In an effort to lure in the growing number of budget-conscious diners, many full-service chain restaurants have begun to offer menu items at historically low prices. USA Today reports that desperate restaurants are willing to try anything, including significant discounts, in the hopes of bringing back customers.

With lower prices, you’ll be able to either spend less money or keep your budget the same while eating out more. I prefer the former. The cited article also noted how prices in some chain restaurants were approaching those of fast food. While you may feel better getting a “real meal” for about the same amount of money, remember that chain restaurant food is often at least as unhealthy as fast food, and sometimes worse.

Low prices also mean that profit margins are reduced. Restaurants still stand to be better off as a result if higher volume can increase overall profit. Would you rather make a $5 profit on 100 people or a $7 profit on 50 people? Clearly the first option means a healthier bottom line. Menu items with lower prices can also be used as loss leaders to get customers in the door. Once there, they may purchase not only the low-priced items but also those with higher profit margins, such as alcohol.

Chains specifically mentioned in the article included Chili’s, T.G.I. Fridays, Outback Steakhouse, Texas Roadhouse, Cheesecake Factory, and Morton’s. Many offered meals for $10 or less. Other chains are likely to follow suit.

I don’t eat out very often, but lower prices are good even for people like me. To make the most of these latest promotions, stick to the featured items that offer the best deals and pass on everything else. The restaurants would prefer customers with worse spending habits, but in this economy, they’ll take any customers they can get.

Do price adjustments affect your dining habits?

Subscription prices vary, but you can usually get a year’s worth of magazine issues for the cost of between two and three issues at the newsstand. Subscribing seems like an easy choice, but there are less expensive ways to do this in terms of cost and environmental impact.

The first method is to look for promotional pricing that accompanies other purchases you are making. I’m sure you’ve been offered different subscriptions when making purchases at Best Buy. Amazon regularly offers free, or discounted, magazines with a certain type of purchase. I received a one-year subscription to Wired for spending a certain amount on electronics. Note that you should have at least a slight interest in the “free” magazines from Amazon, because you can often write to receive a credit on your purchase for the estimated value of the subscription.

Another option is to subscribe using credit card rewards or frequent flyer points. I prefer the latter. Many airlines have expiration dates on their frequent flier miles. By allowing you to use them towards a subscription, you at least get something of value before the miles become worthless. This is the main method I use to actually subscribe.

A final method is the one I tend to use the most of all: check magazines out of your library. Not only do libraries have a much wider selection of magazines than I would ever subscribe to myself, there is no cost and limited environmental impact, since every borrower reuses the same copy. The only downsides are limited availability and the fact that you can’t dog-ear or tear out pages for reference the way you might with a copy you own. To solve the availability issue, you can read the magazine at a bookstore instead. Many of the larger chains encourage patrons to browse their merchandise, preferably while sipping on a latté.

Magazines are not quite as useful as they were before the Internet. Niche markets, traditionally covered exclusively in magazines, now have wider exposure through blogs and topic-specific websites. Still, magazines add some value. Getting that value for the best price through the most appropriate method will enhance your reading experience.

What is your preferred method of acquiring magazines?