Paying for your magazine subscriptions? Stop, it's free!

Most people don't know their local libraries pay for magazine, newspaper and database subscriptions that can be invaluable to small businesses or individuals who want to know more about finances, science, fashion -- anything! Many of the subscriptions are physically in the library, but plenty are online as well. Here in Tucson, there is an A-Z list of magazines available online via the library website. (Want to read older NY Times articles now unavailable on the web? Pima County Public Library has all published articles from 1980-present available online).

A popular business resource at Tucson's public library is Reference USA, which is such a powerful resource I almost hate to post it. You can see a company's ratings, get a general idea of its net worth and other important information. You need to live in Pima County and have a library card to access most of this stuff, but you can get a database only card if you live in Pima County -- or at least claim to -- and access an amazing amount of stuff online. Most urban libraries spend between half a million to a million dollars on their online collection every year -- dollars that you, as the taxpayer, are already spending, essentially. So, if you're trying to be frugal, try the library. After all, you've already paid for it. Why buy twice?