Better Homes and Gardens (1-year)

Taking the October 2003 edition as an example, Fall colors and produce are the theme. It has some ideas on how to display gourds, and an article on a community pumpkin patch, from the June planting by 140 neighbors and friends in a 6000 square ft. area, to harvest time.
There are numerous articles on remodeling, "Foolproof Potted Plants", on the joys of having hardy succulents in your home, and a lovely piece with lots of photographs on actor Peter Strauss' gorgeous Ojai, California garden.
The best article of all, is "The Magic of Soup", and some of these recipes are so good they might end up in your family for generations. They are simple to prepare, with easy to find ingredients, and will make a healthy, hearty meal for those frosty days ahead. Also included with the recipes is the preparation and cooking time, and nutritional statistics.
As someone who writes a lot of notes and cards, I appreciate the final page which is about letter writing, and how this vanishing form of communicating is good for the soul.
All things considered, this magazine gives good value, and is meant for those of us who do not live in a mansion or have hours to devote to a single recipe.


Hello...   January 9, 2004
9 out of 21 found this review helpful

For those of you that complain about advertisments in magazines, what are you whining about? How do you think
magazines get a nice chunk of their funding? They have companies pay to have their products advertised in the mag.
so shut up.

On a happier note, I love this magazine. It has wonderfuly lovely ideas for make your house look beautiful though some of the ideas do seem a little pricey.


Wish I'd never spent the money   July 7, 2003
R. Cesarz (Philly suburbs, United States)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I subscribed to BHG from their website and ended up subscribing to an additional year. The articles are helpful to a degree but the layout of this magazine, with its overwhelming amount of advertising, takes away from any good points. I've found the style to be choppy and very difficult to read because of the ads. It's hard to tell how long an article is or where it starts. I rarely find anything I'd want to save. Overall a disappointment.


Essential for Decorating Tips!   December 30, 2001
Rebecca Johnson (Washington State)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful

If you are looking for ideas for that next decorating project, more than likely you can find at least one article each month to inspire you. With a focus on friends and family, gardening, interior design, building, family matters, flood, good health and shopping, you can't go wrong!

I like the "Yours for the Asking" section where you can send away a postcard for more information instead of contacting each company.

For mom's, the "kids project" section will be amusing and your kids will love the ideas.

The cartoons are also cute and I had to laugh at the one that said: "Of course I love you. Didn't you get my fax?"

Something about the pictures in this magazine always remind me of a bright sunny day. The open kitchens and lush gardens are just a treat to see.

The recipe section really has a personality all of its own. The "Petite Caramel Apple" recipe they had in the September 2001 issue was so adorable!

I look forward to every issue!

~The Rebecca Review


not as good as grandma's   May 20, 2002
D. Mc Dougal (Cumbria, England)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I remember looking at this magazine when my grandmother subscribed to it many years ago. It was really interesting and high quality. Although the content is still fairly good, the magazine is now very thin, and includes much less information that is worth reading. I also noticed that over the course of my two year subscription, the physical quality was also quickly slipping. The color layers didn't match up, so that some of the pages were not readable. Some of the pages were cut improperly so that parts of articles were missing. This occured several times through the year. I still think that it is a good magazine to buy from the magazine rack if the issue looks interesting that month, but I won't spend my money on another subscription this year.