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Hi, I'm Ellen.
I started Cheap Cooking during a dot.com bust in 2002 I think. In my day job, I freelance for high tech companies and a lot of people I knew were out of work and had to cut back on expenses, many for the first time. I needed to learn how to code a web site to expand my skills so I decided to built this site to provide information and resources for people needing—or wanting—to cut back on their expenses.
When I needed to cut back on expenses the first time (after I quit my job to stay home with my new baby (way back when, she's now an adult!), I scoured used bookstores and garage sales and libraries for information. I want to share what I learned (and still use). There have been boom and bust cycles in my life since I stayed home with my firstborn. Sometimes I eat out a bit more often or feel free to experiment with some unusual ingredients from a new cuisine, but I'm always very conscious of what I'm spending.
Disclosure: I sell advertising on this site (Email me today if you're interested in advertising--but I don't sell text links so don't ask). I also participate in some affiliate programs. That means if you buy something by following a link on this site, I sometimes make a small commission. When I write product and cookbook reviews, I have sometimes been given the product or book to review and sometimes I review something I have purchased. In the reviews, I say whether I was given the item to review but I do my best not to let that influence my opinions. I tend to just not post negative reviews, so you don't see the books or products I've been given that I dislike and I donate those items to the library or a local charity since others may appreciate them. In fact, I donate some of the cookbooks I do like as well because I only have space for so many!
By day, I'm a freelance web copywriter. These days I'm doing more high tech web content writing than anything else with a focus on natural search engine optimization and persuasive online copywriting. I have a few other smaller blogs and sites gardening, cooking for single parents, making your own cleaners and urban-homesteading.
I was a contributor to Digital Dish, The Freshest Writing and Recipes from Food Blogs Around the World.
I'd love to hear your comments about the web site so email me me if you have a chance and tell me what you liked, what you didn't, and what you want that you didn't find.
Press
The Herald-Mail from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia
A bit of local press for me, the web site, and Digital Dish from the Pleasanton Weekly.
Sunset: Fall favorites: recipes from our readers
USA Today's Hot Sites, June 10, 2005
University of Cincinnati's The News Record April 27, 2005
Miscellaneous