Customer Reviews

Where's Mom Now That I Need Her: Surviving Away from Home

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The worst thing I can say about this book is the title. They completely missed their market when they titled this book "Where's Mom when I need her". While marketing to a college student may seem smart it is only a small piece of the market this book should have targeted. In reality this book is the most aptly targeted to the stay at home mom who is trying to live frugally and save money. Many moms out there are buying books such as "Miserly Meals" and "Tightwad Gazette" in an attempt to find ways to save money and make simple meals for their family. Also many of us did not grow up learning to bake from scratch and how to make our own mixes for things. This book is actually the best one out there for that purpose. It should have had the word Frugal in the title or Cheap/Inexpensive and it should have been marketed more for the moms than the kids. I bought this book years ago as a young mom because my mother never taught me these things. We never learned how to cook or bake or any of those things. This is absolutely hands down the only book you will ever need for saving money and learning the basics of baking, cooking. Excellent book. Editors totally dropped the ball on who to market to and probably lost the author untold dollars as a result but nevertheless the book is amazing!!!

I received this book as a graduation gift. I moved to another country and couldn't afford to call home everytime I had a question. This book became my homemaking "bible." I still use it regularly after 14 years of being on my own. I can testify the hardback is worth the investment. I, too, use this as my gift of choice for graduates and newlyweds!!

This book is absolutely amazing! It's the book I have always needed. I only wish I had gotten it when I was first on my own. I have only been "on my own" ( and married with my own house now ) for 4 years, and have learned a lot of hard lessons by experience... but this book has taught me a lot more! If I'd had it to begin with maybe I wouldn't have had to go through some of those hard lessons.

This book can never take place of a wonderful Mom, but for some people it will probably be the mother they never had. Everything in it is simple and easy, it's got tons of yummy looking easy recipes, tons of tips for EVERYTHING, and even has a section on health, like what vitamins do what for your body, and what foods you can find them in, as well as a bunch of nutrition tips.

I would DEFINATELY reccomend this book for anyone just starting out on their own, and even those who have been on their own for a long time, because there's so much information in this book that even the veteran "on-their-own'ers" could learn a thing or two!

This book is now my gift of choice for high school graduations. It is comprehensive yet simple, practical yet interesting. I have been a homemaker for 25 years and still learned new things from this book. We now use several of the recipes regularly, especially the Orange Banana Sauce for pancakes and the Dump Cake. The hardback version with the vinyl cover and the pockets is well worth the extra cost in convenience, cleanliness, and longevity.

This book is a pretty good primer for the new housewife, in that the recipes are generally small and there is lots of other useful information regarding nutrition and household maintenence and laundry. They even include water-purification methods and how to make your own Windex. My complaint is with the recipes, and they make up the bulk of the content of this book. While very diverse, the recipes are very sparsely worded. They generally go something like "put the first five ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth. Then add the next two incredients and make a dough. Then spread the dough into a baking dish and cook at 450 until done." For a novice cook, this can be a little bit distressing. Some of the recipes are also very salty. Aside from the problem of the recipes, the book is a worthwhile investment. I would recommend it more as a "guidebook to life" than as a cookbook.

A classic, but be aware it was written before the invention of the microwave or cholestoral.

I got this book when I left home several years ago and it was invaluable. My brother just graduated high school and is preparing to go to college, and this was one of his gifts. Particularly for many boys who may not have learned much about basic cooking, laundry, stain removal...It's a must-have!

I got this book for my birthday and was surprised to find myself reading it and actually finding it interesting. There are a lot of really helpful hints and good ideas for general house keeping and, of course, cooking.
My mother looked through it and then found herself taking notes- even she was impressed with some of the ideas.
It's certainly going on a gift list for my younger cousins who will soon be needing the same thing.
My only complaint is the recipe section. I've never cooked anything more than macaroni and cheese, and the recipes, while simple, don't actually explain all that they need to. For example, I made potatoe soup for my family a few days ago. It didn't say to peel the potatoes, and while it does suggest seasoning with salt and pepper, it would have been nice to know what other spices go well with it. (Chili pepper does not, as I found out just a little bit too late.)
Fortunately, it didn't taste too bad with the skins still on the potatoes, and most of the spices I found worked well in it, and we were able to ignore the chili pepper flavor and it turned out well.
So, in summary- great book as far as hints and tips go, but don't count on the recipes if you're a cooking dummy. :)

I was given this book as a graduation gift from my parents, ten years on I still find this book incredibly useful. I would recommend it to anyone who is becoming increasingly independant but still feels the need to call their mom at strange hours in the morning. A real must!

This book has provided me with many affordable, simple, and crowd-pleasing recipies as I learn to cook for my new husband and weekly for a group of fourteen! The medical tips, cleaning information, and measurement guides have saved me a fortune in calls home to mom! This is a wonderful gift for any new bride, with room to add your own favorite recipies in a number of categories.