Subsidized shopping

I spent my $5 Amazon gift certificate (thanks again, Jane!) today, after reading a post on Educating the Wheelers wherein Terri lists some of her favorite frugal cookbooks. I got the Dining on a Dime cookbook for $10.25 by buying it from a Marketplace Seller with my $5 certificate and A9 discount. Usually I don't order books sight unseen, preferring to check them out from the library first to see if I really want them; however, it wasn't available from my library network. At ten bucks, I figured I could risk it.

I have to admit, frugal cookbooks and websites are a bit of a personal finance fetish for me. I've been lucky in that I've never had to budget for food, so it's not out of need that I buy them. Also, my food tastes tend towards olive oil rather than bacon grease, so I usually end up modifying the recipes. Finally, I've discovered that many of these books and sites have a Christian theme; I, not being of a religious bent, ignore those bits. Frankly I have no idea why I'm drawn to these cookbooks, but isn't a major feature of a fetish the fact that it can't really be explained?

Anyway, here are my two favorites:

The Frugal Family's Kitchen Book, by Mary Weber. No religious theme, or if there is, I've missed it. The writer seems like a pleasant person, but I haven't tried many of the recipes. I agree with Terri's assessment that most of the value lies in the commentary between recipes.

Good Recipes for Hard Times, by Louise Newton. She was making polenta before it was cool. Written in 1975 and out of print, I purchased mine (after approving it via a library loan) for around $20 from an Amazon Marketplace seller. Surprisingly good recipes, but watch out for that bacon grease.

I really wanted to like the More-With-Less Cookbook, by Doris Janzen Longacre. It's usually the first one folks mention when they talk about budget cookbooks. However, the recipes just didn't appeal to me.