These are the books I had ordered for March as I wanted some new reading material and to get back in the mindset of the frugal lifestyle.
The Complete Tightwad Gazette I have owned before, and have read through several times so this was just replacing my old one. A wonderful book I have used over the years as my frugal bible chocked full of ideas from readers and the author on finding uses and ways to cut back on almost anything!
I am extremely DELIGHTED with the Homemade Pantry, Make a Mix and Quick Fix Healthy Mix books!
Want to make your own peanut butter cups, marshmallows, fig bars or Twinkies? How about cheese crackers, wheat crackers or graham crackers? Maybe you would like to make your own Hummus, Mayonnaise, or dressings? How about toaster pastries?
Then the Homemade Pantry 101 Foods you can stop buying and start making, is the book for you!
Make a Mix has over 300 recipes and gives you master mixes followed by a variety of recipes you can use the master mixes in. The master mixes can be stored in Mason Jars which can be used to help store up a pantry, or decorated with pretty cloth on top as gifts. For me I plan on adding a label saying what needs to be added to the mix when cooking to make easy meals my family can make on days I am not up to cooking!
Quick Fix Health Mix is also bent towards stocking a pantry and can be stored in Mason Jars or other containers if you like. This offers 225 healthy and affordable mix recipes to stock your Kitchen Pantry.
The Americas Cheapest Family- The Gets you Right on the Money one to be honest I could have done without, no new information in it that I already did not know. Would be a nice gift to someone starting out and just does not have a basic grasp of finances and spending and how to budget it all.
However I was surprised that the Cut your Grocery Bill in half did offer a few things that would organize a few things in a much more efficient manner so was well worth my time to read through.
Here's to March getting back on track!
What are you reading right now? What are your favorite books on finances or frugality?
Carrie
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting these recommendations. While I can't afford to purchase books, I was able to interlibrary loan them on-line this morning. They will be sent to my home library, and I will be emailed when they arrive. This is at no cost to me, one of the perks of my state library system!
I hate when I go to a different screen after I have written half a comment and then losing the comment.
ReplyDeleteThe Tightwad Gazette is good, but sometimes extreme. She could have taken her brand so much farther, even to something like the Good Housekeeping Institute, but she abandoned it because she wanted to do something different. That was a huge mistake. Worth several million dollars.
A lot of blogs have picked up where these books left off. My favorites: Mr Money Mustache, Get Rich Slowly - the earlier issues. (It was sold about 6 months ago), Non-Consumer Advocate1, and one of my favorites: One Good Thing by Jillee. Jillee figures out how to make products at home. Detergent, shampoo, dog shampoo, hand sanitizer, etc. She really researches everything and works hard. The other recently famous blog is by the family that lives on $14k a year. It is something like Beautiful and something. I just tried to find it when I lost my comment. Google it.
The most important thing is changing your mindset. You don't need most of what is advertised. I have recently bought the $100 start up by Chris Guillabeau. He is one of those revolutionary save money bloggers. Reserve it at your library. He also can tell you how to rack up airline miles so you can get free trips.
One pitfall that many people fall into is accumulating $$ and $$ of products in a huge stash. That in itself encourages increased consumption. Have less. You don't need a case of free body wash. You can make your own body wash with a bar of $1 soap. Glad you are feeling well enough to write a post. Ann
For basic home life frugal information, I have always loved the Tightwad Gazette. For financial inspiration, I like the Start Late, Finish Rich books by David Bach. I don't buy a lot of books, and instead use the library,unless it's a book that I want to refer to over and over. I do have the last 2 of the Tightwad Gazette books, one a gift, the other found at a yard sale. I'm still hoping to find the first one.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your reading!
I'm always on the lookout for great books to read. A few you list here could have potential. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDelete