There is a nice assortment of recipes listed in this book, most of which sound really great. There is even a second that explains how to pick out foods in the grocery so as to get the most out of it, but I don't think anyone with a tight budget is going to be able to follow a lot of it. This is definitely not for the occasional cook, this is for someone who takes it seriously or finds it as a hobby. Also there were only eight pictures in the book, I would have preferred a bit more considering.