Do you enjoy magazines?

I steer well away from any 'womens' magazines - and the Daily Male - all aimed at marketing by inducing feelings of inadequacy. Very bad for one's mental health and self esteem. Mags about the real world - fine.

I subscribe to Readly online. Nearly every magazine you can think of. Its 9.99 a month but you can have 5 people so I share mine with my daughter's one loves all the recipe gardening and food magazine. The other one and I prefer the as my late husband used to call them trash day Tuesday as that's when they came out. But I do read the knitting ones! He just read his motorcycle news and all the motor bike editions. I think you can get a trial. My daughters would disown me if I gave it up!

I gave up on Good Housekeeping and Woman & Home years ago, too much fashion, (Yikes! who would wear that?), cooking (with impossible ingredients) and house decoration aimed at the Chipping Norton set.

Instead I subscribe to Saga magazine which has more sensible articles and 'The Oldie' which has cartoons to make you smile and interesting articles, aimed at us 'old 'uns'.

I love magazines but us the online library service. Libby. All magazines, daily newspapers & billions of books all available FREE!

I've never been one for magazines, modern ones seem to be full of adverts and showbiz gossip so not for me. However in 2018 whilst waiting around in hospital for transport home from radiotherapy I used to read the magazines to make the time pass. I started reading a People's Friend including what turned out to be quite an interesting serial, so the following week I had to buy the next issue to find out what happens next. 2024 and I'm still buying it every week as the serials overlap and I'm one of those people who has to finish a story whether it's boring me or not. I always have to know what happens next. Luckily it's not too expensive so I don't begrudge it.

Only ever bought them at the airport before a flight. Now only read a magazine at the hairdressers when I really enjoy the gossip in Hello or OK mags. Oops, forgot I'm an RHS member so do get their monthly magazine which I enjoy.

I used to have subscriptions to a couple of magazines. However I found that Christmas editions were awful, almost identical every year, and the saving you make on a subscription during the first year is often not much more than the cost of one month's magazine. So now I just buy one occasionally if I see one that looks particularly interesting.
If I'm doing a project (kitchen, bathroom, decorating etc.) I sometimes buy a couple of magazines to get ideas, but so many articles, photos and editorials are taken almost directly from manufacturers publicity material so they're very repetitive. Also so many pages are simply advertising.

I sometimes enjoy the RHS magazine too, but was irritated last month when the article about peat free compost gave very little real information or advice, though it was the cover story.

If I'm doing a project (kitchen, bathroom, decorating etc.) I sometimes buy a couple of magazines to get ideas

I use Pinterest for ideas these days. It's online and it's free. I have spend many an 'hour' going down a Pinterest wormhole.

I was lucky enough to win a year's subscription to Readly. It gave me access to hundreds of magazines. We now subscribe for £7.50 a month as hubby and I got so much enjoyment from the wide range of mags and newspapers available. Cannot recommend it highly enough.It's the only subscription we have as not normally a fan but this is such good value for money when you consider the horrendous price of magazines these days.

i always loved the my weekly and the peoples friend, i lived with my gran and she got them every week, i was only 13 but loved the stories, i moved on to take a break and chat for the puzzles and would send them in every week. now i use my kindle on the largest print and read about 3 books a week.

I used to subscribe to Woman and Home and really looked forward to it arriving because I felt it included my age group in its range and so was relevant to me. But, bit by bit it moved towards much younger women and, regularly, much skinnier models until I felt it no longer represented me so I cancelled my subscription. At the same time, I was receiving a free subscription to Good Housekeeping magazine, through my bank account. I still get that every month but, lately, I don't always bother opening it 🤔.

Years ago when I used to work as a dental nurse the receptionist and I used to buy Woman and Woman’s Own and read them avidly during the lunch break, but don’t buy any now, I picked up Hello magazine at the hairdressers recently and felt as if I was in a parallel universe as I didn’t recognise anything or anyone, I was quite relieved when I found a soap powder advert as it was the only thing I recognised.

SHE was my favourite magazine for years, it used to have lots of competitions which I used to enter. Since it finished I only read free magazines and am lucky to have several passed on to me by friends and neighbours and then I pass them on to someone else.

Why pay monthly for Readly, when you can get hundreds of magazines for free from your library on the Libby app?

My dear friend passes on a magazine she has passed on to her from her Sis in Law, who is a retired doctor. Its The Lady, and while i would not consider buying it myself, it is a very good read. Lots of lovely articles regarding some old hollywood stars, lovely pages of where to buy unusual gifts, but the best thing is the adverts in the back of it. There are pages of people who need staff in very priviliged circumstances, stately homes, mansions in the middle of nowhere, people wanting a companion for an elderly parent and so it goes on. It is fascinating, not least because it puts you in mind of the truly wealthy people in this country, who can pay for virtually anything, and they do!!! Sadly I would be too old to apply for any of the posts on offer, the one advert, you have to be fluent in Mandarin and English, which counts me out!!!

PinkCosmos

^If I'm doing a project (kitchen, bathroom, decorating etc.) I sometimes buy a couple of magazines to get ideas^

I use Pinterest for ideas these days. It's online and it's free. I have spend many an 'hour' going down a Pinterest wormhole.

Yes, that's true PinkCosmos, I can't remember the last time I did buy a magazine. My kitchen planner recommended Readily so I used that too. Also some designers use Houzz to show people the samples or ideas they've had for a project.

The adverts in luxury magazines are gorgeous - artwork whether or not it’s something I’d buy (or could afford!)

I might try the oldie. We get The Week and New Scientist and read them during weekend breakfast in bed lie ins. Bliss.

Ah I still miss Honey. But no, there’s nothing that interests me enough to fork out the £5+

Years ago I used to read Woman and Woman’s own, but don’t bother with any magazines now. Picked up Hello magazine at the hairdressers and thought that I had entered a parallel universe as I didn’t recognise anyone or anything, when I came across a soap powder advert I was quite relieved.

Sorry posted twice, post wasn’t that interesting to start with! Must get a grip with this posting lark

@jaybee66, l had forgotten about She. I used to enjoy it, too, although I didn’t have it every month. For those who are mentioning magazines aimed at an older readership, I remember being in W H Smith some time ago and seeing the cover of People’s Friend, which had a free gift on it - a tube of Steradent! Not quite what posters had in mind, I’m sure. 😱

"Yours" used to be my favourite, I never buy magazines now. but will agree with you cupcake

Yes I love magazines and to save money I look out for reductions on subscriptions. They are advertised in newspapers and magazines and also social media and are really good value.
I have been subscribing to Vanity Fair on and off since 2012 and have kept most of them! We are hoping to move soon and I’m not sure what I’m going to do with them all! Any suggestions?