I used to read a lot of books from the back of our library (that is where they have the non-fiction book at our library) going through sections on parenting, couponing and living a more green life. I have some favorites that I enjoyed through my reading. There are a lot of others out there that aren't in the library so I hope to read them sometime but it goes against my frugal nature to buy a book that I am going to read quickly and not pick up again so I haven't purchased them.
When I started thinking about the books, I decided that I break my frugal books into a few different categories. There are so many books to read on the subject depending on how you are interested in saving money: Cooking, General Frugal Tips, Reducing Usage or Being Green and Kids. A lot of people maybe interested in one topic and not the other.
My favorite books to read are cookbooks which I know puts me in a small group of people because most people use cookbooks for reference material. If you haven't read a cookbook yet, try one of these first. I think that recipes are wonderful but when a cookbook has more information about the author and their life, it is almost like an autobiography. These cookbooks have lots of great recipes and provide some great information on how to cut back grocery spending or cook less expensively. The best part about spending money is that your families won't even know because they are eating yummy meals at home (instead of in restaurants or getting take out).
Click on the title to see my original thoughts on the books when I read them. I know that I am going to read a few other books this summer on my frugal list so please give me your recommendations too!
Miserly Meals is great for easy recipes like biscuit mix and other basic recipes that can be done with stuff around the house. It is a super cheap to make the recipes in her book and they are simple and tasty. Love her biscuit mix. I picked out 53 recipes that I liked so I bought this at the used book sale at the library (might have even been the copy I read at the library).
Once A Month Cooking is a great book to start figuring out for to do once a month cooking or at least a little freezer cooking. We are picky eaters so I don't always love all of the recipes that she makes but there are a bunch in this book that made it worth buying at the used book sale so it is now part of my collection but it gives lots of good tips on how to make the meals your family likes and what freezes well.
Everything Meals on a Budget has some great recipes that are cheap to make. There were a lot of basic and good recipes that appealed to me. I picked out 63 recipes that I would make and wrote my list of those recipes so feel free to check out the post and see more details. I haven't bought this book but I probably would if I found it cheap!
The Cooks Country TV Show Cookbook is a great cookbook with lots of great recipes. They aren't necessarily all frugal but there are some recipes that you can make that are great and you can make less expensive. I love the show on PBS and I love all of the America's Test Kitchen recipes but this book has a lot of different kinds in it and a great value for under $25. I got it at the library and my husband actually bought it for me (isn't he thoughtful).
Pioneer Woman Cooks and all of her other recipes are great. I have tried a few of her recipes which most can be found on her website but if you want to sit down and read a cook book, this is entertaining and there are great recipes.
Make the Bread, Buy the Butter is my favorite corn bread recipe. The rest of the book has great stories and information about cooking things from scratch and which is cheaper. It is great to see how she breaks down each item and whether it is cheaper to make at home or buy at the store because that is something that I am always thinking about to make the most frugal choice.
Homemade Pantry talks about healthy eat and has some good recipes but the information around the recipes was even better then the recipes themselves. It may inspire you to make your own cheese but I wasn't so inspired but I did love the stories and the idea that it was possible. I didn't want to make all the recipes but I loved the stories that went with them and they inspired to garden and can.
Family Feasts for $75 A Week is a book about feeding your family for a set budget. It gives lots of recipes gives great cost effective recipes that range so that you aren't always eating the same kind of food. It gives a lot of information about shopping and saving money at the beginning followed by lots of recipes. Some of the recipes weren't simple enough for my family but there were a bunch that were.
$5 Dollar Dinner and $5 Breakfast and Lunch Cookbooks were both so good that I asked for them for Christmas. I love the recipes in them and how they were organized. There was the cost of each item estimated on the side of each item even though I could get most of the items for cheaper. My only compliant is that it gives you all of the items in the meal so instead of just saying here is a chicken dinner, it tells you to serve with green beans and mashed potatoes. I guess it makes it easier for people to see how you can get the whole dinner for the amount that she is promising but I don't need any help with how to set up a meal.
Have you read any of these wonderful cookbooks or do you use any already in your kitchen? What are some of your favorite recipes? Do you think cookbooks could help you save money?
Thank you thank you thank you! Going through these now and adding them to my library list! :)
ReplyDeleteHope you find some that are good for you! Even if there aren't recipes you like, there are some really good information about shopping and couponing which is pretty neat!
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