Cheap cookbooks and free magazines?

[JessicaP]

I recently went online to amazon and found a TON of awsome cookbooks for so very cheap, the problem was after I went to check out the total for shipping was more than double what the books themselves would of cost! I was furious, I was really getting excited to get some new cookbooks.
Does anyone know where I can get some cookbooks for cheap without having to pay an arm and a leg to ship them? I looked at our local goodwill and they didn't have any, and there are no other thrift stores in our area.

My second question is this...I was at the store looking at all the cooking magazines wondering what happens to the leftovers after they are pulled off the shelves? Does anyone know how to get their hands on these magazines for free or really, really cheap? There are so many that I would LOVE to have but I just can't see spending between $5 and $9 for a magazine.

BTW can you tell I am a bit obsessed with cooking magazines and books?

[craftypam]

me too!! There is a post in here and I just ordered my first cooking magazine. It was for food network for $5 for 1year.

[frugalwarrior2]

Estatesales.net You can sign up for the sales in your area. I hit a2 generation cookbook collector. I got about 50 vintage cookbooks for $50. or so. Also garage sales. Always ask if they have any,lots of people don't thnk to put them out. Fleas markets and church sales. 1/2 off at the end usually. Go to the For sale or trade section here and ask. Also freecycle.

[mombottoo]

You have the world's biggest cookbook right at your fingertips...the internet.

You could start asking for people to give you cookbooks as gifts. Some of mine I received as gifts, others I bought at yardsales.

[frugalwarrior2]

Internet
copycatcdkitchen.com
recipeczar
allrecipes.com
for starts

[ladytoysdream]

The best place for me to find cookbooks is at garage sales.
Last summer I went to one, that I almost did not go to. Only reason I went to it was because the ad said canning jars. It was a couple of miles from where I live...so not far. Plan was to not spend much money. I ended up with a 4 shelf cupboard for $ 10, some nice cooking pans, a apple corer on stand for 50 cents, other neat kitchen items. It was a old farm house. An estate. Well it was a good thing I own a pickup truck. She was still setting up stuff and I offered to help her put the books out. She said a quarter each for them or 5 for $ 1.00 . I ended up with
$ 25 worth of books. About 1/2 were cook books. Nice ones. All sizes. Thin paperback ones and big thick hardcover ones. I did not look through them, just started boxing the ones up I wanted. I was the early bird....I did not want competition. Put them on my open tailgate as I worked and when I got done, we totaled. She was happy to see a large number of books gone....I was glad I could take them home.

[nancycg56]

I had about 300 community cookbooks for sale at my yardsale last summer and I still have boxes of them left out in the garage. They were all priced $.25 to $1.00 for the newer ones. Not many takers around here, that's for sure.

Try ebay for cookbooks, you can sometimes get a bunch for cheap but watch out for shipping.

[ladytoysdream]

I had about 300 community cookbooks for sale at my yardsale last summer and I still have boxes of them left out in the garage. They were all priced $.25 to $1.00 for the newer ones. Not many takers around here, that's for sure.
Try ebay for cookbooks, you can sometimes get a bunch for cheap but watch out for shipping.

Your community cookbooks should do well on ebay. Make small groups of them. Like 10 to 20 per lot. Reasonable shipping by media rate.

[MaryinFL]

Bookswap, bookmooch and paperbackswap are all online sites where you trade or swap books for just the price of shipping

My son uses a similar site for his college text books

You can also post in the wanted section of craigslist or search craiglist for cookbooks.

Freecycle is a good source. I have given away and received cookbooks with freecycle.

Most of the magazine racks are not owned by the stores. They lease out the space usually to a publishing company. A rep from the company comes in and stocks the rack, comes back about a month or so later doesn inventory, restocks, etc. The store only pays for the magazines that are sold or stolen. If you can find out who the publishing company is, store employees should know, they may be able to tell you who to contact to find out what they do with the magazines.

[nancycg56]

Your community cookbooks should do well on ebay. Make small groups of them. Like 10 to 20 per lot. Reasonable shipping by media rate.

I've thought about it ~ I've sold them before but it's a pain so I think I'll end up donating them.

Thanks for the idea

[shoiji]

Many times libraries have book sales. Might be worth looking into.

Also like the website cooks illustrated. Do have to pay to have full access of the site, but you know all the recipes if followed correctly will come out great. Plus the directions are very easily explained to you.

[Josephhgoins]

I have thousands of them and although many of them came from antique stores, I also find quiet a few at Thrift Shops. Ebay is also a pretty good place for them as are some used book stores. Flea markets are pretty good as well.

Don't forget freecycle and craigslist.

[Saule]

I'm a huge fan of recipezaar.com You can join for free and save an unlimited number of recipes in a cookbook, or pay a modest amount and have multiple cookbooks. I think this is the best of the websites. I also like that people leave reviews, which gives you a good idea of whether a recipe might or might not work out for you.

I go to my library to borrow cookbooks and cooking magazines. I just don;t find enough recipes in any one of them to justify some of the prices. If my library does not carry it, I get it through interlibrary loan. One of the best values for your tax dollars!

If you are interested in new books, check out the price at amazon.com and then go over to overstock.com - I have found some major saving on overstock. The few I've recently bought were from overstock.

My Goodwill had a lot of cookbooks last weekend, including a bunch of Williams-Sonoma, so I think it's a question of timing.

[redmaples]

You don't have to buy them new, cookbooks can be found very cheap, as the others have posted, at rummage sales, yard sales & the like. It will pay off to wait!
Meanwhile, the online sites listed in previous posts are just as good as a cookbook!