Real Simple, November 2012

I usually read Real Simple for fun and recycle it the same day. This was the last issue in my subscription and I didn't renew, since I find it's the same stuff over and over -- inspirational story, stuff to cook that I'll never cook, ways to "simplify" my life by spending tons of money on things I don't need. Still, the pictures are pretty and all the advice and stories provide at least momentary inspiration. For $1-2 a month it's a small indulgence.

This month's actually had a few things I found worthwhile:

1. A lovely article about saying grace by minister Kate Braestrup: "Saying grace invites you to just be present. . . . If you are safe from danger, sheltered from the elements, and not alone, grace gives you a chance, a crucial moment in which to know it."

2. Statistic that the average American home has $7,000 worth of brand new, unused stuff! Now THAT is inspirational. It inspires me to think twice before buying anything. (I had a similar realization a few years ago when we had a yard sale, and the $35 Pottery Barn cheese dome we had received as a wedding gift and never used didn't sell at $2.)

3. Interesting guide to digestive health that focuses on the mind-body connection.

4. URL of FSAstore.com, a website that supposedly has only FSA-eligible items and accepts the FSA debit cards. But I'm a little skeptical of that site because it implies that everything on it is FSA-eligible, yet it lists all sorts of things that I know are only eligible with a prescription. By the way, Walgreens.com also accepts FSA debit cards. We have a ton of FSA money to use up since I accidentally paid all our medical expenses out of the wrong account all year.