49 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
but not terribly practical in the real world, December 15, 2004
This review is from: City Chic: An Urban Girl's Guide to Livin' Large on Less (Paperback)
In Ms. Willdorf's magical world people don't have credit card debt, student loan payments, emergency vet bills, car problems or health issues requiring prescription drugs ... at least her handy-dandy budgeting lists never mention or account for these things. Must be nice.
While some of the hints and suggestions in this book are rather interesting, some of them were simply incorrect. For example, the author fusses about Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee costing $18/lb., to which I say "Ha." Not unless she's sleeping with the bean farmer (or, she's being ripped off with an undisclosed blend -- which is also possible). That stuff might *wholesale* for such a price, but if you're buying by the pound it's more like $50 a bag.
Also, there's a great deal of discussion on thrift store shopping and second hand acquisitions, but her estimates of furniture prices are ludicrously low. She *sounds* like someone who has been thrifting sometime within the last 20 years ... but the numbers she tosses off incline me to think otherwise.
All in all, the book was a quick, fluffy, pleasant-enough read ... but it wasn't half as informative as I hoped it would be. If you're *actually* poor, you may want to look elsewhere for your bargains. This book was written for poor women with poor friends who occasionally drop $600 on decorative pillows [an actual anecdote from the book, related as a fiscal coup].
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not for this Urban Girl, January 4, 2005
This review is from: City Chic: An Urban Girl's Guide to Livin' Large on Less (Paperback)
If you are looking for a book on how to live on a limited income, this is not your book. Nina Wildorf seems to live in a world that doesn't involve student loans, car payments, or the idea of a savings account. Her rule of thimb for budgeting is 20% of your income towards clothes. This is not fical responsibility.
And only wash your jeans every 6 months so that they don't fade? Really? Am I the only one who thinks this is odd?
On the other hand, she does have some cute ideas for decorating on the cheap--I am glad to see that someone besides me goes dumpster diving!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
All I have to say about this book is: THANK GAWD!, January 9, 2005
This review is from: City Chic: An Urban Girl's Guide to Livin' Large on Less (Paperback)
I'm just start to get into frugality and, oh hell, let's just call it common sensibility. Most books on saving money seem to be oriented to evangelical Christian moms who homeschool their kids and live on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's for sure not my life. I knew this was the book for me--and a book that really grokked Life in the Big City--when I saw that there was a whole chapter on "finding furniture on the side of the road," which is pretty much how I've furnished my whole house. Her expenses and her world (name-dropping Restoration Hardware and "Tar-jay") are very up-to-the-minute, and it's a relief! Recommended. I wish someone had given me this book when I first graduated from college.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
