40% Off Is the New Black: Reasons Why Less Is More »

Lisa Birnbach is a television commentator and the author of the wildly successful Official Preppy Handbook. She is a Parade magazine contributing editor and the mother of (at least) three children. Ann Hodgman has written more than 43 books, including My Babysitter Is a Vampire series and One Bite Won't Kill You. Her essays have appeared in Best American Essays and Best Food Writing. Patricia Marx, a television screenwriter for shows such as Saturday Night Live, is the author of How to Regain Your Virginity and Meet My Staff.

Patricia Marx is a former writer for Saturday Night Live whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, Time magazine, and The New York Times, among other publications. The eirst woman elected to the Harvard Lampoon, she is the author of humor books (such as How to Regain Your Virginity and You Can Never Go Wrong by Lying) and children's books (such as Now Everybody Really Hates Me and Meet My Staƒƒ). She lives in New York City and can take a baked potato out of the oven with her bare hand.

Please visit www.himherhimagain.com.

In 40% Off Is the New Black, best-selling authors Lisa Birnbach, Ann Hodgman, and Patricia Marx offer hundreds of recession-proof reasons why less is more. This funny, inspiring, and uplifting collection reminds us that most of the best things in life are still free.

Insights include:

* Hedges are prettier to look at than hedge funds.

* Manicures are probably bad for you anyway--all those fumes.

* Your pets wouldn't like you more if you were rich.

* There might still be time to teach your kids that money isn't everything.

* Seashells are amazingly beautiful for something that costs nothing.

* Buying items in bulk makes you feel like a stalwart pioneer woman.

So invest in this little piece of wisdom that is certain to do more for you than your 401(k) has lately. And, while you're bicycling to work and growing your own food, you can think about all that really matters in life--family, friends, and early-bird specials, of course.