Real Simple

For Christmas, I asked for a subscription to Real Simple magazine. My parents gave it to me, and .... 4 months later .... I started receiving it. (How can it take 16 weeks to activate a magazine subscription?!? But that's a whole different blog entry.)

I remember reading the magazine a few years ago and liking it. Their instructions on knitting a scarf is what first inspired me to try knitting. Now, countless scarves, one shawl, and two baby blankets later, it's one of my favorite hobbies.

So I was excited to get the magazine again. Their tagline is "Life made easier" and their "about" page says that the publication's:

concise, useful strategies, coupled with a clean, inspiring design, focus on making busy women’s lives easier, from preparing a fast, healthy breakfast to getting a good night’s sleep. In essence, Real Simple helps its readers do what they need to do, so they have more time to enjoy what they want to do.

I always thought this translated into bringing simplicity in your life. Focusing on what you have and making the most out of it. But after getting this magazine for a few months, I realized I was wrong, wrong, WRONG.

Apparently your life is easier if you buy LOTS of stuff. All the magazine offers is suggestions on what to buy in different categories of your life. In the most recent issue, I heard what I should buy to make traveling with pets easier (including a tent for the dog), what kinds of wine I should purchase, which brand tooth whitener is the best, and how to eat ice cream without drips (cake cones are a no-no, they say). Really? This is really supposed to make my life easier? Simpler?!?

And there was a Hummer ad on the back cover.