My Secret for Saving Money on Cookbooks

It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with books – cookbooks, in particular – and buy them with the same frequency as diapers, toilet paper and earphones for my teens. (Side note: what’s up with that? Why do they get misplaced SO often?) Some people have a budget for lattes and lunches or shoes and shirts, but seeing as I eat and drink at home and forget what being fashionable even looks like, I reserve my pocket money for building up my collection of books.

There is no denying the price of cookbooks has risen quite a lot in the past few years and I dare say the average price of a new purchase is around $35. Fortunately, Amazon and Chapters regularly offer discounts, and so do stores like Costco, which is where I pick up a lot of the newest titles. I shop there once a week anyway, so it’s convenient and economical. This isn’t really the point of the post though (but maybe some of you will find it helpful!), because what I really want to focus on are the books I’ve been buying for a penny. Yes, you read that right. One cent.

Seeing as we don’t even have pennies in Canada anymore, it seems insane to think that that’s the cost of a cookbook, but thanks to Amazon’s used book section, it’s a reality, and I’ve taken advantage of the low, low, l-o-w prices quite a few times. In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that there is a shipping charge added to the cost of the book, naturally, but it’s a flat rate of $6.49 (Cdn.), which brings the total to a whopping $6.50.

Last year, I scooped up Nigella’s Christmas for this price. After flipping through the book in Chapters, I reluctantly passed on buying it when I saw it was listed for $39. I don’t mind paying that for a book I’ll flip through repeatedly, but for a seasonal cookbook the price seemed a little steep. This year I’ve purchased quite a few vintage cookbooks for this same stellar price, including Joy of Cooking’s Christmas Cookies, which was published in 1996. The list price inside the front cover is $22.95 (Cdn.), but I’m pretty sure it’s not available in stores nowadays so my penny purchase is an even better deal.

You’re not going to find these prices on new books or books that are seasonally in demand. I bought my holiday ones at the beginning of the fall, long before people were thinking about filling their freezers with cookies. Having said that, it is still worth checking out the used section when buying because you may end up with a deal anyways. Sometimes the shipping can take awhile, especially because the books are usually coming from the United States or Europe, but regardless of the country of origin the shipping price is still just $6.49 (Cdn.). 

Don't you want to go used book shopping now?

Comments

[La Torontoise]

Jan, thank you very much for sharing this insight!!
That's an eye-opener!

I was in Toronto a few weeks ago, and indeed was amazed to see the prices have been getting that high!! It felt very disappointed , all books that I liked were 30 and plus: -(( so, I did not buy anything in this trip...
But my search was rewarded through amazon.co.uk, the closest shop to where I live in Europe right now. there, the books of Jamie Oliver are around 10 UK pounds, and those of Nigela are as low as 6 pounds. I get a free delivery if I order them them in one batch. My most recent acquisitions are The Appetites of Antony Bourdain and one French best-seller (very famous in Europe), now translated in English. It's called Simplissime:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simplissime-Easiest-French-Cookbook-world/dp/0600634221/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480084796&sr=8-1&keywords=simplissime

Have a good weekend!
Greetings from another cookbook collector.

[wendy clark]

Hi Jan:
Love your blog. Are there any cookbooks you refer to more frequently than others? Would you mind sharing which ones are your favourites.
Thanks.

[Jan Scott]

Thanks, Wendy! Oh my gosh, I have SO many great cookbooks to recommend. I love anything by Lucinda Scala Quinn - she writes about real home cooking for real families. She has three books all under the Mad Hungry brand and they are all fabulous (she was the editorial director of food for Martha Stewart Living magazine). I also love anything by the Barefoot Contessa and am a huge fan of Jamie Olivers books too, in particular Comfort Food and Meals in Minutes. Jenny Rosenstrach writes great cookbooks as well. She has three books now and my favourite cookbook from 2016 is one called Small Victories. Its brilliant!!
Hope this helps. :)

[Kristen]

Thanks for the great tips. I have limited space (and many books and cookbooks) so I frequently go the library for my "fix". Mostly though, I love that you used the phrase "pocket money"!

[Jan Scott]

Haha! Thanks, Kristin. My husband makes fun of my old-fashioned sayings sometimes!

[wendy clark]

Thank you. I also am a fan of collecting cookbooks and it is great to hear what other people recommend.