Friday 22 July 2011

School's Out For Summer

It's been a funny last half term of school this year as Daniel has been at home since the end of May, having finished his GCSEs. Eleanor breaks up today, and is now at home until September, when she will return as a year 9. No more uniform to wash and iron until then.


We've got our fortnight holiday booked, a week in Cornwall followed by a week in Devon, but other than that I've nothing planned. It gets harder thinking of days out as they get older, though they're happy to spend time with their friends rather than having me plan too much for them.

I'm hoping that without the hustle and bustle of the school routine, I'll manage to find time to read some of the many magazines which are piling up waiting to be read. If truth be told, I've got a bit of a weakness for magazines, I love them. I never seem to find time to read a book these days, but magazines are different, they can be picked up when you've got a spare minute and be just as easily put down again. This is the pile of magazines at the side of my bed, though I have to admit that a lot of them have already been read, I just haven't got round to passing them on yet.


Since I stopped working last year, I've had to curtail the amount of money I spend on magazines, some of which are very expensive. I'm always on the look out for offers.

I used my Tesco Clubcard Vouchers to subscribe to Gardeners World Magazine. The vouchers are worth three times their value when used in exchange for deals, though when I took out my subscription they were worth four times their value, so the annual subscription was only about £10 in vouchers, not bad when you consider each magazine is usually over £3 and I get 12 issues in my subscription.

I get The Garden magazine sent to me monthly as part of my RHS subscription, which was a prize in a competition I entered.


There was an offer in a recent edition of Gardeners World Magazine for a free copy of Olive. I enjoyed reading the magazine, but it's not one I would usually buy.


I often see buy five magazines for £5 or buy three magazines for £3 offers. I took out subscriptions to The English Garden and Homes & Antiques using these offers. They take the payment out of your bank by direct debit, you just have to remember to cancel the subscription and direct debit before the end of your trial otherwise your subscription continues at the normal price.


I do occasionally treat myself, the last full price magazine I indulged in was Let's Knit. I'm planning on using a couple of the patterns in the magazine, so I can justify the spend.


I always pass my magazines on to other family members who enjoy reading magazines, and in turn, they get passed on again, so they're well recycled.

I wonder if anyone else enjoys reading magazines as I do.

8 comments:

  1. I subscribe to Country Living - have done for the best part of 20 years! I currently am giving away some - would like some?
    Dxx

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  2. A friend I once had used to get about 8 mags a month of subscription all of which she passed on to me to read afterwards! My magazine habit took a knock when we fell out!
    It's the Christmas issues I find hard to resist buying.
    Lisa x

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  3. I really love mags but curtailed my spending on them as part of an economy drive. But then discovered that one of my neighbours bu ys more than 10 per month (she commutes by bus to Leeds so reads 'em then). She now kindly passes them on to me!!!! And I in turn take them to our WI where they are quickly snapped up by the other ladies. I'm off to Devon for a couple of weeks soon - I might see you! xx

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  4. those tesco vouchers are fab for mag subscriptions aren't they! I have quite a few mags but also pass them on when I have read them and re-read them lol. like you I am not a book reader but do love mags.

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  5. Hi Jo. I've never really bothered wtih magazines until a couple of years ago. I rarely buy them becausemy sis always buys lots of house and garden mags, so I get to read those. When I was in hospital recently she had called into the newsagents on her way to visit me and brought me FOUR magazines!!! xxx

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  6. Thank you for popping over to Like it or Lump it. Your name will be entered into the giveaway of course but hope to see you back again soon. Red magazine for me every time although do like the house ones and of course anything with food, Olive isn't one of my favourites either though x

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  7. I used to be dreadful buying magazines but thankfully these days I'm a little more restrained!!!

    Victoria xx

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  8. Thank you for all your comments. It seems that lots of you are very lucky and have magazines passed on to you.

    Denise - Many thanks for your very kind offer, though as I've got plenty of reading matter at the moment, perhaps someone else would enjoy them.

    Diane - I'll look out for you in Devon, it's a small world, you never know we might see each other.

    Helen - Thank you for visiting. I shall be popping back to Like it or Lump it, it would be nice to see you back here too.

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