Product Description

A true-life shopaholic's journey to debt and back

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #185436 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-01
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Synopsis
What would you do if you owed USD20,000? Would you: a) Not tell your parents? b) Stop colouring your hair, having pedicures and buying Gucci? c) Start your own website that asks for money without apology? If you were Karyn Bosnak, you'd do all three...In New York for the first time, with the dream job and the smart flat, Karyn starts spending...and spending. But when it all goes horribly wrong, and her credit card balance mounts in a terrifying manner, Karyn knows that she has to take control. She starts her website www savekaryn.com on which she fearlessly asks for donations to help pay off her debts. The website receives over 2 million hits and has replies from all over the world - some supportive, many abusive. But after four months, Karyn has become a new woman- debt-free, grateful and happy. This is the hilarious and touching true story of how she does it.

From the Back Cover
'I pulled out my Amex, and swipe, sign, it was mine...'

Karyn Bosnak is taking New York by storm - she's found a great job, a fantastic apartment and even a handsome man to date! It doesn't take her long to fit right in...

'Everyone commented on my great new hairstyle. The $387 was so worth it'

'Those killer Gucci shades are perfect with my hair! $240 isn't so bad...'

'My La Prairie skin care was $594 - but a girl needs to glow, right?'

Then, disaster strikes. She loses her job, and she's $20,000 in debt. The situation looks hopeless, until Karyn has a sudden inspiration - if four rich people gave her $5,000, she'd be fine; or if twenty people gave her $1,000; or if 20,000 people gave her $1... So Karyn decides she'll just ask.Can Karyn save herself and become happy and debt-free?

You're probably jealous that you didn't think of it first.

About the Author
Karyn Bosnak:
Karyn Bosnak was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. She is a daytime television producer turned Internet guru who likes (but can't afford) the finer things in life. She now resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Customer Reviews

INTERNET PANHANDLING AS A WAY TO DEBT REDUCTION...
I was surprised to find that I enjoyed this funny, quirky book, in which the author recounts how, as a woman in her late twenties with a low six figure job as a television show producer, she still managed to accumulate twenty thousand dollars worth of credit card debt in about a year's time. She did so by charging expensive personal services and designer merchandise. While I thought the author a shallow and silly sort of woman, I have to give her credit for moxie.

When the author found herself suddenly unemployed and saddled with this large debt load, she did not decide to go the bankruptcy route. Instead, she showed ingenuity by creating an interactive website whereby people could send her money to help her get out of debt, if they wished. Her website kept the public posted as to her progress in terms of her debt reduction. Her debt was reduced through donations made by the general public, her sale of her personal belongings on eBay, and whatever money she was able to pay from whatever job she could land.

The author details how, when she moved from her native Chicago to New York City, she got in debt. I found her story to be funny, although the writing is prosaic and somewhat juvenile, at times. It is also hard to believe that these were the antics of a woman in her late twenties. She showed little judgment and virtually no introspection. Still, the author managed to get rid of her debt in a matter of months and land a book and movie deal to boot. So, she is not a total ditz. If one takes this book at face value, one will enjoy this easy, breezy little read.

As for those who stand in judgment of the author and her frivolous accumulation of debt, keep in mind that she paid every last penny of her debt. She just chose a somewhat novel and imaginative way in which to do so. I suspect that those who are most irked by her success and the way in which she got rid of her debt, are those who only wish that they had thought of it first.

A Wake Up Call
Again initial disappointment of an American author but what a great read and highlights the perils of getting into debt. Well done Karyn, highly recommended read.

A wake-up call for us shopaholics....!
A fantastic account of how one girls love of shoes and all things designer ends up costing her more than the thousands she owes in credit. Karyn's witty tale of courage and her struggle to regain her dignity in the depths of dispair, makes for an amazing read.

Be prepared to become very attached to Karyn - you will be glued to every page, and you will kick yourself for not thinking of it first......!