The Hip Girl's Handbook: For Home, Car, & Money Stuff [Paperback]

Jennifer Musselman (Author), Patricia DeGregori (Author), Patty Degregori (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2002

This entertaining how-to covers household, automotive, and financial challenges. From firing up the barbecue grill and changing flats to unclogging drains and managing credit, this book gives the right advice the right way — with patience, humor, and simplicity. With hip tips, easy-to-follow instructions, and playful anecdotes, The Hip Girl’s Handbook for Home, Car, and Money Stuff shows young women they can easily manage life on their own.

Product Details

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: Wildcat Canyon Press (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885171676
• ISBN-13: 978-1885171672
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #940,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book I've ever purchased three copies of., September 29, 2003

By 

J. Frank (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hip Girl's Handbook: For Home, Car, & Money Stuff (Paperback)

To a girl on her own for the first time, every small catastrophe is a threat to her burgeoning independence, even to her sense of identity and self. Corny as the title (and cover, fonts, and optimistic writing) may be, "The Hip Girl's Handbook for Home, Car, & Money Stuff" is a godsend and lifesaver. As a perpetually frazzled young woman who has been on her own for a couple years now, I can sincerely tell you that every new, horrifying experience in maintenance has been its own trauma worth calling the police department or landlord over (like the time I smelled gas, frantically called the fire department, and they laughed as they relit the pilot on my stove, for instance). But Jen Musselman and Patty DeGregori take the horror out of the inevitable, giving young women the power and knowledge to take on each catastrophe with a clear head.

The book is arranged just as the title implies: the 'home' section talks about picking out a home, navigating the breaker box, and unclogging pipes--things no girl should have to turn to a repairman or neighbor for. The 'car' section lends comprehensive advice as to the maintenance and repair of every gal's automobile, as well as how to recover control of the car in times of enormous distress (and the section delegated to Road Tripping alone nearly one-ups Cameron Tuttle?s "Bad Girl's Guide to the Open Road"). And lastly, the 'money' section pares down managing a checking account, as well as combating identity theft, into equally understandable, dare I say manageable, scenarios.

Not two days after I'd purchased my own copy of the book, I bought one for my best friend; do the same for the gals in your life. This is the one book every girl should keep front-and-center. The information jam-packed into this smiley little reference book is outright empowering: knowing how to take on every circumstance, no matter how wee or how devastatingly harrowing, gives a young woman both the confidence to take matters into her own hands, and consequently the blessing of new independence.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have!!!!, December 16, 2002

By 

"turkmi" (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hip Girl's Handbook: For Home, Car, & Money Stuff (Paperback)

This book is fantastic! I am sending it for Christmas or birthday gifts to all of my married and single friends. It is so practical - especially the car tips - but also just a great book to read. There is definitely no book like this. Most helpful books are boring "how to" books - but not The Hip Girl's Handbook. These authors were able to include helpful information in a clever way so that this book is witty and fun to read. It also has an easy layout so I can reference what it is I am looking for pretty quickly.

I just wish I had this book years ago when I was first on my own away at college. I would highly recommend this book for any woman (or even young woman) who is, or wants to be, independent!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Purchase, February 26, 2003

By 

Christie Asselin (Salem, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hip Girl's Handbook: For Home, Car, & Money Stuff (Paperback)

This is a great buy for anyone out on their own for the first time, or for those of us who couldn't quite get it right the first time! Since reading it, I can now boast some stellar Hip Girl tire changing skills. And, just about the only thing clean in my apartment are the pipes which I now routinely tend to because of this book. My plumber boyfriend couldn't be more proud!