I am blessed to live relatively near a Barnes & Noble store. I can go there and look at all the quilting magazines [that aren't wrapped in plastic] while having a 'pretty' coffee at their Starbucks. Also my son lets me use his account for discounts on all I buy, including the coffee! I only buy what I like.
When I did subscribe a bunch of us quilters each had different subscriptions and shared with each other.
Since I like to scan what I like into my computer and flash drive, I pass the whole magazine along to quilting friends anyway. Scanning prevents paper build up and yet leaves me with what I want.
ali