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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: pgher on December 05, 2021, 10:51:27 AM

Title: too many subscriptions
Post by: pgher on December 05, 2021, 10:51:27 AM
I was looking back over my finances, and realize that I have too many subscriptions. I'm going to thin them out. I need some advice on them, though. For news, I subscribe to:
For both the Post and the Times, I read other columnists, too, and sometimes general news, but keep the two different services for these particular columnists.

It's too much. I'm thinking that I can get sports news elsewhere for free. I can get general news from Reuters for free. I haven't found a good place to get any of these columnists, though. What would you do?
Title: Re: too many subscriptions
Post by: Parasaurolophus on December 05, 2021, 11:29:09 AM
Probably your institutional or local library has a subscription to the NYT and the WaPo, so you can get your dose of columnists that way.

The only one I'd keep (/have kept) is the local paper subscription, because they need it. (Plus, it's fun--it's a small-town paper.)
Title: Re: too many subscriptions
Post by: mamselle on December 05, 2021, 11:34:41 AM
Are these "paper newspapers delivered to the door" or online subscriptions?

Wouldn't the ones you can pay for online (NYT, WaPo, PPG) be cheaper on those grounds, alone?

M.
Title: Re: too many subscriptions
Post by: Puget on December 05, 2021, 11:53:12 AM
NYT has a very deep educational discount-- you just need to sign up with a .edu email address. I think I pay only $7.50/month for online access. Most also have a few free articles per month. I would think about continuing to support your local paper, because local news is important and local papers are struggling.
Title: Re: too many subscriptions
Post by: pgher on December 05, 2021, 11:57:57 AM
Quote from: mamselle on December 05, 2021, 11:34:41 AM
Are these "paper newspapers delivered to the door" or online subscriptions?

Wouldn't the ones you can pay for online (NYT, WaPo, PPG) be cheaper on those grounds, alone?

M.

Only the local one is physical. So yes, the others aren't terribly expensive, each, but it adds up.

I'll have to check out the library on campus.
Title: Re: too many subscriptions
Post by: Parasaurolophus on December 05, 2021, 12:10:32 PM
Quote from: pgher on December 05, 2021, 11:57:57 AM
Quote from: mamselle on December 05, 2021, 11:34:41 AM
Are these "paper newspapers delivered to the door" or online subscriptions?

Wouldn't the ones you can pay for online (NYT, WaPo, PPG) be cheaper on those grounds, alone?

M.

Only the local one is physical. So yes, the others aren't terribly expensive, each, but it adds up.

I'll have to check out the library on campus.

FWIW, my university library gives us online access to newspapers, as long as we go through the library portal.
Title: Re: too many subscriptions
Post by: Hibush on December 05, 2021, 02:55:18 PM
Quote from: Puget on December 05, 2021, 11:53:12 AM
NYT has a very deep educational discount-- you just need to sign up with a .edu email address. I think I pay only $7.50/month for online access. Most also have a few free articles per month.

WaPo as well (https://subscribe.washingtonpost.com/acqlite/edu-offer/), $5 per month.

Some schools have linked up with WSJ as well. Do a search (https://education.wsj.com/search-professors/?mod=wsjedu&user_type=professors) to see.  Mine does, and it is free to me.
Title: Re: too many subscriptions
Post by: dismalist on December 05, 2021, 03:20:25 PM
Quote from: Hibush on December 05, 2021, 02:55:18 PM
Quote from: Puget on December 05, 2021, 11:53:12 AM
NYT has a very deep educational discount-- you just need to sign up with a .edu email address. I think I pay only $7.50/month for online access. Most also have a few free articles per month.

WaPo as well (https://subscribe.washingtonpost.com/acqlite/edu-offer/), $5 per month.

Some schools have linked up with WSJ as well. Do a search (https://education.wsj.com/search-professors/?mod=wsjedu&user_type=professors) to see.  Mine does, and it is free to me.

Ooooh, whoopee! I just got WSJ at a price of zero. That's what it's worth to me. :-)
Title: Re: too many subscriptions
Post by: dismalist on December 05, 2021, 04:29:55 PM
Quote from: dismalist on December 05, 2021, 03:20:25 PM
Quote from: Hibush on December 05, 2021, 02:55:18 PM
Quote from: Puget on December 05, 2021, 11:53:12 AM
NYT has a very deep educational discount-- you just need to sign up with a .edu email address. I think I pay only $7.50/month for online access. Most also have a few free articles per month.

WaPo as well (https://subscribe.washingtonpost.com/acqlite/edu-offer/), $5 per month.

Some schools have linked up with WSJ as well. Do a search (https://education.wsj.com/search-professors/?mod=wsjedu&user_type=professors) to see.  Mine does, and it is free to me.

Ooooh, whoopee! I just got WSJ at a price of zero. That's what it's worth to me. :-)

And, presumably because I subscribed through a university, I was asked to answer their future surveys, on account I'm an Opinion Leader! Have I always wanted to be a Führer? No. So I declined.
Title: Re: too many subscriptions
Post by: hmaria1609 on December 05, 2021, 07:22:47 PM
Quote from: Parasaurolophus on December 05, 2021, 11:29:09 AM
Probably your institutional or local library has a subscription to the NYT and the WaPo, so you can get your dose of columnists that way.

The only one I'd keep (/have kept) is the local paper subscription, because they need it. (Plus, it's fun--it's a small-town paper.)
Chime on this one.  Both the NYT and Wash. Post offer free digital passes to non-subscribers. It's a new service they launched for library patrons over the summer. The NYT is for 24 hour access; the Post is for 7 days.
I appreciate reading the Wash. Post without firewalls while at the library.

Pgher, I also recommend using your library (academic or public) for access.
Title: Re: too many subscriptions
Post by: darkstarrynight on December 05, 2021, 09:25:56 PM
I am able to access the local paper and nearby bigger city papers through the local city library digitally.
Title: Re: too many subscriptions
Post by: Hibush on December 06, 2021, 05:27:01 AM
Quote from: dismalist on December 05, 2021, 03:20:25 PM
Quote from: Hibush on December 05, 2021, 02:55:18 PM
Quote from: Puget on December 05, 2021, 11:53:12 AM
NYT has a very deep educational discount-- you just need to sign up with a .edu email address. I think I pay only $7.50/month for online access. Most also have a few free articles per month.

WaPo as well (https://subscribe.washingtonpost.com/acqlite/edu-offer/), $5 per month.

Some schools have linked up with WSJ as well. Do a search (https://education.wsj.com/search-professors/?mod=wsjedu&user_type=professors) to see.  Mine does, and it is free to me.

Ooooh, whoopee! I just got WSJ at a price of zero. That's what it's worth to me. :-)

Good to get a precise situational cost-benefit analysis.
Title: Re: too many subscriptions
Post by: apl68 on December 06, 2021, 07:48:53 AM
I've got to make some decisions soon about cutting some subscriptions from our library's subscription list.  We have a couple of items that make up a ridiculous proportion of our total bill.  Unfortunately they are items that I use a lot (For work).  I've got to see whether there's a way to ditch our institutional subscriptions and get less expensive individual subs.  I understand the idea behind charging higher rates for institutions, but those institutional rates make little sense for tiny institutions like ours.