Customer Reviews

Frugal Indulgents: How to Cultivate Decadence When Your Age and Salary Are Under 30

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

While the sections on finding a place to live and managing your wardrobe is informative and entertaining, the section on entertainment is incredibly lacking.

The authors assume everyone has an expense account, so you can "expensploitate" various purchases. Even if we weren't in a bad economy, this is a bad idea and the best and fastest way to get fired from a job. At one point, reference is made to carrying $10,000 debt on a credit card as if that's acceptable. Excuse me, but if you're making under $30K a year, carrying $10K in credit card debt is one of the dumbest things to do (esp since they were talking about this debt while covering the fashion section).

It is only when you come to the entertainment section that you realize the authors are expecting their readers to dress and act glam all the time. For example, they include a testimonial from someone who ate rice and beans for six days a week so they could splurge on a fancy meal once a week. Why not just pack a sandwich or leftovers for lunch? Oh right, they don't really suggest you seriously learn how to cook as long as you can make soup, an unsatisfying vegetarian meal, or hors d'oeuvres for your party that begins at 10pm (who cares about neighbors??).

There is also a dearth of missing information in this book (except for the frequent flyer programs). At one point, they mention that some recent college grads can go work in places like London within six months after graduation, and they say you should look into it. BUT THEY DON'T NAME THE PROGRAM! Nor do they mention that this is a program only Canadians can participate in.

While the authors may think using drugs is trendy and acceptable, writing that snorting heroin is acceptable is utterly a grievous error of judgement. One of their questionaires deals with parties and each answer involves doing drugs, without an option to NOT. They give the impression that you will lose glam points if you don't at the very least go home and smoke a joint. I also felt the authors spent way too much time extolling the virtues of finding yourself with a drink in your hand as an evening or weekend activity. It was only when they showed options of when you are absolutely broke that they suggested going to a museum, poetry reading or some other non-liquor-based activity. Going to the theater was only an option if you were going on a date with someone richer and boring. Believe me, drinking all the time becomes boring regardless of where you do it or who you do it with.

The sections on wardrobe and housing are fairly helpful, and the authors do provide useful information on what is worth shelling out serious cash for, and what items are not worth owning. The stories they related of friends' adventures in creative living (such as the guy who continually house-sat and never paid for his own place) are interesting and provide inspiration to look beyond the obvious rental option.

Finally, this book gives no information on how to manage money. I wouldn't expect a book like this to provide lots of advice, but if you live in cheap apartments, work for a pittance and rack up $10K in credit card debt for clothes, what do they think will happen when you turn 30? This book is completely live-in-the-moment and doesn't offer any information on how to upgrade your indulgent life when you begin making more money.

This is a moderately entertaining book. But if you are really interested in a hip lifestyle book with sane and informative entertainment suggestions, read elsewhere. The useful information on clothing can be found by carefully reading magazines and the housing information can be found elsewhere.

This book is a great idea, but it ends up as more of a joke than anything you could actually use in everyday life. It's very much geared towards wanna-be socialites in very large cities who have a lot of lovers, go to endless parties, & have little or no career aspirations or long-term goals. The authors certainly know how to live with more flash than cash, but that life is a bit shallow & ethically questionable IMO (esp. the "use your company's expense account for your own fun" tips -- not only could that get you in trouble, but how many people under 30 even *have* an expense account?). The book is an enjoyable read, breezy & funny, but don't expect much in the way of usable advice.

I bought this book on Amazon, used, and am glad I didn't pay full price. While it had some funny points (I especially liked the glossary of terms, particularly 'Salvation Armani') I was hoping for more useful advice, not simply "save money on furniture by inheriting items from your parents." It's also a 'read once, file away the knowledge and pass on the book' type of read, and a quick one at that.

This is the perfect book for any young, single person just starting out on their own. Much of it is probably better left to the bolder among us, but it still makes for great reading, regardless of how much of its advice you actually end up using. It *is* filled with much practical advice and, more importantly, fantastic wit.

I have to agree with another reviewer that the authors *do* seem a little depedent on expense accounts which might not be an option for much of their readership (in fact, for practically no one in my personal sphere). I thought, too, that they were, at times, a little gender-biased and I often had a hard time trying to find the male gender equivalent to their suggestions. Similarly, some might find it difficult to use the advice in the book while not living in major cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.

You should still find a wealth of useful tips for day-to-day living here and if you have any ability at all of taking what's left and translating it into your own life, you'l find it well worth the effort. If you don't, buy it anyway, and enjoy it simply for its fantastic wit and a glimpse at the delightful (and, sometimes, delightfully seedy) lives of the young urban and glamorous.

This book was generally on target: it captures the perspective of a poor 20-something craving style and luxury. It has some witty comments as well as a couple of interesting hints for this decadent group of people. However, while the first pages were interesting, I found the book ran out of steam quickly. Dopey quizzes and contrived anecdotes comprise the bulk of the book, and though it tries to pose as a manual for all stylish college grads, it is geared primarily towards females.

This book was awful and not useful at all. I had assumed that it would be a "how-to" book on creative ways to save money, but live better. It only told stories of the authors' friends' selfish ways to trick people into helping them.

Little did I know what a pleasure I was in for when I sat down to read this book. Even if, God forbid, you get absolutely no helpful hints from this book, you will at least have dozens of laughs. I highly recommend sipping your favorite cocktail as you read this campy, yet practical guide to getting the most out of life when your finances are not quite in the shape you'd like them to be. I think it is absolutely wonderful that the authors have taken into consideration the true state of life for someone in their 20's in today's society (i.e. living arrangements for gays and lesbians, budgeting money for recreational drugs - not that the book condones drug use, mind you) The glossary is an absolute riot - check out "bouviessence". The truly remarkable thing about "Frugal Indulgents" is that these tips and helpful hints are actually possible to implement and not just merely intangible theories. If you don't find this book an absolutely charming delight, then there is definitely something terribly wrong with you!

This book should be required reading for recent college graduates, and anyone with champagne tastes on a water budget. The voice is fabulous, funny, wry, witty, and thoroughly engaging. Some of the examples were enough to make me laugh out loud, but what's best about this read is that it's practical, too. There's real advice here on how to live the high life on a low income. I bought this book for all my friends who are graduating college, or struggling though the early years in the big city. It really made me feel better about being broke, and helped in transitioning to a grown-up life with style. Read this book, follow the author's sharp, smart advice, and live swankily ever after.

If there were a nobel prize for lifestyle excellence (there isn't one right?) one could easily imagine Kera Bolonik and Jennifer Griffin sharing this prestigous (though imaginary) honor. Their work spells out the best (and sometimes only) ways to cut a glamorously rakish swath (not unlike myself) through life without an excess of cash- This book is refreshing to say the least-With all of the rampant materialism in our culture it is nice to see a celebration of restraint and smarts with regard to everyday life- mr

Makes you laugh out loud while it teaches how to cultivate decadence and glamour with limited financial means!

From cunning lingo to bargain-shopping and apartment-hunting tricks, Bolonik & Griffin serve up hilarious, high-flying tales of savvy urban living.

How to: Turn every dollar you spend into free travel, vacation for free, live more on less money.

Profiled, with full-page author photograph, in _Time Out New York_ cover story on "Cheap Tricks," July 3-10, 1997.

The August 1997 _Cosmopolitan_ has three pages of Frugal Indulgent advice and a quiz on how skilled you are at living beyond your means.

At $12.95, this book is the best entertainment or gift value you'll ever find....

EXPENSE THIS BOOK!