City Chic: An Urban Girl's Guide to Livin' Large on Less

Bursting with random tidbits--e.g., bakeries often slash prices heavily right before closing; it's best to shampoo your hair every other day, not daily; blue is supposedly an appetite suppressant, thus not a great color to paint your kitchen--Willdorf's handbook for the chick-lit crowd actually contains lots of useful information. The glossy magazine vet (she's written for Glamour, Worth, Entertainment Weekly and Teen Vogue) provides a cheat sheet for 20-something women dealing with life on a budget in a big city. There are chapters on home decorating (complete with tips on seasonal curbside shopping); body care (suggesting exercises you can do anywhere); food and drink (listing cash-saving dinner options); and clothes (insisting""white tennies over tights are not an option here. Don't even think about it.""). Of course, any woman who's lived in New York for a few months already knows the drill, but Willdorf's book may appeal to newbies and those considering making a move to a more urban environment.