Allison Hope Allison Hope is a writer and native New Yorker who favors humor over sadness, travel over television, and coffee over sleep. She has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Slate, Buzzfeed, NBC, Cosmo, ELLE, InStyle, and many others. About Real Simple Real Simple, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, is an award-winning, trusted online resource for smart, authentic solutions to simplify your life. We reach 11 million readers a month. Our content is written by experienced journalists and fact-checked for accuracy. Learn more about us and our editorial guidelines.