I rarely pay even half the subscription price for magazines. I suppose I could be even cheaper and just read them at the doctor’s office four months after publication, or take a trip to the library, but some of them I like to have for a hot bath or cup of tea at the table. So I make the choice to spend some of my hard-earned mad money on them. Or I don’t. A lot of magazines can be had for free if you’re keeping your eye out for them.
Magazines make most of their money off their advertising. Your free or low-subscriptions allow them to pitch better readership numbers to their advertisers, so they try to find the balance between full- and reduced- (or free) price subscriptions.
Here is a short list of some magazines currently being offered for free (please don’t sign up just to have them for toilet paper or art projects!):
Baby Center
Golf Styles (for your duffer)
Kraft Food & Family Magazine (usually has coupons in it)
Lego Club Magazine (my kids love this!)
Lowe’s Creative Ideas (Decorating and remodeling)
Smart Spot (for Healthier living)
Imprimis (Politically conservative journal)
Tech Net (for IT professionals)
Tokyo Pop (Manga magazine for anime fans)
Most trades have free magazines that are industry-specific, but they’re usually available only to professionals within that industry.
What about when you want a magazine that you can’t get for free? I usually check a discounter first before going to the magazine’s website. For instance, right now you can get four years of Family Fun magazine for $8.99 at MagsForLess.com (with an extra .45 off if you use the code “MPS5P”. Or Disney Adventures for $11.99 for a year, plus a free $5 gift card if the subscription is a gift. 
The point is that you don’t need to pay retail or even normal subscription prices. The search engine is your friend! If you can save $10 by spending 20 minutes in front of your computer, isn’t that worth it?
Related Blogs:
Free Baby Magazines