Help with frugal cooking book

[lauseng]

Hi!

I'm trying to write a book on frugal cooking. I'm trying to make it more of a how-to with recipes to back it up instead of just a cookbook. But I'd like to hear what others would like to see in a budget cooking book. I'm having some trouble organizing my notes. Maybe some of you can help me.

What questions do you find yourself asking when trying to lower your grocery bill? Is the problem shopping, cooking, recipes, or finding a family that will eat what you cook?

What do you feel other books are lacking?

How much time would you be willing to spend to lower your grocery bill?

Thanks a lot for your help.

Jackie


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[cata5]

My main question is always "What can I make that is a good value?" I want something that has basic inexpensive ingredients that will fill my family up so that they don't need the snacks in between. And of course, it should be healthy and tasty.

I like to learn how to incorporate veggies into a meal also. We never seem to get enough. That, of course, means using those fresh veggies that are in season and cheaper. That could be an angle that many people don't think about. I personally cook around what I buy on sale/in season... so any info on that and recipes to match would be great! Maybe a calendar and recipes to coincide with the in season produce..

I like one pot meals or soups, but I hate following recipes so I don't have a good range. Cooking is not that hard, but I like to cook off the top of my head and I don't think I know how to do that as well as I would want to. Some people can get a recipe and make it and it is perfect, but when it comes to cleaning out the fridge or making something with what you have when you don't have anything that "matches" -they can't do it. Any ideas on that would be great! We want to use all those bits of leftovers, right?

Also, I think we get in a rut of preparing the same things the same ways. Any ideas for changing our minds about the way we prepare would be good. I could go through cookbooks all day and "research" this myself, but it would be so much easier to have the connections all together.

Tips for using herbs and spices instead of prepackaged flavoring.

Shopping is not a problem for me , but I think the more convenience foods that are out there the harder it is for people to "find" the basic ingredients and buy what is right...and in the budget.

My family is bigger than most and there are few things we all like. I like to make one meal, but hopefully have something within the meal that all like even if some don't like parts of the meal.

I have found valuable info on the net from people who live and cook frugally. Some things I may not choose to do (yet) like make my own bread, but I have changed many of our habits from these tips. I'm looking forward to your book! I know I didn't answer all the questions, but I may come back after I have thought about it for awhile.


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[lauseng]

You didn't have to answer ALL my questions. They were just ideas of the types of things I'm looking for. You did WAY more than that and you have some terrific ideas. I especially like the in-season calendar idea. That by itself would make a great ebook or pamphlet, don't you think?

I've been playing with this book for awhile. It's very time-consuming since there's so much research and recipe-testing involved. Plus I'm a perfectionist and want the book to be its absolute best. So I'm guessing it will be another year or two before I'm ready to let it go. I haven't had much time recently to work on it with our weird schedules, but when the baby is born I will be cutting back and plan to use nap times to try new recipes and do research. (Wishful thinking, huh? lol)

Thanks a bunch cata!

Jackie

[cata5]

I guess I was thinking of the calendar because when a veggie or fruit drops in price during the peak season I like to eat a lot of it. By the time the price starts to go up again I feel like I'm ready to move on to the next item! lol My kids get confused though. We were buying strawberries like crazy for awhile and then we started tapering off as the season ended. Ds wants to buy them now, but my money is better spent on something else. I really should freeze more of these items to enjoy them later on. Freezing/canning would be another aspect for saving money and having items on hand. Do you know much about that?? I have to say that not having good fruits and veggies year round is a big drawback of living in Minnesota.(besides the cold and snow)

You can always email me if you have some specific questions!


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[cata5]

Don't forget OAMC to save money and time...Or some variation like simply doubling a recipe for future use.

[lauseng]

Yep, I do all that...at least in moderation. And living in South Dakota now has been a real eye-opener for me to. I can't believe how cold it is already! The good news is that we're surrounded by farmers and large-scale gardeners. So even though we have absolutely no yard to speak of ourselves, we get fresh veggies most of the summer.

Thanks again,
Jackie


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