One of my favorite weekend activities is going to Booksale and going through their magazine displays. I enjoy perusing back issues of O, Glamour, Lucky, Shape, but usually end up purchasing “homey” magazines like Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping and Family Circle. Why back issues? Here are 4 reasons why I like them.
1. Back issues are priced cheaper! Because they’re usually a couple of years old, they are quite low-priced. Each of the magazines pictured above costs only P15.00 (a little more than $0.30) and they date back only to one year. Some magazines go for P30 and P60, and that’s still not bad.
2. Recipes never go out of style. I buy the above magazines for their recipes, housekeeping tips and other homey advice. They’re classic and relevant, and even if they’re a year behind, there’s no problem. A basic recipe for Chicken Curry today is the same as Chicken Curry a couple of years ago. Granted, some ingredients may change, e.g. healthier substitutes, other ways to cook the dish, but the essence of Chicken Curry is the same across the years. You know what I mean? It’s the same for cleaning tips. NOW, if you’re a fashion magazine reader, I’m not sure if back issues will be relevant to you. But who knows, right? You might spot a trend that’s on its way back.
3. Just tear out the cards and use them as bookmarks. If you live in the country where the magazine is published, these cards will be relevant to you. You can use them to avail of discounts or use them as subscription forms. They usually have a deadline though so these expired cards don’t mean a thing when they’re inside back issues. What I do is I tear them out and use them as bookmarks,
Just tear them out, tear it further into smaller pieces and use as bookmarks. This way you don’t have to go through so many magazines to find that Chicken Curry recipe you’re looking for.
4. Back issues can be immediately recycled. When you’re done with the magazines, you can use the pages for wrapping breakables during a move. Cut out pretty pictures and post them in your scrapbook. Use it as a tool for your kids’ school projects. Spot pretty pages and use them as giftwrapper. Cut out interesting quotes or articles and post them on your refrigerator door or work cubicle as inspirational reminders. Better yet, recycle the magazines.
I’m still up for the current issues of these magazines, but when times are tight and I’m just looking for a lazy read, back issues are the way to go! Now I shall bid you goodbye as I’m about to prepare a snack I learned from Woman’s Day. It involves layers of whipped cream, fresh fruits and crunchy cereal. There’s nothing “that’s so last season” about that, is there? 😉
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
vina
April 13, 2007 at 12:36 pm (17 years ago)be sure to share your snack with us tons!
jojo
April 13, 2007 at 1:42 pm (17 years ago)i am not a magazine person, coz in my “moving” experience, junk yan. hehehe.
but you do have good points there…
have a nice weekend toni!
Junnie
April 13, 2007 at 1:44 pm (17 years ago)i was a Booksale junkie too…I even went as far as visiting 2 or 3 booksales before trying to look for back issues ….of FHM. 😛
kat
April 13, 2007 at 9:07 pm (17 years ago)i like reading back issues of mags i don’t subscribe to (and i’ve tried to whittle down the amount of mags i get –which at one point was 8 different magazines! yikes!)
i also like reading Filipino mags that my cousins give me when they visit (it’s the only thing i ask for). we should do a magazine exchange! LOL…i’ll send back issues of magazines in exchange for issues of Girlfriend, Mega, and others!
happy wknd!
winn
April 13, 2007 at 11:31 pm (17 years ago)This is precisely why I hold on to my old copies of my Woman’s Day subscription. You never know when you might feel the craving to try one of the issue’s recipes. Let us know how your dessert turned out!
By the way, this is my first time posting a message. I’ve enjoyed your blog for a while now and I have to say it is one of my favorites. You write like I’m reading a page from a good friend’s journal and your pictures are great (especially the ones of food)!
mare
April 14, 2007 at 5:52 am (17 years ago)A couple of friends and I share our subscriptions. When we’re done, we bring them over to the local hospitals so that others can enjoy as well.
The only magazine I do not share nor get rid of? Martha Stewart’s Living!
Pao
April 14, 2007 at 3:14 pm (17 years ago)wahooo! nakabisita rin uli dito. 😆
naging tambay rin ako ng booksale when i was still in pinas. ang mura kasi ng presyo. value for your money.
Tin
April 14, 2007 at 9:17 pm (17 years ago)My personal favorite is Good Housekeeping. I like Self too kaya lang walang pinoy version. I like my magazines in pinoy version kasi mas nakaka-relate ako although mas maraming info ang US versions.
cyberpunk
April 14, 2007 at 10:42 pm (17 years ago)i love booksale too, but i usually buy pocketbooks. they’re cheap, in good condition and there’s more variety than in other local bookstores…
sometimes i buy magazines too…housekeeping/recipe mags, no celeb mags…the contents are useful and never go out of date 😀
missyosigirl
April 15, 2007 at 4:45 pm (17 years ago)loooooooooove back issues 😀 pero madalas kong bilhin mga fashion mags, like vogue and cosmo, and minsan vanity fair, glamour, redbook and marie claire for the articles din. and i have a limit na parang if the issue is more than a year old na and it’s still 50+ pesos, no way jose. at that price it should be less than a year old lang. hehe.
pag nagka-bahay na rin kme and ako na ang nagluluto, i think i’ll be buying the back issues of those mags too
Via
April 15, 2007 at 10:35 pm (17 years ago)I recently started liking Lucky to, because of another friend of mine!
Hope all is well with you. I posted a super personal thing in our site. Not sure why I did it pa rin. I hope I don’t regret it…
Kay
April 15, 2007 at 11:29 pm (17 years ago)I love booksale too. I get to buy hardbound books there at a much cheaper price and the magazines are way cheaper when they’re a year old …
dexie
April 16, 2007 at 5:46 am (17 years ago)i agree. i hold on to my old magazines as long as i can for recipes. now that i started scrapbooking i hold on to them even longer ’till i find time to cut out letters/phrases and pictures.
Toni
April 16, 2007 at 10:24 am (17 years ago)Jojo: Korek, medyo makalat nga siya. Right now, the magazines are “seated” on one of the steps in our home. I’ll get around to tearing the booknarked pges out para mapa-recycle ko na yun mga magazines. Thanks for the reminder!
Junnie: Hahaha! Si Dennis naman he browses through back issues of Maxim, U.S. edition. I also browse books in Booksale. Medyo mahirap lang mamili minsan kasi hindi lahat maganda ang quality! But I’ve tumbled upon some diamonds in the rough.
kat: Do they sell local magazines at Filipino stores too? I wonder about the price they set!
Winn: Thank you for posting your comment. It’s a joy to meet new people through this blog. It means a lot to me that you take the time to read and share your thoughts! I value the exchange. The dessert turned out okay! I think I did something wrong, hahaha. That’s okay though. The next time I prepare it, I know what to do right ad then I can write about it in my blog. Will share it with you guys soon. Thank you for the words of encouragement. They really filled my heart!
Mare: Oooh Martha Stewart’s Living is wonderful. I also like Real Simple magazine. I love how thick it is and how useful all the articles are!
Pao: Oo nga, value for your money talaga ang dating ng Booksale. May mga pocketbooks na akong nabili na tag-P10 lang! Sulit!
Tin: You’re right, mas maraming info ang US versions. Kaya siguro puro US versions ang back issues na nabibili ko!
Cyberpunk: Pocketbooks are good buys too. I’ve bought several that cost P10-15. Amazing! And the ones I usually buy are young adult books like those riven by Norma Stein or Judy Blume. They’re prized finds!
Toni
April 16, 2007 at 10:26 am (17 years ago)Via: V! I posted a long reply to your entry but it didn’t come out! Not sure if it’s under moderation or just got swallowed up in cyberspace. Good thing there’s copy and paste! Emailed you.
missyosigirl: Hahaha parehas tayo ng limit sa presyo. Kapag more than P65, hindi ko na pinapansin!! Hindi na worth it kapag more than that, might as well buy a brand new one. I love back issues of Glamour and Marie Claire. Mademoiselle din! Pati yun mga Country Living and Martha Stewart pinapatulan ko. Ang saya eh. Makalat lang sa bahay, pero you can always give them away. 😉
Dexie: Old mags are indeed a great source for scrapbooks or for kids’ projects. I remember having my way with origami as a kid using old magazine pages!
Kay: True, I also like purchasing books from Booksale. I’m a bit picky with some though as not everything is of good quality! But perusing the bookshelves is a hobby of mine as well and I’ve come across some gems in that bookstore.
smarie
April 16, 2007 at 3:30 pm (17 years ago)hey there toni. used to be a regular visitor “booksale” store in sm city before myself. nothing wrong at all with buying 2nd hand books or magazines. it’s way cheaper! =) i love leafing thru magazines too. and as you’ve suggested, it can be used for cut-out pictures for the kids. and as for the fashion mags, doesn’t fashion always make a comeback? LOL! 😉
Toni
April 17, 2007 at 3:42 pm (17 years ago)sheila: Exactly! Old fashions are becoming new once again, so who knows? Perhaps one of those ’80s magazines has a gem of a comeback right there. All it needs is one fashionable eye to spot it!
sexy mom
April 18, 2007 at 9:09 am (17 years ago)glossy magazines are so expensive nowadays, that it’s a delight to find back issues (and they are even not so old), particularly for those items that do not go out of style, i.e., food, gardening. i do not mind buying back issues, though my daughters would always like theirs (fashion mags) in their most current form.
Toni
April 19, 2007 at 8:33 am (17 years ago)Dine: Other magazines that would be great to get back issues of: Country Living, Better Homes & Gardens, Martha Stewart’s Living, Real Simple.
Ang saya to go through their pages. Their current issues are, yes, expensive nowadays as you said! Nakakahinayang to buy them especially since what they feature don’t necessarily apply to just that particular moment in time. These magazines are timeless and that works for the bargain magazine hunter in me.
cookie
April 19, 2007 at 3:20 pm (17 years ago)I am a fan of back issues too!!! I get my stash at Cherry Foodarama in Congressional. Sometimes they come out with 4 month old issues of local mags at 50 bucks or less. The store is located beside the supermarket entrance of Jollibee.
Toni
April 20, 2007 at 3:56 pm (17 years ago)cookie: I love Cherry Foodarama Congressional! We used to live near that place. I liked eating in Tokyu, the inexpensive Japanese restaurant across Cherry. Is it still there?
Mita
April 23, 2007 at 9:38 pm (17 years ago)hay ikaw din! I still have New Yorker mags from the 80’s…and dozens of food mags also from the same era. But my best buy from those cheap bookstores was a paperback copy of Calvin Trillin’s “American Fried” – nawala na nga cause my sisters loved it too…
Layla
April 10, 2008 at 10:39 pm (16 years ago)I love the new spring and summer fashions this year. Everything looks bright and cheery, which is the way summer wear should look.