Blog Posts by Real Simple Magazine

Rather than randomly plucking items from shelves (and forgetting the things youDavid Princereally need in the process), make yourself an all-inclusive shopping list, grouped by the aisles of your grocery store. Creating the list should take just one trip to the market (and no more than 45 minutes). Better still, stored on your computer and posted on the refrigerator each week, it will be the last one you'll ever have to make.

Shopping-List Setup
1. Before you go to the supermarket, jot down your grocery list. Add to it all the items you stock your shelves with that you don't need to buy this time.
2. Take the list to the store. As you shop, write down the aisle number next to each item on the list.
3. When you get home, type up the list according to the aisle numbers. Print out several copies.
4. Stick a copy of the list on your refrigerator.

Download a Sample Shopping List

Shopping-List Upkeep
1. Superglue mini magnets (available at stationery stores) to a pen and a small stapler and keep

"Exercise is fun," says James Moriarity, M.D., president of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine. "It's a great way to interact socially, and it has tremendous health benefits." Need even more motivation? Work out with a friend -- you'll be less likely to bail. Unless you have a chronic health condition (like diabetes or heart disease), you can walk, bike, or use an elliptical cross-trainer without consulting a doctor. (See the Best Time of Day to Do Your Cardio Workout)

To stay committed, don't overreach. Start slowly, and work up to 30 to 45 minutes most days of the week. "If you can speak conversationally, you're working at the right intensity," says Cedric Bryant, Ph.D., chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise. Be sure to warm up and cool down for 5 to 10 minutes, and include strength training twice a week. Try Pilates, yoga, or resistance exercises (download illustrated guides at www.acefitness.org). If you experience extreme pain (especially

Every DayMikkel Vang

• Wipe out the sink (30 seconds).
• Wipe the toilet seat and rim (15 seconds).
• Swoosh the toilet bowl with a brush (15 seconds).
• Wipe the mirror and faucet (15 seconds).
• Squeegee the shower door (30 seconds).
• Spray the entire shower and the curtain liner with shower mist after every use (15 seconds).

Every Week

• Scrub the tub (three minutes).
• Scrub the tiles (five minutes).
• Mop the floor (two minutes).
• Wipe the switch plates, doorknobs, and doorjambs (one minute).
• Empty and wipe out the wastebasket (30 seconds).

Every Season

• Take down the shower curtain, then launder it according to the care instructions.
• Empty, weed, and clean the medicine cabinet (20 minutes).
• Perform "Shiny Sink 101" on the tub and sink.

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Mark WeissBack-of-Seat Car Organizer

Problem: Hard to believe an elephant could hide in the backseat, but your toddler's Babar book has gone missing. And come to think of it, where's Miss Monkey?

See Car Questions, Answered

Solution: The Case Logic Back Seat Organizer ($13, www.stacksandstacks.com) hangs from the back of the front seat and offers pockets and see-through mesh compartments for books and toys. Adults might use it to stash a road atlas, a camera, and an umbrella.

Trunk Organizer

Problem: Of course you're ready for an emergency, with a flashlight and jumper cables stowed in your trunk...somewhere...you swear...hang on....

Solution: The Axius Easy Access Trunk Organizer ($11, www.axius.com for stores) lets you neatly corral all the stuff that keeps your car going -- coolant, motor oil, jumper cables, ice scraper, flashlight, and cans of WD-40.

Storage for Groceries in the Car

Problem: Your trunk looked like a bowl of cereal the last time you got home from

Francesco Lagnese1 tablespoon olive oil
2 leeks (white and light green parts), sliced 1/4 inch thick and rinsed
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 medium pumpkin or 1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Kosher salt and pepper
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the pumpkin cubes and canned puree, then the broth. Simmer until the pumpkin is tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in 1 3/4 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Working in batches, ladle the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Divide among individual bowls and top with the rosemary.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING CALORIES 167(16% from fat); FAT 3g (sat 0g); CHOLESTEROL 0mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32g; SODIUM 484mg; PROTEIN 8g; FIBER 4g; SUGAR 7g

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How

Frank Heckers

Body language can almost always be interpreted in more than one way. Following are 3 gestures, with advice for reading them from a team of experts in nonverbal communication.

Rolling Eyes

It Could Mean: She's trying to be funny.

But It Might Mean: She is frustrated, doesn't like you, or doesn't respect you.

What the Experts Say: "Eye rolling is one of the nonverbal signs that is pretty much always aggressive," says executive coach Steve Watts. He recommends politely confronting the eye-roller, asking, "Do you disagree?" to get negative feelings out in the open.

Staring

It Could Mean: She's concentrating on what you're saying, or she's smitten with you.

But It Might Mean: She's being rude and aggressive.

What the Experts Say: Eye contact rarely lasts longer than three seconds before one or both people experience a powerful urge to glance away, says Givens. If the starer is making you feel uncomfortable, look away briefly to give her the hint.

Avoiding Eye Contact

Susie KushnerThe Job at Hand: Serving Wine
Ideal Temperature: White wine, 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit; red wine, 60 to 65 degrees.
Why Should You Care? The image of your mother-in-law making a face as she drinks your warm Merlot will haunt you for years to come.
No Thermometer? Try This... "Take whites out of the refrigerator up to 20 minutes before serving; put reds in about 20 minutes before serving," says Kevin Toomajian, a wine expert at Copia, a wine-education center in Napa, California. (See Instant Wine Smarts)

The Job at Hand: Filling a Vase for Cut Flowers
Ideal Temperature: Water temperature of 90 to 100 degrees.
Why Should You Care? "Warm water travels better up the stems, allowing the blooms to hydrate and develop properly," says Cecelia Heffernan, author of Flowers A to Z (Harry N. Abrams, $22.50 www.amazon.com).
No Thermometer? Try This... The water should feel like bathwater. Exceptions: spring-bulb flowers, such as tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. These prefer a cooler soak (think

John KernickSo often you hear about shortcuts gone awry -- the substituted inferior ingredient, the hasty decision, the dead end. Why is it so uncommon to hear about the shortcuts that work out? Probably because the shortcut-taker doesn't want anybody to know her secrets. It's time to let you in on them. Here, the corners you can confidently cut, shaving time off tasks without skimping on quality results.

Run Errands Quickly
"Plan the order of your stops in a clockwise direction," advises Susan Hamersky, owner of the Los Angeles-based errand company California Concierge. "That way, you avoid all the time-consuming left turns." Also, schedule your errands so you can drop things off (say, your dry cleaning and film for developing) on your way out and pick them up on your way home, says Dan McMackin, a spokesman for UPS and a former driver. Keep a cooler in your car for perishables, too. Then a stop at the market doesn't have to be immediately followed by a run home to the refrigerator, says Julie