Here’s a tip for those of you who still love the glossy cover of a magazine, the feeling of paper between your fingers, and the excitement of flipping through the pages of your favorite guilty pleasures: How about a magazine swap?  Whether you purchase them at the newsstand or get a subscription, pass along the magazines you are finished with to a friend or neighbor, and in return, get a copy of a magazine that they have recently completed.  If you get enough people involved you can have access to all kinds of issues without having to spend much money.  You can even start a Facebook group to keep track of which magazines are available for the taking.

On top of saving money, you’re increasing the life of each magazine, which means less waste. Once you end up with issues that have run the gamut, recycle them or donate them to a local library for other people to enjoy.

Here’s some other ideas on where to donate:

http://magazineliteracy.org/ - An organization that donates magazines to at-risk kids and their families to help the learn and love to read.

http://freecycle.org - Another non-profit that has local online groups where people can request items or offer up items that others can reuse.