Customer Reviews

Making it in the City: A Girl's Guide to Your Starting Life on Your Own in a Ridiculously Expensive City You Can't Afford

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Adina Kalish Neufeld's "Making It In The City," is a guide about how to survive in a big city in terms of finding an apartment, getting a job, entertainment, and others. The author concentrates on a few big cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York City and Washington DC, mostly because these are the most expensive cities to live.

What was helpful for me was that she provided some basic information about renting a apartment, what to look out for as well as contact information for utilities companies. Bear in mind that, if you're not living in those cities that the author covered, these information are basically useless for you. What was not helpful for me was that she gave too much emphasis on just starting out in general. I thought this book was suppose to concentrate on starting life in an expensive city, and NOT starting life in general. She wrote about credit cards companies, networking, job interviews and others which I felt was not necessary in this book. Those information seems too "elementary" for most people. Overall, this was an okay book... my advice is not to purchase this book but just to get it from the library and glance through it.

I just moved from Chicago to San Francisco and this book has everything in it that I've ever needed to know about both cities! I'm even questioning my move as I now know things about Chicago that I didn't know before. It's incredibly well thought-out, easy to read and the resources are great. The author leaves out nothing! She totally knows what's going on inside the head of a 20-something who doesn't have a lot of cash but wants to make a move anyway. The dream job section is so helpful! This is by far the best resource guide I've ever purchased.

having been living on my own for a number of years, i have always had tons of questions about practical stuff that no one seemed to have the right answers to, even though Everyone i knew was also always asking about the same things: how to get the best apartment deals, how to best manage money and banking, how to get health insurance if your employer doesn't give it to you, etc. this book is the first i've ever seen that gives all the RIGHT answers, and in a way that you can really understand! plus, it's actually funny and you can tell the author is really smart and knows what she's talking about. she even gives totally great advice about fun stuff, too. her section about dating is dead-on and totally hilarious. she really knows what it's like to be young (and kind of poor) in the city. i feel like this book was written specifically for me and all my friends and anyone (even guys) who is living in any big city, especially new york -- she has Us pegged!! she really understands all our problems. this generation really goes out on their own a lot, moving from place to place, far from where we grew up, and this book is the perfect thing to have on hand to make things easier. LOVE IT!!!!!

I just moved to New York and have been struggling to make ends meet while also trying to meet people and have a social life! This book gave me a ton of great ideas and resources. I would recommend it to anyone who is starting out or moving to a new city.

Just moved to NYC and was looking for an affordable place to live. The management company listings the author recommends are worth the entire book! They're totally legit, offer no-fee, no-frills real listings and got me the best deal in the heart of the city. The rest of the info is incredibly useful too, I just know that this is the best $14.95 I've ever spent. Thank you for writing this book!

The book starts off quite well outlining what to look for when apartment hunting. The author offers a sort of appendix at the end of each chapter outlining resources for some of the major cities: New York, Washington DC, Las Vegas, Chicago, Boston, and sometimes Seattle. She proceeds to go over information re: networking and job hunting. She includes sections on therapy and how to find a therapist, ideas for "dating yourself" (a very good section) and a section on dating others. The title is slightly misleading, because this book isn't just about living in a big city -- it's more about living on your own and coping with life everywhere.

Buy this book for any young person you know who's just starting out in a new city. This book was given to me by a family friend and after using it, I bought it for two of my cousins -- one who was moving to Chicago and the other to San Francisco (I just moved to NYC). All of us have found Mrs. Neufeld's tips on networking, job interviews, and apartment hunting to be very helpful. I particularly appreciate the author's humorous writing style and clear insight into being 20ish and trying to figure it all out!

I got this book from a friend for a graduation present and it has been a lifesaver. I saved so much time on apartment hunting just by bringing it with me. I also took some of the author's networking advice at a college event and wound up getting an interview. This book is solid and has a ton of really useful info for anyone graduating (or even older). There is just the right amount of info on dating and being single, but it's not clogged with it -- mostly just gives great advice, useful tips and even phone numbers and web sites of companies to contact in a bunch of big cities. I really appreciate the time that went into compiling all of this information.

This book helped me make the transition from a small town to Atlanta, GA where I've already used so many of the resources provided. It offers fantastic networking advice, ways to meet other people (and not just guys) and is totally motivating, especially when trying to start out by yourself. I find myself referring to it wherever I go! I highly recommend this book.

This book is amazing. I recommend it to ANYONE who is moving out to a city on their own. A++++++++++++++!