It’s probably painfully obvious to regular Mancubist readers that I ‘take the Guardian’. I hate that phrase, it sounds absurd – like ‘I’ll write you!’ – but it’s true.

I usually take it on Mondays (for Media), Thursdays (for Technology) and Saturday (for deforestation). I read it more often than I read their website, which is unusual in my life.

So when they advertised a free three-issue trial subscription to their new Guardian Monthly magazine, I quickly obliged. It’s a good read, with specially commissioned pieces and some of the best bits you may have missed.

Sadly, I can’t justify the Euro3.50 cover price (whatever a Euro is) so my trial period has been exactly that. But feel free to (ab)use it yourself here.

Also, in the previous Mancubist reader offers I told you that signing up for Jessops’ new online picturehouse qualified you for 40 free 6×4 prints.

That’s dropped to 20 now, but until January 10 all users get up to 50 6×4 prints for a penny each. Sign up and enter the code PENNY at the checkout. I recommend the matt finish.

And before the Manchizzle asks (again), they’re not ‘paying me to shill’. I’m rarely paid to do anything…