Book excerpt: The Thrift Book is a guide to how to live well while spending less by bestselling writer India Knight. Feeling poor because of the credit crunch? Feeling guilty because of global warming? Feeling like you'd like to tighten your belt, but aren't ready to embrace DIY macramé handbags? No need to panic. Put down the economy mince and buy this book instead - it's a blueprint for living beautifully, while saving money and easing your conscience. India Knight will show you: - How to make wonderful dinners with every little money - How to dress on a budget and still look fabulous - How to make friends and start sharing with your neighbours - How to holiday imaginatively - with barely a carbon footprint Try it - you have nothing to lose but your overdraft. 'A blueprint for living well, however broke you are, with thrifty tips on looking fab, cooking, pampering and partying' Cosmopolitan 'The Thrift Book might be the only sure-fire investment out there' Harper's Bazaar 'A triumphant treat and a useful and sensible manual' Independent India Knight is the author of four novels: My Life on a Plate, Don't You Want Me, Comfort and Joy and Mutton. Her non-fiction books include The Shops, the bestselling diet book Neris and India's Idiot-Proof Diet, the accompanying bestselling cookbook Neris and India's Idiot-Proof Diet Cookbook and The Thrift Book. India is a columnist for the Sunday Times and lives in London with her three children.Follow India on Twitter @indiaknight or on her blog at http://indiaknight.tumblr.com.