Real Simple makes life complicated
March 12, 2008
Posted by CindyW in : Rants & the Ridiculous , trackback
Spending an extended weekend with a friend’s family up in Tahoe this week. It is here that the theory that I am invincible to colds and flus got completely blown apart. Yep, I am sick, whining and grunting.
Lying on the couch, I finally got tired of watching 12 episodes of The Dog Whisperer. The only magazine I could find in their cabin was Real Simple - Life Made Easier. I thought, “oh, very cool. Simplifying lives. Right on.” Then one of the stories/solutions in the first issue I picked up shattered my image - “just ONE look”, intending to teach readers to have a “pulled together” look. Examples included: a tweed dress for $1,100 and a jacket for $1,140. In my aching state, I muttered: “sure life just got that much simpler if you throw money and buy stuff”.
Too many pairs of shoes? No problem. Buy a huge shoe organizer, with a chic style of course. Problem solved. “Best in show” pets get playing toys, traveling products , sleeping accessories, and extras, like a Nautical raincoat. I have a dog and we love her to death. But we don’t seem to need any of these THINGS. Neither do the pets.
After reading two issues, my life all of a sudden seems too simple and not advice-worthy. Otherwise why do I never need any of these “solutions” from Real Simple. Call it what it is, a shopping catalog for people with a whole lot of disposable income. To simplify your life, you must buy more things. And then the magazine offers tips on how to save money, have more time to relax, and be more organized. Phew! Seriously…
I must be very cranky. I will be back with a less grouchy attitude 
CindyW
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CindyW
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Comments»
i agree about Real Simple, and feel the same about most “green lifestyle” magazines. they are all about buying more products, and their targets are usually women. yuck.
I was a subscriber for about 3 years…and canceled when the “buy buy” message became really annoying. I don’t like to throw money at problems. I’d rather do something on my own. One of the better suggestions from Real Simple was to sew in velcro to button down shirts to avoid the cleavage peekaboo problem.
I have had much the same reaction to Real Simple, nothing about it seemed all that simple.
Agree, agree, agree. Feel better soon.
Question: who did the dog painting? I love it.
Beth
Waaa! Feel better. What a sucky time to get sick.
Anyway, I couldn’t agree more with you regarding Real Simple - it is anything but simple. To be honest, I don’t really like any magazines any more. I’ve cancelled all of my subscriptions though some people just insist on continuing to send me their magazines.
Forgot to mention that there was a great article in yesterday’s Chronicle about the “green consumer.”
Here’s the link
http://tinyurl.com/2psa3j
I totally agree. I took advantage of a “free” sample issue from them and then had to take them to task for sending me an invoice for a year’s subscription BEFORE I had even received this “free” sample. When it finally arrived, I found that it was just like most other magazines–a bunch of advertisements for things I didn’t want/need and a bunch of articles that were uninteresting and trying to sell me the same unnecessary products.
I don’t enjoy Real Simple either. And why do you need an entire mag each month to tell you how to be simple? It should be simple!