Featured in July 2008

See what was in this issue of Real Simple.

On the Cover

• More free time: realistic ways to tame your schedule, p. 146
• Classic summer recipes, simplified, p. 154
• Casual style: upgrades for everyday looks, p. 172
• The photograph that changed one family’s life, p. 162
• Barbecue sauce, p. 135
• Outdoor tableware, p. 127
• Skin treatments, p. 79

In This Issue

Thoughts, p. 4

The Simple List, p. 8

Contributors, p. 22

Editor's Note, p. 25

Everyday Celebrations
How to throw a summer “dipping” party―with or without a pool, p. 27

Your Words
What are the top-three things on your lifelong to-do list?, p. 35

Solutions 

• New Uses for Old Things, p. 43
• The Primer: fireworks, p. 46
• Tech Decoder: high-speed Internet, p. 48
• Products of the Month, p. 50
• Ask Real Simple: an all-natural way to repel mosquitoes, p. 54

Life Lessons
Writer Erica Wagner tries to re-create one perfect childhood moment, p. 57

The Quiz
Are you overextended?, p. 62

The Motivator
Life coach Gail Blanke gives her five-prong strategy for weathering tough times, p. 139

Credits, p. 214

Reality Check
Wanted: an impersonal trainer, p. 218

Real Simple To Go, p. 220

The Guide

Style

• Eight ways to mix the season’s brights, p. 67

Beauty 

• Fixing skin flaws: what works, what doesn’t, p. 79

Body 

• A dental-health Q. and A., p. 89

Home 

• Three quick bathroom upgrades, p. 101

Life 

• From serving wine to taking a bath: the best temperatures for everything, p. 109

Moneywise 

• Save on dry cleaning and 411 calls. Plus, one woman’s money diary, p. 117

Road Tests

• Outdoor tableware, p. 127
• Shaving products, p. 131
• Barbecue sauces, p. 135

Features

• A three-step plan for more free time, p. 146
• Easy takes on regional dishes, p. 154
• The portrait that helped a family survive a father’s deployment, p. 162
• Fresh ways to arrange flowers, p. 166
• Five women escape fashion ruts, p. 172

Cooking

• Fake It, Don't Make It: Easy Ice Cream Cake, p. 185
• What’s in Season: summer produce, p. 189
• Five Easy Dinners, p. 199
• Shopping List/Recipe Index, p. 211