The book lives up to its name.
A lot of times the tools needed and the jargon gets overwhelming and honestly deters me from trying out a lot of things. Especially when it comes to nature and kitchen witchery.
This book simply said, you need to have faith, everything you need is already around you/ in your home, and have fun :) how lovely! I adore the author for taking this approach.
This is a good book for a beginner, or for someone who wants to explore more on a budget.

I'd read more from this author anyday!

Thanks NetGalley and Crossed Crow Books for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

It is nice to have a book that really leaning into the fact you don't need to buy things to do witch craft. There is a real push nowadays to have all the things and it just isn't necessary.

Very informative and interesting book. I highly write recommend it. Very educational. Very enjoyable

Many Thanks to Netgalley and Crossed Crow Books along with the Author Deborah Blake for sending me this ARC for review. All opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.

Witchcraft on a Shoestring By Deborah Blake is a wonderful compendium of free and low cost thrifty ways to fill your Apothecary, witches basket or cabinet with things that you can personally craft, find in the world for free or buy at little to no cost. For the longest time we in the metaphysical world have been bombarded with shiny trinkets galore that inner magpie in all of us needing all the pretties to make magick yet Deborah Blake reminds us in this compendium of wonder that the true gift of the craft comes from within,

This handbook should be a staple on all witches bookshelves because it reminds us that we are our greatest asset in our craft but it also helps us to create tools, items and such from the world around us to gain that deepening connection to our surroundings and our craft. As an older Celtic Hedge Witch who has been crafting my tools from the natural world and gathering, growing and thrifting for my craft since I was a younger lass this guide was wonderful for injecting new ideas into my tried and true.

The abundance of ideas for crafting as well as where to get low to no cost items to have in your arsenal was a wonderful addition as well as the lovely words of encouragement and nurturing that were all throughout this book. Practicing magick through up-cycling and crafting has been a way of the Irish Witches/Pagans since inception of our craft so this little guidebook is wonderful in sharing some fantastic additions that ill be trying out and I am excited to get my hands on a physical copy to get stuck into.

The entire work was enjoyable and insightful and impactful and ill be sharing this one with my witch-lings and testing lots of the great ideas in the “50 was to practice witchcraft for little or no money.” So many fantastic ideas in there and one of my favorite sections.
Deborah has a beautiful connection to her path and that is evident through her words to her readers I felt her genuine connection and her amazing energy that was poured into this book and I am grateful to have been lucky enough to have read it.

Again many thanks for the opportunity to review this title,

Some good information but I did not like that even though the author says save money she repeatedly says buy books. Especially her books.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

I love how easy to read this book is and how it really is for anyone; there is no gatekeeping here. Being resourceful is a hallmark of the craft for me and so having a book that discusses that but also breaks down the stereotypical ideas of a long list of things you MUST have or what you MUST use for craft is refreshing.

This book was filled with so many helpful information, while keeping true to it's title: it is budget friendly.

In a world where living is expensive and social media promotes a very aestethic and idealized version, that's also really expensive, this book helps everyone trying to start small and get into the craft.

It has many ideas of projects and recipes that will help anyone, and explains it all in a easy to understand manner

Disclaimer: I received a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion

This was a great read! Starting off as a witch is difficult for many as the investment they think they need to make is quite large. In this book, it’s demonstrated that that is not the case. You can start a witchcraft practice with little to no budget. I knew some of the tips in here already, but it is a great guide for any beginners and for those of us who are intermediate as well.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley and Crossed Crow Books for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. I was very excited to be selected to pick up the tips from Deborah Blake. It can feel so overwhelming when you read the list of things others tell you that you need, or you see all that they have. It is a huge help for a beginner. I can see where some more season witches would feel some things are redundant, but we could all appreciate ways to save or substitute for a different item. Showing how you can practice magic, even when you don't have a big budget, is so important and comforting.

While I am no kitchen witch, the recipes for the Sabbats were an unexpected addition, and a wonderful touch. I haven't made anything yet, but it is nice to have such a resourceful book to include these. It can be overwhelming trying to learn all of the Sabbats and what to do.

I appreciated the light-heartedness and humor. It really shows that Deborah wants to show you how accessible this can be to everyone. The biggest tip I appreciated is suggestions on what to substitute for the elements. That is something I have struggled with, because I cannot do incense or anything like that. Using a piece of pumice was great advice! Sure, you can buy fancy candles that are already dressed with oils and herbs, but you can make those with a lot of things you already have. Also, birthday candles! When you have an ADHD brain, and you are supposed to let a candle burn all the way down, there is no way I am remembering to keep checking on a chime candle. I can wait for the birthday candle to burn out.

Could you search the internet and find some of this information, searching on multiple sites? Sure. I like having this all in one place, plus, I'm not going to get the humor to go along with it. The only think I did not like was the references to Harry Potter. I get it, but I just hate seeing it mentioned to give that author any notice. It won't stop me from getting the book, and sharing it as gifts with others. Thank you for showing that witchcraft can be accessible, fun, and affordable.

For a young witch starting out or just a penniless one, this book helps practitioners to carry out the craft without breaking the bank. Witchcraft, after all, is about the faith, not the tools.

I was once taught that anything you will need for magic will be in your own home, or gifted by nature after asking permission. Deborah Blake brings this concept in this lovely book. In her everyday friendly witch next door, she brings to light everything someone new to the practice will need to know. This is that book that you get read and put on your shelf for resources all the years after. Great ideas, fun rituals and some tasty recipes to make the holidays special.

As someone who has been on this path for sometime, I did have a hard time when it felt like we got sidetracked with ideas and not so much on how to do it at low cost. Otherwise, even I found so many things to learn from and will be finding myself looking these ideas up in the future, because one is never done making magic on a budget.

Thank you Netgalley for this copy of the book in return for my honest review.

This book is so pretty! So many great tips about how to perform Witchcraft on a budget! I read this book at ConVocation 2024 and it was so nice to meet the reps from Crossed Crow Books. They're so sweet! Can't recommend this book and anything they publish!

Years ago I read The Witch's Broom by Deborah Blake so I was elated to reach for another book by the same author.

This topic is after my own heart.

"You can be a powerful, talented, wise and warm Witch without spending a penny. And you should never feel that a lack of money is an excuse for being anything less."

The book is a cornucopia of beautiful phrases and inspiration for a beginner. The author has a delightful writing style and there are plenty of frugal tips for a new witch. I liked the inclusion of the book list and especially appreciated the recipes. My favorite suggestion was using different rocks to represent the elements (Pumice for air, Obsidian for fire, etc.)

Cute book I would definitely include if I was putting a gift together for someone starting out.

Thank you to the Author & Publisher for allowing me to read this book early in return for my honest thoughts and review.

I enjoyed this book. It has a lot of tips for witches on a budget. It also has ideas of places to start and ways to start small. There are also a lot of sources, so you can find other related books. I also love that it includes recipes for all different seasons.

Finally! A sensible low cost approach to being a witch. Candles, oils, caultrons, wands, etc... may be nice additions to the practicex, but as a hedgewitch, I know they aren't all neccessary to practicing. I know some folks will need all the objects, paraphanalia and rituals, it works for them! And that's fine and lovely! BUt as an intro to thr craft, this is a lovely no nonesense approach that won't put anyone off or intimidate them from learning about the craft. as a I especially enjoyed the craft section. Making your own magical charms, candles, even rubne stones and tarots(!), among other things, was wonderfu;! I also enjoyed the recipes for foods for various occasions. The book was well written and a joy to read. It's not vert long book, but covers the basics, so good start!

What I like most about this book is that it helps others to understand that money should not be a block in their practice of the craft. Well, I believe intention is the most powerful part of my Craft,, others really do believe that they need to use magical tool and natural resources to help them in their own practice. This is a great resource for those looking to find way to save money and practice their Craft at the same time.

(Thank you to Deborah Blake, Crossed crow books and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC copy)

This was such a fun and informative read with great resources and budget friendly advice for anyone who wants to practice witchcraft.

Whether you’re a new witch or someone who has been practicing the craft for a while, this book is a good way to help your wallet not cry in pain from all the spending you might have to do.

Not only is this book filled with a whole lot of tips and tricks on how to have a budget friendly practice but it also has delicious recipes (I have only managed to try one of them so far but it was delicious) and some diy on how to make your own crafts for altars or rituals.

And I honestly liked how this book was written, because most other books might have a too “factual” voice when it comes to the writing but this book and its writing felt more like a “normal” voice between a nice teacher and their students and as someone who just started to practice witchcraft I felt like this book was a great tool with lots of information.

So I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know if there’s some cheaper alternatives when it comes to practice witchcraft but also wants to have some fun ideas for feasts and/or rituals. And I will definitely be checking out the books mentioned in this ARC too.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

For a college student who just started learning about witchcraft and wants to start practicing, Witchcraft on a Shoestring is the perfect resource to help save money! With everything from book recommendations, and crafts, making witch's tools, and recipes. This book had so much knowledge between its pages! It was also a super quick and easy read that I see myself coming back too!


I would recommend Witchcraft on a Shoestring: Practicing the Craft Without Breaking Your Budget to any college student who wants to practice witchcraft and anyone else who needs help saving money in their practice.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of “Witchcraft on a Shoestring” in exchange for an honest review. This isn’t my typical genre but I enjoyed it. This book would be great as a paper copy to keep handy in your kitchen. You never know when you might need it!

Witchcraft on a Shoestring by Deborah Blake shows that you do not have to spend a bunch of money to practice witchcraft. This is a wonderful book/resource including what practicing magic is, and how to make the things you'll need and how to use them. It also includes other recommended books and websites to help you further your practice. There are delicious recipes for the Sabbats of the year (some are so yummy you might cook the all year). I was blown away by this all encompassing book. This is definitely a must have for your library!