Nina Willdorf’s recently published City Chic: An Urban Girl’s Guide to Livin’ Large on Less (Sourcebooks) is more than a manual on metropolitan money management. Drawing from years of surviving stylishly on lean salaries, the former Phoenix staff writer (see " Pick of the Week, " in 8 Days a Week) shows up-and-coming twentysomething women how to live within their means without sacrificing style or satisfaction. City Chic combines who-woulda-thunk-it tips like storing dairy products upside down to keep them fresher longer and the ins and outs of dumpster diving with practical advice on fashion, food, and fitness. Throughout City Chic, Willdorf emphasizes the power of asking for what you want and not letting a tight budget prevent you from living the life you want to lead.

The 26-year-old Willdorf geared City Chic toward " women in their 20s — graduate students, artists, musicians, women in the media, in publishing, marketing, PR — people who appreciate a good haircut, great shoes, a good bottle of wine, people who are aesthetically inclined but also sort of poor, " she explains over the phone from her East Village apartment. And Willdorf writes from experience. Having lived in San Francisco, Washington, DC, Boston, and now New York on meager media paychecks, she understands what it is to live with urban expenses. Despite " horrific " salaries, Willdorf " refused to say my life will suck. " Over the last few years, " I kept taking pay cuts to get better jobs, and all along people would say to me, ‘Great shirt’ or ‘I love your haircut,’ and I’d say, ‘Yeah, it only cost this much,’ " she says. " It’s cheap bragging rights. I’m not necessarily an expert, but I am a good researcher, and I figured this could be a good resource for people. "

City Chic got its start while Willdorf was still living in Boston. She maintained a strict nine-to-five schedule while working at the Phoenix, and worked on City Chic in the evenings from 6 to 10 p.m. " I’d crack open some wine, loosen up, and spit it out, " she says. As a result, many of the book’s anecdotes come from her experiences here. In a chapter on curbside shopping, for example, she writes, " Sharon, an urban planner in Somerville, Massachusetts, was recently at a barbecue at a friend’s apartment in Cambridge. She noticed hordes of U-Hauls blocking the streets and students packing them up. The light bulb sparkled on top of her head. Score! She thought, Harvard students are leaving — and leaving lots of stuff. " The advice in City Chic applies to many city settings, but when asked about Boston-specific tips, Willdorf refers to the " proportionally high amount of things you can find on the street, " especially in late May when college kids need to ditch their futons. She mentions antique stores in Allston and how " you don’t have to be some intrepid negotiator " to do a little bargaining. " Boston’s an easy city to live really well on a low budget, " she says, especially as compared to life in New York.

The Big Apple has left Willdorf feeling like there are fewer hours in the day than in cities like Boston. " In Boston, it’s possible to live a more peaceful life. It’s more of a challenge in New York, " she says. And she talks of small-fish-in-a-big-pond syndrome: " However special you may feel in Boston, in New York you’re just a cog. It’s a city of strivers. Everyone wants to be famous and fabulous, skinny, rich. " One of the biggest challenges of New York living, according to Willdorf, is knowing when to stop. " There are endless things to do. Sometimes I just have to put myself to bed. "

So what’s an average weekend like for this city chick? " You caught me in one, " she says. In the throes of planning her August wedding, Willdorf talks of how she spends her time and saves her money: " I’m on a really tight budget; I’m on unemployment, actually, and I have to carefully weigh any plans. " Instead of going out to dinner with friends, which can wind up an " astoundingly expensive affair, " as she writes in City Chic, Willdorf opts to meet her friends for drinks or a show, or cooks for them at home.

Being bold and a little creative is the " embodiment of what to do to make it, " says Willdorf. And she reminds us that we have more negotiating power than we think. " These are tough times for everyone, " she says. " And it’s so helpful to communicate with people, " from asking bakeries when the bagels get discounted to haggling over thrift-store price tags to inquiring when a belt beyond your budget will go on sale at your favorite boutique. " We’re all feeling equally crappy about money, " she adds. " Everyone’s feeling strained no matter how much or how little they’re earning. The key is making the most out of whatever you have. "

And Willdorf practices what she preaches. City Chic is peppered with quotes and anecdotes from a number of women, one of whom is New Yorker staff writer and former Phoenix contributor Susan Orlean. " I just sent her a blind letter, " says Willdorf, " telling her that I loved her work. " She told Orlean about City Chic and asked if she might be willing to talk with her. Orlean agreed enthusiastically, and when Willdorf moved to New York, they spent an afternoon together at Orlean’s apartment. " It’s just a matter of asking, " says Willdorf. " From furniture to jobs to meeting people — there’s a sense of risk, of will-they-say-yes. And it’s surprising how often they do. "

Willdorf discusses City Chic: An Urban Girl’s Guide to Livin’ Large on Less on Saturday, June 14 at 2 p.m., at Italian Design, 81 Boylston Street, in Brookline. It’s free, with tasty nibbles supplied gratis by Max Ultimate caterers; call (617) 731-4222.