The Cheapest Form of Entertainment
The Newspaper. Although the daily news is free and easily assessable by using the internet, there is something irreplaceable about receiving a newspaper every morning on your doorstep. There’s something about actually flipping through the physical pages, while sipping on some coffee. It’s a certain grown up feel that I enjoy, although I could do without the ink leaking onto my fingers. In my opinion, the newspaper really is one of the greatest and cheapest forms of entertainment.
Reading the newspaper also has benefits beyond the price and this is what I call social adaptability. Being in the know on various topics, especially local news of interest can go a long way. Always having a solid understanding of current events helps start and maintain small talk with coworkers and business contacts, not to mention helps build your appearance of being “smart.” Reading the paper also allows you to be very versatile and comfortable socializing with various types of people. You don’t have to know a lot about something to have a great conversation with someone, rather, you just need to know enough to start the conversation and learn from the other more interested party.
Newspapers aren’t all about news as many think. Nearly every paper has featured columnist writing opinion pieces on various topics, special reports or continued pieces, and the Pulitzer Prize chasing stories, which seem to stand out like a sore thumb. I realize that many stray from papers because of political biases and availability. I also realize that I’m lucky to be so close to two great papers being the Washington Post and the Washington Times, but I wouldn’t trade my morning paper for any book or magazine.
Here is a quick tip to paying less for your local paper. The following procedure may not work for everyone, but it’s definitely worth a try. Every 30 weeks or so, most newspapers will automatically charge you or bill your credit card for additional weeks of service. Rather than grumbling because another unexpected bill is do, try calling your newspaper to cancel your subscription. Most phone operators will apologize to you for wanting to cancel and ask if you are sure this is really what you want to do. Tell them it’s a price thing and you really just can’t do it anymore. They will usually offer a price that is better than what you currently were paying and some times even go down to a lower price if you say no twice. I pay about $28 for 28 weeks for the Washington Post or $1/week. After 28 weeks is up, I usually get billed around $30 for an additional 6-8 weeks, at which point, I cancel until I get back to the $28 price range. MilkYourMoney right? $
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