Featured in August 2009

See what was in this issue of Real Simple.

On the Cover

• 27 ways to snack smarter: why eating all day is actually good for you, p. 148
• Money-saving DIY projects that anyone can do, p. 130
• The best-fitting jeans (for as little as $40), p. 71
• Streamline your morning routine: 12 beauty tips, p. 59

 

In This Issue

Thoughts, p. 8
 
 The Simple List, p. 12
 
 Contributors, p. 22
 
 Editor’s Note, p. 25 
 
 Your Words
What is your guiltiest pleasure?, p. 27
 
 Solutions 

• New Uses for Old Things, p. 35
• The Primer: roller coasters, p. 38
• Products of the Month, p. 40
• Easy Upgrade: ice cream sundaes, p. 44
• Ask Real Simple: How should you dispose of expired medications?, p. 46

Life Lessons
Writer (and penny-pincher) Julie Rottenberg on how it’s finally fashionable to be frugal, p. 51
 
 Personal Best
Tom Hodgkinson’s art of idling, p. 125
 
 Reality Check
Eerily accurate fortune cookies, p. 196
 
 Real Simple to Go, p. 198
 
 
 

The Guide

Beauty
 

• Twelve products to help you make the most of your shower time, p. 59
• Road Test: mineral makeup, p. 65

Style
 

• Jeans for every body type (and budget). Plus, your nagging denim questions answered, p. 71

Life
 

• Renting 101: surprising items that it pays to borrow rather than buy, p. 85

Home
 

• Your guide to the best home resources on the Web, p. 93
• Road Test: cotton sheet sets, p. 103

Body
 

• Time-saving health-care shortcuts for the waiting room and beyond, p. 109

Moneywise
 

• Recession saving plans, how to cut costs on entertaining, and why to buy a swimsuit now, p. 117

 

Features

• Nineteen do-it-yourself projects that take less than an hour―and cost less than hiring a pro, p. 130
• What makes you feel beautiful? Six writers share their answers, p. 140
• Strategies for healthy snacking, p. 148
• How one group of friends stays close with an annual surprise trip, p. 154

 

Cooking

• Delicious desserts that make the most of summer fruits, p. 162
• Five Easy Dinners, p. 172
• Road Test: tortilla chips, p. 185
• Nutritional Index, p. 188