If you could save $10,000 a year on food without cutting coupons would you be interested?  I had the privilege of receiving Tawra Kellam and Jill Cooper’s newest edition, November 2011, of their Dining On A Dime Cookbook Eat Better, Spend Less!   The authors packed in more than 1200 great recipes and money saving tips in this cookbook.   One of the challenges they gave is to see how much you could save in one year by cutting out just one thing.  For example, by reducing the amount of meat you eat each week by 1.5 pounds you could save over $400 a year.  They cover a variety of recipes and tips in their book, here are a few:

• How It Adds Up
• Basics of Frugal Cooking
• Beverages
• Breakfast
• Breads
• Soups & Sandwiches
• Vegetables, Beans, Pasta, & Rice
• Salads, Dressings, Pickles, and Dips
• Meats & Main Dishes
• Cakes, Pies, Candy, Cookies, & Desserts
• Mixes, Gift Baskets, & Jars
• Kids
• Cleaning Cents
• Pretty for Pennies

The authors challenge you to take small steps to change your life.  Whether you start with planning your meals, organizing your home, or saving money it is the little steps over time that give you results.   Their menu planning ideas include recipes you can make for picky eaters or quick dinners for those busy days.  I like that they have sections on using up your leftovers, making your own cleaning & beauty supplies, gift baskets, and more.    They use a good mix of great information and light hearted humor.

Here are a couple of quotes / tips that made me smile:

If you want to see a cup runneth over, let a child pour his own soda.

When your house looks like a bomb hit it and company calls from a block away set your vacuum by the front door and say, “Come on in! I was just cleaning”

You have two choices for dinner. Take it or leave it.

The problem – how to get 2 pounds of chocolate home in a hot car. The solution – eat it in the parking lot.

Some of the information and recipes made me laugh out loud…..”Elephant Soup” simply hilarious!  One of my favorite non-food recipes was their “Recipe for a Happy Marriage” (loved that one).  While they may not have convince me to try “Liver and Onions” again  Tawra and Jill did a wonderful job putting together a useful and entertaining cookbook to have in your kitchen.  The best part is their recipes only require a handful of ingredients and most (if not all) of the items you will find in your kitchen pantry.

At the end of the book they have separate indexes for looking up tips, leftovers, and recipes making it easy to look up what you want.  I look forward to trying more of the recipes, tips, and seeing if these help our family save even more.   This cookbook would be a great wedding gift or birthday gift for those who are beginning to cook or a novice.  It offers practical tips, great recipes, and may even make you smile!

Please visit Dining on a Dime Cookbook’s website if you want to learn more about this book.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher.  The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”