my husband)Click (for the 6-year-old)Muse (for the 8-year-old)

    The thing about most magazines is that they either make me want to buy more stuff, at a time when I’m trying to buy less, or make me feel guilty because I’m not spending more time crafting/decorating and my house has dust bunnies the size of tumbleweeds. And really? I have enough guilt about such matters without paying money to feel more guilty.

  21. Currently subscribing to:MSLWondertime (disappointed with Family Fun in comparison)National GeographicEDF

    Kids get:HighlightsPockets (it’s a Methodist thing)

    I am thinking of letting MSL go. I totally understand feeling loyal to Martha. I have at least 8 years of MSL saved. I even have the index and will look up and find articles, recipes, etc. Geeky, I know. I agree with Melissa that the direction lately has been a turn off. Trying to be too much. I just liked the cooking, crafts, gardening and decorating. Clothes and health aren’t what Martha is known for.

    I would love to get a subscription to New Moon for my oldest daughter. I love Cook’s Illustrated, too.

  22. Shiny pretty pages… I love them SO much, but the magazine question has been on my mind a lot too… what do I do with all those Saveur mags someone gifted us? and Thank You mom, for the Real Simple sub, but I am SO glad it’s over! (I used to make fun of the “cooking” with processed foods – even though I take part at home) It’s hard for me to know what to DO with Martha. I love looking… sometimes a recipe, I just don’t have the room to keep them… I love them all tho. I save up my mag desires for reading when I go to my parents house. She’s a subscriber. The keeper at our house?Harpers. we fight over it. the index, the notes, the stories. that’s been our keeper. Thank God Mom has been paying for Martha!

  23. I get MSL as a gift from my mom, but I asked her not to renew it when it comes up again. I have just found that I never seem to use any ideas from it anymore. Kind of hard for me to let go too. . . hmmm. . . has something to do with when I was a young bride and read it and watched the show and imagined. . .

    We get Family Fun– meh. Really miss Wondertime. Kids get NG Kids and Boys’ Life. My mom passes along Country Living, which I love. I am thinking about Everyday Food again– I really liked it when I got it before.

    I used to dearly love magazines. I think it is something to do with the kids being both in school now and all the STUFF they bring into the house– I want to reduce clutter as much as I can. So the mags I never use don’t look so good to me.

    I do love the book reviews in Oprah’s magazine, so I check it out from the library now and then.

  24. I gave up nearly all magazine subscriptions a couple of years ago, but have recently resubscribed to several you just let go. 🙂

    Real SimpleBody and SoulMoreCooking Light (I thought this had expired, but it just keeps coming. I won’t renew.)Popular PhotographyShutterbug

    I got great deals on the photography magazines (less than $1/issue). I really love Real Simple; the articles, the photography and design, and sometimes the recipes. I’ll probably drop More when the subscription expires, although I’ve enjoyed some the the profiles they’ve done and some of the articles. I just got Body and Soul as a Mother’s Day gift. I found I was buying it pretty regularly at the grocery store.

  25. I was just thinking about how little I like the currrent MS Living magazine compared to how much I used to love it. It’s weak these days. Watery. Too much tie in advertising. Feels like one big long ad. I am definitely NOT renewing my scrip. On the other hand, I went for Mary Jane’s Farmgirl magazine, thinking it was alternative but it feels the same way- flimsy (articles too short and not informative enough) and all sort of tie in advertisy.I want a new magazine to love. Smithsonian is a gift for my eldest son but it feels more like the free magazine I get with AAA. It again is flimsier. Wow, a common theme?

  26. I really miss Marhta Stewart Kids–one of my all time favorites, and the older Mary Engelbreit. Currently, I’m liking Hobby Farm Home and Mary Jane’s Farm. I will miss Wondertime too, and I’m not too crazy about Family Fun, so I won’t renew.

  27. Alright…I am right there with you on the MSL. Beautiful photography, but not really gaining anything from the writings. Here is what I get in the mail, and I must say that I do LOVE a magazine. Lets start with the two I miss..

    Wondertime-LOVED not finding anything that I relate to in Family Fun called and they refunded my $12 by mail

    Cottage Living-oh how I miss this one…kinda modern kinda country

    Cooks Illustrated-Great resouce

    Cookie-Why I like this so much? I don’t know.

    Mothering-Funny when Cookie and Mothering arrive on the same day. Do these cancel each other out?

    Here is the one I want to get tryhttp://www.seeingtheeveryday.com/about_how.htmlDoes anyone get this??

  28. I apologize if I’m leaving 2 comments. I think something happened to my first one.

    Anyway, the only magazines that I pay for are Every Day with Rachael Ray and A Taste of Home. I get great recipes that I actually MAKE. We also get Parents, Entertainment Weekly and Newsweek, all free with unused frequent flier miles.

  29. We get ReadyMade and Wired, which are both gifts. I let my Interweave Knits subscription lapse. I bought Spring at the LYS for a specific pattern and will not buy Summer. I buy Stitch at the bookstore and would subscribe if it becomes something more than special issues. I just resubscribed to Sunset Magazine (which is west coast) because I find myself buying it at least 3x a year for the Western states travel info. They also seem to be going back more to their DIY roots, which makes me happy. I’m considering subscribing to Mother Earth News and Newsweek because I find myself buying them.

  30. kathy your comments about cookie and mothering were so funny. could they be more polar opposites? yet they are both enticing!

    and that seeing the every day mag. oh my goodness! I am going to have to check that out. It looks just like something I would fall in love with. thank you for the link!!

  31. I did a major cut-back a year or so ago. (Bye bye Martha. ‘Tho on occassion I get hand-me-down issues from my M-I-L.) But we still have Dwell, Sunset and Backyard Poultery coming to our house!

  32. Hi there,

    My subscriptions are:Natural Home (striving for a more healthful home/environment)Real SimpleKiwiClick (childrens)Scholastic Parent & ChildBody & SoulNational Geographic (because The Green Guide is discontinued – so sad!)Parenting (free subscription – don’t really read it)Highlights High Five (children, gift subscription)

    I occasionally pick up:Country LivingCook’s Country (from America’s Test Kitchen-PBS)

    Wow, when you list them out like this it really seems like a lot huh! I’m like you though, I like to actually browse through page by page…

  33. Great topic…I don’t know many women who don’t love magazines.

    We get:National GeographicMartha Stewart LivingCanadian FamilyHockey NewsEvery Day FoodBon Appetit (because I work in the industry I received a one year subscription for $10 – I couldn’t pass that up)Sports Illustrated KidsLego Magazine (comes bi-monthly and it’s free)

    Wow…we get a lot..I don’t think I’ve realized this before but seeing it before my eyes now makes me realize how much we’re bringing into the house. To be honest though, I don’t know if I will cancel any of them. We all love to read, magazines included, and we either collect certain ones or pass the others onto people that we think will enjoy them.

  34. Fine Cooking : love love love, we make tons of stuff from this magazine and it’s always goodOttobre (just the children’s) : love love love, I make tons of stuff from this tooInterweave Knits : it always seems if I don’t have a subscription to this I end up buying it but then I don’t make much from the patternsRowan Knitting : I got this subscription for my birthday amd I love it, mostly for the eye candyFine Gardening : might let this one expireCookie: just canceled

    The urchins get Ladybug and Click (both published by Cricket Magazine) – we love their line of magazines

    Stefan gets some woodworking and photography magazines, I’m not sure which ones though

  35. I just let Martha go, along with Natural Living (never really liked this one) and Interweave Knits (too many patterns that I’ll never get to, and way too many ads for someone who doesn’t really even knit that much) and The Chronicle of the Horse. I figured that anything I’d want to read in Martha would be on the ‘net. We still get:

    Practical Horseman: Invaluable– my grandmother gave me this subscription when I was 8 or 10, and I’ve kept it up ever since. Always learn something, and great photos and columns.

    Mother Earth News: Awesome for dreaming

    Entertainment Weekly: Since we stopped watching tv, this lets me know what I want in my Netflix and Bookins queues

    Quilter’s Newsletter: Also love this one, especially the readers’ quilts and many of the patterns

    Ottobre: An indulgence, but full of inspiration.

    My husband gets the New Yorker, which he reads on the train.

    Wow, that’s a longer list than I thought it was…

  36. I get Family Circle – Love it! I look forward to getting it in my mailbox every month. Great tips. Great recipes. It hits highlights on parenting, living, relationships, recipes, etc. I read it cover to cover and a lot of times pull multiple recipes out of it. Let us know what you decide on… sounds like there’s lots good ones out there to choose from! Part of me wants to try some new ones too, but I barely get through the one I get before another arrives! Happy Reading!

  37. Every year my son’s school does a big magazine drive fundraiser, and they are quite cheap, so over the last tow years (while we’ve been at that school) we have had more magazine subscriptions than ever before-I think it’s fun to try them at least-and it’s for a good cause.At the moment I have:National Geographic which I love,Cosmo, which I could really do without,Vanity Fair-same as Cosmo, although they do have really interesting articles, (last year I tried Vogue, but I thought it was rubbish)Martha Stewart Living which I do enjoy, but rarely make anything from.My son gets Rolling stone.Hubby gets The EconomistAnd my other subscriptions-not from the magazine drive:Interweave knits,interweave crochet,Marie Claire Idees (only wish I could read more FrenchCreative Blogging which I thought I’d try, but don’t really like.

    I used to getArts and Antiques, but I let that go,Ceramics Monthly which I love-I should get that one again, but I went for a few years doing no pottery.

    I have to say that I have yet to see a home magazine that I love. I’ve looked at Better homes and gardens and home beautiful and all those, but they really just don’t do it for me.I would love to have the guts to just go ahead and subscribe to People-I hate what those magazines stand for, but I LOVE reading them. I always go straight for them in the doctor’s surgery.

  38. Here are the magazines I receive in the mail: ‘Martha StewartPreventionMore (this is a replacement for some Country magazine that stopped publishing this year)Body and SoulFamily Fun (replacement for Wondertime – I’m disappointed)KiwiWoman’s Day

    I get all of these for free (yes, no strings attached) through Rewards Gold.

    My son gets Highlights High 5, which we pay for.

    I buy People every week from the newstand. It’s my Friday treat, my reward for making it through another week.

  39. We love magazines in our house but all things on moderation….

    subscription:People magazine — hate to admit to this one but its good mindless entertainment when you’re having “one of those days” ;)In Style — same as above but i feel like i get stay current on the latest fashion trendsMartha LivingTraditional HomeArchitectural Digest

    My husband travels so he often brings home random mags from the airport.

  40. I’m actually commenting on your post about gorgeous little Ruby and how happy I am for you that this little piece of animal joy has entered your lives, especially after the sadness. I rarely buy magazines any more, although over the years I’ve been a real magazine-a -holic ,and the thought of a new magazine, a cup of tea and a cosy corner is still hugely appealing.When I was a teenager growing up in suburban Australia, I loved the American magazine “Seventeen” and that, combined with having a penpal in California who looked like she’d just stepped out of a glamorous beach movie, convinced me that ALL American girls pretty much looked like Marcia Brady.(I adored the Brady Bunch as well).I even remember an English magazine’s beauty tip that “merican girls rinse their hair for 5 minutes after shampooing”.! So I did just that.I never quite got the Marcia Brady look though.Nowadays I occasionally buy English Country Living as a real treat but I do agree that the internet does for me probably fulfill the same purpose. Not quite the same as paper, but the endless variety..I do print off quite a lot of stuff that I want to have in hard copy too.

  41. We only have the paper every day. It saves me a lot, and when I need a recepy or anything else there is allways the internet! I just buy a craft magazine or a life-style magazine when there is something I especially like in there. You can buy a lot of materials or take a holiday for that amount of money!Or buy a nice dress 😉

  42. My Mother-in-law gifted us Family Circle and Readers Digest. My 16 yr old dd reads the readers digest. I get a couple photography magazines…that’s it. My husband just lost his job so I’m not even buying them at the stores anymore. I used to work at the library & they had a pretty good selection…they’d even let you check out all but the most current issues.

  43. I subscribe to Australian Gourmet Traveller – great and have been getting it for years. Recently I took up a subscription to Jamie Olivers magazine – fantastic recipes, on unglossy thick paper, very different formatting, wonderful travel articles. My parents gave me a Delicious subscription which is good for every day stuff. I have given up on Bon Appetit and American Gourmet, only because the shipping times and reliability to Australia were always rubbish – you just couldn’t rely on it and it’s not much cheaper for us than buying in the store. Ditto Vanity Fair, which I buy locally because of the unpredictability of the delivery.

  44. Ahh, the magazine questions. I love magazines. I love to curl up on the couch and flip through them. I like the way the pages are shiny and smooth. But, then I feel guilt about the paper made and most of it is for advertising. That said, I love my:Martha Stewart LivingVegetarian TimesWeight Watchers–if only I would stick to the programRolling StoneFamily Fun–my MIL subscribed us to it because she thinks we are terrible parentsEducators–see above

    I am pondering getting:Mother Earth NewsVogue Knitting–I always buy this at that storeNational Geographic–my parents always had this when we were growing up.Country Living—because I long to live in the country and have a big old country house (not haunted)

    My husband likes:Scientific AmericanOde

    My kids will occasionally get:NickNational Geographic for kids–used to be subscribed to it thanks to their Nana and Papa.Highlights–growing out of this now…I’m not, they are.

    What do you guys do with all of the magazines when they are done? I have piles of them tucked away. I wish they were recyclable.

  45. Oh, I also want Interweave Knits and Bust subscriptions. I guess I don’t feel enough guilt about the environment…although I haven’t subscribed to them yet.

  46. Paula, I’m so sorry about your husband losing his job. I’m sure it must be hard.

    Checking the magazines out of the library is such a good idea.

  47. Bee–your comment about Family Fun was so funny! And country living will definitely make you long for a country house. I live in one and when I flip through the pages I get seriously jealous, too! 🙂

  48. i get that Family Fun magazine – my SIL subscribed for me – it’s fun. 🙂 and i was getting HOME – which was discontinued, so they are finishing out my subscription with Woman’s Day – which is more fun than i thought it would be – but when it runs out, i’ll be done.

    i’m sort of with emily. between the internet and some of the fun catalogues that i get, i don’t need to have magazines, too.

    also, i have a girly giveaway going on over at my place – come visit!

  49. We get a few magazines, each one indulges a different part of who we are.

    Orion Magazine, an environmental journal every two months, some of the best writers around write there Wendell Berry, E.O. Wilson, Terry Tempest Williams. We get it every other year because it gets a little depressing after a while but we keep going back for the writing and articles.

    Gourmet, I love the articles and get inspiration from the recipes, even if I can’t get some of the more obscure ingredients.

    Dwell, not that we live in a Modern home (yet) but we have dreams of the modern farm house for our future.

    Magazines I consistently pick up: Heeb (irreverent Jewish Culture), Bust, and finally Bitch. All three of these usually are to make me feel connected to my pre-child life.

  50. NGM is a must keep. I dropped the kids one the way they dumb down the information hacks me off. As do the ads. My kids 9,7 & 5 read the adult one.I personally love Discover. But I am a bit of a geek.I dropped Real Simple awhile ago, it gave me a dreadful case of the wants. And as we don’t really need anything, it had to go. I like Mother earth, Utne & Vegitarian Times but I don’t subcribe.

    There are a couple of really cool ones for the kids. Like Dig, CLick, Muse, and Spider. We try to get the grands to give these as gifts.

    Good Luck. And after all Martha mag. is a fun read. I like to see what people who don’t have children and laundry are doing. It’s possible I add a new mag to my reading but …..

  51. A few years ago, I started feeling the same way you did about Martha and my long-time subscription. I ended up dropping it and haven’t really missed it.

    I have subscribed to Cooking Light for years, and it is the one subscription I couldn’t live without. The magazines used to pile up until I realized that unless I clip recipes I’m interested in, I’ll never make them. I started doing that about 8 years ago and have filled up two 3-ring binders. I’d say 95% of our meals come from Cooking Light.

    Other mags:*Wondertime (loved it), now Family Fun (okay)*Cottage Living (lovely photos and ideas)*Cookie and Parenting (both freebies—fun to flip through but I wouldn’t subscribe)*Wild Animal Baby for my two-year-old daughter—she loves these and we actually purchased some back issues on e-bay, as well as back issues of Babybug

    I got Real Simple for a number of years but dropped the subscription because there was way too much advertising and I felt like I only used a small portion of what was in the magazine. Also, I loved Organic Style but it went under a few years ago.

    I live in Charlotte, NC, and our local library has a magazine exchange. I rarely take any magazines from the exchange, but I love that our old magazines are getting a second life.

    In recent months the stack of magazines by my bedside has grown quite large. We have a 12-week-old baby boy, and reading is a luxury that seems to have completely disappeared. The same thing happened after my 2 year old was born, though, so I know I’ll get that time back again one day. I hope. . .

  52. I started subscribing to Martha Stewart in 1992. I bought issue #2 at the supermarket & subscribed for years. Last year I was in the same boat as you — I gave it up and haven’t looked back. I have now been going through all my back issues (16 years worth) and filing the good stuff in my idea file and recycling the rest. It feels good!

    Occasionally I will buy a magazine — especially the new Stitch magazine, love it — but I mostly just get issues from the library.

  53. Also forgot to mention that I really miss Home Companion, especially the artists studio issue every winter. And I dropped Family Fun after I realized how very white it is. (One entire issue had 100% white families! It was so weird. That is not my world.) And every so often I subscribe to Bon Appetit — then at the end of the year, I cut out & file the recipes I like and recycle the rest. (So many files, so little time!)

  54. I love magazines and we buy loads, but as we’ve cut our budget (with me staying home) we canceled everything. Now, if we want something we might get it at the store; overall we make what I think are really good choices about what to get/not get.

    Long ago I stopped getting MSL which I subscribed to off and on for 10 years or so. Now I use her website and pick up an occasional issue as they are beautiful but largely the same. Recently, I culled the issues down, pulling recipes or activities and recycling the rest.

    We go through New Yorker phases, which no one ever finishes though they are perfect for breastfeeding as you can tuck the issue under the baby’s bum.

    Economist – we buy on occasion

    National Geographic – I had an educator’s subscription and loved it.

    Parenting – I don’t know why we get this but we hate it. Mister calls it Cosmo for Babies. (Is your child dressed cute enough? When to leave the playdate!)

    BabyBug – Lentil was given a subscription and we love it. I will probably renew this one and it will continue to be the only one we regularly receive.

    We read most of our magazines (new yorker, food and wine, bon appetit, NYTimes Mag) and news online, either on our computers or via iPhone (again, great for breastfeeding, especially in the wee hours)

    (to Kristin re: real simple, I wondered the same thing! Such a luxurious way to simplify. Like hiring a full time cook, gardener, and knitter to simplify your life.)

    I just asked Mister if he misses any of our subscriptions. He stuck out his lip in thought and shook his head.

  55. Bon Appetit –replaced my domino subscription and I’ve been pretty happy with it.

    Seeing the Everyday –recently subscribed and have yet to receive my first issue. Looking forward to it’s highly visual/no advertising format.

    Hard to believe, but that’s it for my subscriptions these days. I’ve really paired back and I don’t miss it a bit.

    I buy off the newstand, issue by issue:

    – Donna Hay- Step Inside Design (graphic arts)- British House and Garden (haven’t seen it in a while)

  56. I was going to post something along a similar vein recently, though I never did. My thoughts came from the terrible “replacement” magazines I now subcribe to, that I find depressing. The wonderful Country Home was replaced by Family Circle (awful. Cover story last month: A BBQ for 25 for under $100. I mean, where’s the fantasy?). Domino was replaced by something equally awful.

    I subscribe to: Better Homes & Gardens, Living, though I’m on the fence about renewing this one too. I just feel like it’s been redundant lately. I did stop my subscription for a year once but I found I kept buying it at the grocery story anyway. Just started cloth, paper, scissors. It’s hit or miss. Can get a little “scrap-booky” for me sometimes.

    I miss: MS Kids, Domino & Country Home. Even Mary Englebreit’s Companion had great artisan portraits.

    I gave up on: Interweave Knits, Good Food (love it, but have enough issues for now), Body & Soul. I also find Real Simple to be a bit too Real Simpleton.

    I’m on a photography jag right now, so I’m thinking of adding Popular Photography for a year. I feel like with the current economy, many mags are becoming very practical. Meanwhile, I need fantasy now more than ever.

  57. Oh I forgot to add that I just started a sub to Marie Claire Idees. Not blowing me away though, the way it does when I occasionally find it in my barnes & noble.

  58. Dana,I agree with you about Martha. I know she is involved in another magazine, “Body and Soul”?, and I feel that there is too much of that content in the Martha Stewart Living. I don’t read Martha to find out how to cook healthy, how to take care of my health. I even feel that the decorating has taken a turn for more modern/contemporary and that is not my thing. I wish Martha would return to her roots (cooking from scratch, gardening, decorating for a family). Just get back to being the Martha that started everything!

  59. sadly, my every-issue-always-purchased-never-missedwas mary engelbreit’s home companion…but it is no longer in production…sob.

    there are lots that i will thumb thru and maybe buybut ME home companion was always a given.

    sigh.

  60. I subscribe to and love: Cooking Light, Atomic Ranch.I subscribe to but might let it run out and buy when an issue really interests me: Real Simple.I am considering subscribing to: Clean Eating, Crochet Today, Sew Simple (if they have a subscription).I have had subscriptions to Domino and Ready Made and loved them when I was buying each issue. But then I ordered them and it seemed like they went downhill. Maybe I jinx magazines.

    My Mr. gets more magazines than I. They all consist of photography mags, which I have been scoping out as of late. Also small sports car and slot car magazines. He is a magazine junkie.

  61. Currently I subscribe to Parenting, Bon Appetite, Real Simple, Allure and InStyle. I found myself overwhelmed with back issues of untouched magazines, but recently started taking them to the gym and then leaving them there for other residents to read. My friends and I decided a few years ago to give mag subscriptions to each other as Christmas presents, that way we won’t stop giving ourselves that little splurge that we would probably stop doing if it was just us subscribing for ourselves.

  62. Cooks Country is great for recipes.The Nation for politics.I used to get The Herb Quarterly but no longer do…I still love it.Maybe you could try picking up a few different titles and the library and see what fits.I always lose library mags so I stay away.

  63. I used to get Living too…. for years… and like you I read in college, dreaming of my future Martha-esque life. But yeah, it’s so expensive and they pile up and mostly they leave me feeling a little discouraged.

    I get Paula Deen’s magazine – a new one for me. I think I’ve only gotten two. And my mom gets Southern LIving for me every Christmas. I love our local mag, Edible Austin, and luckily it’s free. I also love the freebie from Kraft, Food and Family. I know they are just selling their goods, but there’s really some great easy recipes in there.

  64. I’m a magazine glutton and I’m a bit embarrassed to admit to how many I actually subscribe to. =)

    Love: Everyday Food, Vanity Fair,(perfect read for the gym), Vogue, Natural Health, Body and Soul, Shape, Self and here’s the embarrassing one, Better Homes & Gardens.

    Getting rid of: Real Simple (same thing over and over)

    Buy all the time, probably should subscribe again: Cooking Light

    I’m glad to hear others enjoy magazines as much as I do.

  65. oh my, too many to mention probably but I’ll try:

    organic gardening – this one is new, got it for a special price and I enjoy it but don’t love it.

    martha stewart living – love and will continue but gosh it’s expensive!

    cookie – enjoy but don’t love, will let expire.

    allure – it’s just okay, will let expire.

    self – really enjoy and will keep I think.

    mothering – love but also super expensive, I teach birth classes though and am a bit of a birth/mothering/parenting junkie so I will keep this one.

    Wondertime was awesome and I so don’t enjoy Family Fun at all, will let expire.

    Body & Soul – love and will continue.

    I also really miss blueprint. I was just thumbing through an old issue the other day and it made me so sad! Nothing compares.

  66. I struggle with magazines, I admit it here. (“My name is Kim and I’m a magazine-aholic”.) I only have subscriptions to Cooking Light (love, love, love) and one woman’s mag (which varies; when one runs out I find another- Woman’s Day, Redbook, Family Circle, whatever) but I can’t seem to resist buying a few more whenever I go to the grocery. The ones I find hardest to resist promise great recipes but I’m also prone to anything with an interesting story listed on the cover- Time, Newsweek, the other women’s mags I’m not getting in the mail, Real Simple, whatever. My oldest gets National Geo (although sometimes she has to hide it in order to get to read it without it getting swiped), Discover, Scientific American, American Girl, and our newest, Make. Ranger Rick ran out; the kids didn’t really respond to it. Family Fun ran out a few years ago but I’ve got enough back issues to keep me busy for the next 10 years. My husband gets a political mag too. I think that’s all of them, and they do pile up! I’ve limited my space in theory and I’m supposed to throw out any that don’t fit- I can switch out old for new or vice versa- but they seem to be creeping beyond their boundaries on a regular basis. 🙁

  67. I was done with Martha a few years ago. I had saved everyone and I was starting to recognize photos they were reusing. That said, I still read my friend’s copies when they are done with them. I let myself have one subscription a year. Last year I ordered Domino and loved it so much it was this year’s subscription too. But then! well crap, it was good and so was Wondertime and I’m pissed that they’re gone. I’m thinking about getting Gourmet, even though you can get all the recipes for free on line. It’s just such a beautiful magazine. I like Ready Made too, but the way most craft magazines are going I don’t trust it to stick around. (Wow I can go on and on) Maybe I’ll splurge on a cool magazine from overseas?

  68. I subscribe toMothering (probably always will — it’s my fave)

    Everyday Food (absolutely love — almost everything I make is from this one)

    MSL (considering calling to cancel — I have hated the last three issues, with the fashion and lip gloss — please stick to gardens and good things, Martha!)

    Smithsonian (a gift to my husband from his step-father — not sure why; it always goes in the recycling)

    I also get New Beginnings, the La Leche League magazine, as part of my involvement in the organization

    I let Brain, Child lapse — the tone was too snarky for me

    And I canceled Real Simple even longer ago — probably 5 years ago? — when they had an article that listed breastfeeding as one of the top 20 time-wasters

    I’d consider subscribing to Life Learning (an unschooling magazine) and Renewal (a Waldorf education magazine), though I probably won’t end up doing either. 😉

  69. I’m trying to strike a balance, too…some I like that I’ve not seen mentioned: Ode and Mental Floss. Mental Floss makes me laugh out loud.

  70. I get Sunset, Outdoor Photography, Utne, Yoga Journal and Mother Earth News. My grandfather bought me my first subscription to Mother Earth News when I was 15, and I’ve let it run out and picked it back up over the years. The recent quality of the magazine has really impressed me, and I’m going to continue subscribing for as long as they’re around.

    If you’re looking to swap out one of your cooking magazines, definitely trade it in for Mother Earth News. They have recipes and information about gardening and canning (and a billion other topics that make me dream and drool!)

  71. Kristen, my mom gets BH & G and I find myself finding lots of little goodies in them, when I flip through them at her house. I think it is a very “every man’s” kind of magazine, which is nice sometimes.

  72. Money Saving Mom http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/ periodically posts free magazine subscription offers. You usually have to complete a survey, but I have never received any junk mail as a result – just the magazines.

    The magazines I receive for free include Parents (not modern and edgy, but darn there’s some good info in there!), Kiwi, MSL, and Better Homes and Gardens (replacement for Country Home magazine. Again – BHG is not cutting edge, but I tore out quite a few pics and recipes, so either the magazine changed over the last few years or I did…!)

  73. I don’t subscribe. BUT- I buy off the stands:

    Orion (like several have mentioned- love)MSL (only once in a blue moon, I think the tone has changed so much it’s nearly unrecognizable)British Country Living (my all time FAVORITE ever, I should really subscribe)Selvedge (holy moly it’s expensive but I pore over it and savor it for ages)Mothering (because I’ll always be a mama 😉 the only parenting mag I like)

  74. Meg, I really wish there was easier access to overseas magazines. There are some really great ones. And I love the different perspective.

    And I picked up a gourmet mag last month–the photography and layout is just beautiful. Stunning.

  75. Oh, I like Mother Earth News and Backwoods Home, too, but buy them infrequently. BHM can get a little “sky-is-falling”.

  76. Thanks megan. After all this magazine discussion, I’m really thinking it may be time to drop MSL and try Mother Earth News for awhile. Seems more practical to my every day life right now.

  77. I meant to add that I also began my subscription to MSL when I was in college, before I was ever married or anything, always filing away ideas for my future “grown up” life. I am very glad that I have saved my back issues, too, despite moving them around a lot, because their website isn’t very easily searchable (every search yields 40 pages of results? and none of them are the specific thing I was looking for?), and a lot of the older magazine content isn’t on the website. So, I’ll hang on to my back issues, even when I do cancel it.

  78. I just let Real Simple expire too. I only get Ready Made (school fundraiser), Wondertime/Family Fun (which is way not as good), MSL, and Everyday Food. I’m getting a bit tired of Martha these days too. There’s not been a lot new lately. I love Everyday Food, though.

    You might try checking out the periodicals at your local library. That’s how I’m getting my Real Simple and Cook’s Country fix these days!

  79. grace, i completely agree about the website’s search engine. it is not very “smart”. i love my back issues. don’t tell my husband, but i have visions of passing them on to the girls one day. I’m sure they’ll laugh at what their mom thought was “in style”. 🙂

  80. Sarah. you’re right. i DO need to check out what the library has. I usually spend all my library time in the children’s section, I forget there’s an adult part to the library, too! 🙂

  81. Stef, I was going to list our local Edible mag–Edible Chesapeake. I love it. It keeps getting better and better with every issue. And you know how much I love learning about local foods and resources.

  82. The only magazine that we get is Backwoods Home Magazine. It’s a pretty good magazine about living a basic simple self sufficient life.

    We used to get Every Day Food, but mostly I was just looking through it at the pictures and only sometimes cooking anything from it and half the time the recipe seemed to be missing something.

    My daughter was getting American Girl magazine, which we both thought was a good magazine, a little thin (she would read it cover to cover in half an hour)but good. She is just now, at 12, starting to outgrow it. I would like to find more magazines for girls along the same lines as this one.

    The magazine I want to subscribe to is Cook’s Illustrated. I just don’t have the extra money for it right now.

  83. I didn’t buy magazine subscriptions for many years, but in the last few month, have felt the urge to have some to flip through and enjoy the photos. I only get subscriptions through survey rewards and deals.

    Just started getting:*Body & Soul*Prevention (not sure if I’ll like it, but Stonyfield Farms had a $2 offer with yogurt lids, and we eat their yogurt anyway)*Runner’s World

    Ones I like to read at the library or my parents’ house, but don’t buy:*Martha Stewart Living*Newsweek*The New York Times Magazine (wish they delivered to our area)

  84. I’ve been simplifying our magazine subscriptions too. At one point it just got totally out of control and I was throwing away unread magazines just to get them out of the house!

    We now get:Sunset (love it, but we are in the west)Mother Earth News (love this one too)Martha Stewart Living (I’ve been dissapointed in it too and won’t renew)Cooks Illustrated (love this one too!)

    I think that’s it, actually, besides the kids magazines.

  85. Hi!

    I just stumbled upon this thread and blog. I love questions like this that allow us to peer into other people’s brains. I have a love/hate relationship with magazines. The ones that I do read, I love fiercely, but everything else seems like a waste. I have subscribed to many over the years and think I have finally found my preferences.

    The keepers:New Yorker (if all the others had to go, this would be the only one to stay.)Martha Stewart LivingEveryday FoodVanity Fair

    I had a subscription to Real Simple that my brother kept renewing because he thought I liked it, but I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I thought it was boring. Sadly, I feel like MSL might be heading down this path. Starting to feel to contrived. I have some of the back issues and I love them dearly. I echo the sentiment above that it has started to slip in the past few years. Somewhere around 2007.

  86. This is a fun question. I have let most of my subscriptions expire, except Orion (every issue a treasure) and Good Housekeeping (which my grandma subscribes to for me). I miss Everyday Food (but I have years stockpiled and saved) and The Sun (exceptional writing but was getting tired of how dark it was). I love to pick up Sew Simple at the fabric store. Everything else I check out from the library – Mothering, Family Fun, Sew News, Body + Soul, Natural Home, Ready Made, Cookie, Martha Stewart Living. Lately we have also been getting The Week (not sure why). A great wrap-up of the week’s news that I never have time to read. And as long as my sister is a reporter/editor there I will keep my subscription to US News & World Report!

  87. I get MSL, Better Homes and Gardens, and Everyday Food. My husband gets Newsweek and my son gets Highlights High Five.

    I let my EDF subscription lapse briefly, but I missed it and picked it up again. I was planning to let BH&G go, but then I felt the content improved.

    I have mixed feelings about MSL. I like a little fashion boost, so I don’t mind that sort of thing being included, but the items themselves seem so expensive. I guess that’s no different than all the other fashion sources (“and it’s such an *affordable* tank top, only $87!”), but it doesn’t fit the frugality of other aspects of the magazine. After all, who else but Martha admits to recycling her wrapping paper? 🙂 I used to feel like I could really learn something reading MSL, but lately I wonder.

    I let Real Simple lapse. The content was all about buying stuff and the recipes tended to use prepared foods (I need inspiration in the opposite direction!). My mom said, “I think that one is all about the paper…” – the feel of the pages is so rich you think you are getting something great!

    After seeing all those who take Click, I had to go look it up – it looks great! My son reads his High Five cover to cover the moment it arrives – he would gobble up Click too, I can tell. Thanks for the topic!

  88. i cancelled all subscriptions we had. i found a lot of inspiration in them, but rarely have the time to pursue the projects. (like you though, i love every day food, but we have two sources that will give us their old ones). and many of the magazines have so much available online for free. our local library sells old issues for 10 cents each and i get some that way.

  89. We recieve:National Geographic- gift from Gramma (we normally give it to my dad)Family Fun – Free yearBaby Talk – free yearParenting early years- free year, but I bought 2 more (years that is)Readers Digest – this is our bathroom mag. has always been and may always be unless they keep adding more ads for meds!

  90. We get Cooks Illustrated, Orion, and National Geographic. My mother sends me Martha which I just flip through. I’ve never cooked a thing from it and the crafts aren’t as inspirational as they used to be. We used to buy stacks of magazines 2x a year–just before vacation and to put in our xmas stockings. I don’t like spending $$ on something I just read and toss anymore–it feels wasteful.

  91. Hi Katherine! Thanks for finding me! I have lots of friends who enjoy the New Yorker mag, and I don’t think I’ve ever read an issue. I’ll have to check it out.

  92. BHG gets a bad rap sometimes, but I think it has some pretty practical mainstream information–at least in the issues I’ve seen. But, like you pointed out–it doesn’t feel so nice in your hands–the way Real Simple or Wondertime used to feel. I think that is one of the things I don’t like about Family Fun–isn’t that weird?! I miss those nice heavy, smooth pages.

    good point!

  93. I’m cheap, I don’t subscribe to any. I just read them at the library. Of course, I don’t get to keep them that way, but they also don’t add to my clutter. And the farthest I get anyway of the ones I have owned, is just clipping out something and filing it away, never to be seen again! From the library, I enjoy reading:Cooking LightCooks IllustratedSunsetThreads (I would like to subscribe to this one, but it’s so expensive!)

  94. I recently found this little gem of a magazine called Mary Jane’s Farm. It’s an eclectic mix of organic farming, how-to’s for woodworking, needlework, and sewing projects and interesting articles related to getting back to the basics.

    It’s fabulous and sadly it’s only published 4 times a year!

  95. I, too, started on MSL early. It took the place of Teen or Seventeen when I left for college and after reading through them, dreaming, I tore out the especially beautiful pages and used them in my art as a student. They were such inspiration in so many ways. Then I “grew up” and found that I no longer had time to look through them enough and canceled my subscription and never looked back.

    Not reading much of my subscriptions at all right now, but on my table:

    Living CraftEating WellReadyMade

  96. I think the other thing about BHG is the way they put content on half a page and ads on the other half – it doesn’t give you a calm feeling to read it when you are assaulted with ads on the very page you are reading!

    This Wondertime magazine must have been great- I’ve never seen it and I guess it’s over! I’ll have to keep an eye out for it at the used bookstore!

  97. I agree with the Martha Stewart Magazine. It just doesn’t give me what I am looking for. I find maybe 1 or 2 items a year that thrill me, but other than that…eh. My mom gave me a subscription, but I did not renew.

    We currently subsribe to: Kiwi, Big Backyard, National Geographic Kids, Lego Magazine, Southern Living (from my mom-will not renew)

    I used to get the following mags and LOVED them, but decided to non-renew for now to simplify:Savour, Plenty, Ode, Cooking Light (one of favorites)

    I read my sister’s subscription to Mother Earth News and Mary Jane’s Farm which is an AWESOME magazine. I love most everything Mary Jane Butters publishes.

  98. I subscribe to:Ode (my #1 favorite)Utne Reader (go back and forth)

    My dream subscriptions:OrionThe SunMother Earth NewsYes!Rachel Ray FoodFiber ArtsSurface DesignSelvedge

    I think the nice things about subscribing is that a year is more of a commitment than a grocery store purchase, but not a lifetime. When I played tennis in High school, I subscribed to Tennis. After that part of my life was over, I subscribed to Vogue for quite a while. I finally ended that, but still read it from the library.

    I go through all of my magazines every few months or so and tear out images for my visual journal and then recycle the rest. Otherwise, the clutter is too overwhelming!

  99. i have had a subscription to martha stewart living for over ten years. i have often thought of letting it go but just as often think of how it parallels purchasing a new book or piece of art. each month i pull out the previous years months, to either display on magazine rack or resource projects and recipes.

    i’ve had a subscript to Everyday Food, Fitness, ID, Metropolitan Home, and many others but have let them go over the years.

    i love my readymade subscript and would suggest it.

    and also remember to check out magazine racks before purchasing. once you know whats in the issue you can be sure to check out more online.

  100. I was a long-time subscriber to MS and Real Simple, but both of them seem to be more promising on the inside with less really good content now – think I gave them up a year or two ago. I loved Domino and Blueprint, and was sad to see them go. Right now, my mom bought me a big stack of pregnancy magazines, since I’m expecting, so that’s taken most of my attention, just working through those – not buying any more magazines off the shelf for a while!

    So, the subscriptions we get now (almost all are gifts):

    Cookie (I really enjoy this one, even if it’s pricey stuff, it gives me ideas)

    Family Fun (since Wondertime stopped – and it’s just not the same, but we will be trying some of the crafts during summer break)

    Lucky (since Domino stopped – it’s interesting and definitely stretches my style, but won’t be renewing)

    Kiwi (got a free subscription, and it’s nice, but not great in my book – won’t be renewing)

    National Geographic (always fanscinating)

    Countryside & Small Stock Journal (for my husband, although I enjoy it too)

    Zoobooks (my boys love it)

    Lego Magazine (I think that’s what it’s called – it’s free, and my son loves it)

    We had a friend live with us for a while who had TONS of magazine subscriptions and didn’t want to forward when she moved, so I’ve had lots of others flooding my mailbox, but nothing I love. I usually take a stack of magazines to donate to the library every other week – so that someone can enjoy them before getting recycled.

  101. All my subscriptions are gifts or freebies:

    Threads (even though I never sew anything that complicated)Interweave KnitsInterweave CrochetAustin Magazine (free with my public radio donation)

    Let expire:Cooks Illustrated (I liked the recipes but rarely made them)Parents (okay but didn’t renew after free year)

    One I would like to have:Craft

    Instead of impulse buying magazines at the grocery store, I have a couple of authors I like that I can actually find there. I’ll reread books, but not magazines. So I feel like I’m getting more for the same amount of $, plus I buy them less often.

  102. I love magazines, but I have not renewed anything my library gets. I still get Kiwi (free through ANNIES Homegrown), Family Fun (gift) and my DH gets Archeology and Scientific American. 😉

  103. I love magazines, but have trouble keeping up with subscriptions. Right now I have MS Living and Dwell. I miss Blueprint and Domino. I’m thinking about subscribing to ED FOOD. I used to like ReadyMade, but never found myself actually making any of the projects, so I stopped that one… Ones that I pick up very randomly: Real Simple, InStyle, The Believer. For some reason, I do not like parenting magazines. I think I was scared off by Parents, which just seems to try to scare you with snippets of random statistics and horror stories…

  104. i love magazines too. there is nothing like the great feeling of having an afternoon to settle down and pore over a great one.my all time favorite was domino.i get cookie too…not because i’m wealthy or because i like the slant of the articles, but because of the eye candy. decorating, kids clothes, they are all very inspiring to me. and i like the kids’ book reviews.i used to be a die-hard martha fan and now i only get everyday food. the reg mag wasn’t worth it to me anymore.i also get lucky, allure, family fun, national review, forbes, real simple, wired, ranger rick, some religious magazines for us and the kids, elle decor, dwell, house beautiful, i’m sure there’s a few more i’m forgetting.yes, i pass on all these to others after i have gotten my fun from them.

  105. i have to comment yes to the parenting magazines. they’re all so lame. useful only to the first time parent for basic information mixed with lots of ridiculous articles and assumptions that all moms put their kids in daycare and want to immerse them in popular culture.

  106. I no longer subscribe to any. Their websites give enough info, and if not, there is more than enough info on any topic you care to read about online, so online we are – its cheaper, more convenient and you can easily save the articles you like, rather than having tonnes of environmentally unfriendly paper stacked around.

  107. Martha Stewart Living is the only magazine that I currently subscribe to, although I used to get Real Simple, Craft, and Domino. Lately I’ve been thinking about severing that MSL tie because the magazine just feels more and more like a Good Housekeeping as of late. That, and I see more interesting things via my Google Reader. Anyway, I appreciate your lists. I’ve thought about subscribing to Every Day Food before, and now I might give it a second thought.

  108. I was just looking through MSL a couple days ago and was so sad a how much it has changed. I was just thinking about cancelling it myself. It seems to be trying to become a magazine for all things beauty and clothing, but that was never why I wanted that magazine. They are barely even photographing homes anymore. sad.

    After all the magazine foldings over the last year I am left with so few that I love…country living, coastal living, southern living…and Elle decor..that’s it.

  109. I get Family Fun and Metro, a magazine about the Twin Cites, where I live. I want to get ReadyMade. I don’t like getting too many magazines. They pile up and make clutter and I always feel conflicted about getting rid of them, like the minute I let it go I’ll need a recipe or project idea from that particular issue.

  110. I found cooking light sending me mags for almost 18 months after I stopped subscribing before they got it that I wasn’t renewing. Tells you that advertising dollars, not subscription dollars drive them. They probably counted me as a subscriber for their own purposes and didn’t care about the $18.00 or whatever.

  111. I gave up all magazines years ago when $ needed to be used elsewhere to support our growing family and I was not working outside of the home (I’m still a sahm) but now for birthdays and Christmas I have asked for a few subscriptions.

    My daily devotions: “Journey” from Lifeway

    Livingcrafts: but I’m probably not going to renew

    Ottobre: I can’t seem to stop getting these because I think the next issue will be even better than the last with patterns I MUST make my kids…which typically they are great each time.

    I used to get Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion but it stop publication after 10 years running.

  112. I subscribe to:

    Real Simple (likely will be expire)Cooking LiteSpin-OffWild FibersPieceworkInterweave Knitsbody + soul (going to let expire)

    I occasionally buy:

    Bon ApetitCooks IllustratedPeopleKnit.1

  113. I agree. The only ones we have are gifts, and I really barely look at those either. It’s amazing how easily I believe “you should have this, too!”

  114. Currently we get Martha Stewart Living, HOW, Entertainment Weekly, and Newsweek (hubby, not my subscription). I recently let go Martha’s Weddings. I’d subscribed to it before we got married, and kept it another year, because, geez, it’s pretty, but decided it wasn’t worth the check last renewal. I also got rid of Print. I feel like a bad graphic designer for that, but I hardly looked through it, and when I did, wasn’t satisfied. I also dumped Esquire, which I’d only subscribed to in the first place because it was well designed. I wish I had a subscription to Everyday Food, as I tend to grab it at the grocery store quite often, and it’s so inspiring. I’m contemplating dumping Entertainment weekly, because I hardly read that either, but it’s like a habit for me. I can’t seem to let it go.

    I can’t help but feel guilty for all of that paper, though. But as a graphic designer, it’s also part of my profession, and I feel a need to support it to a certain extent. And print design is still so different than web design, I think.

  115. I LOVE Eating Well for seasonal yummy recipes. My copies are in tatters.

    I just let Martha Stewart living lapse for similar reasons to yours.

    I’m letting Kiwi run out – it reads like one big ad run to me.

    I wish I had a sub to National Geographic, The Economist, The New Yorker and Brain, Child but they are pricey.

  116. Uhmmmm. I stopped bying magazines here years ago. Being a single mom you just can’t afford that. Here normal prize fora magazine is 5 dollars and up, depending on what kind. Instead I borrow books at the library or go and read the magazines they have there. And then of course I sunscrine to lots of food bloggs and read on the net, so I get satisfied by that. Ok, once in a while I buy a certain magazine IF there is something I am really insterested in or want to keep.I also buy old interior decoration magazines for a few cents at the second hand stores! 😀

  117. A few years ago-when I moved from NY to FL I got rid:Martha Stewart Living (though I’ve kept all my old copies because I love them)Real SimpleCooking LightLucky

    I only get:Everyday Food by Martha I love it and have gotten it since I graduated from college

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