Witchcraft on a Shoestring: Practicing the Craft Without Breaking Your Budget

by Deborah Blake

Practicing Witchcraft doesn't have to cost an arm, a leg, and a broomstick! From homemade tools to frugal feasts to thrifty home decoration, Deborah Blake offers economical tips and suggestions for stretching your dollar while enriching your practice. She gives clear, simple instructions for making your own magickal oils, runes, tarot cards, candles, jewelry, charms, and wands, all using inexpensive materials. Choose from over fifty ways to practice Witchcraft that cost little or no money, and try more than forty recipes for tasty sabbat dishes that cost ten dollars or less. With a sprinkling of imagination and a touch of magick, you can add to your inner wealth of spirituality. After all, the best parts of being a Witch are always free.

Genres: Witchcraft, Nonfiction, Wicca, Spirituality, Magic, Paganism, Occult

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Deborah is the author of over a dozen non-fiction books on modern witchcraft and a tarot and oracle decks from Llewellyn. Her fiction includes the Baba Yaga series, The Broken Rider series, and the Veiled Magic series, and her cozy mysteries The Catskill Pet Rescue series (mostly from Berkley) as well as a few stand-alone novels.

Deborah lives in a 130 year old farmhouse in upstate NY with multiple cats. She believes in magic, laughter, chocolate, and wine. The order may change depending on the day.

Reviews

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Witchcraft on a Shoestring is a fun and informative book for anyone who loves witchy things or wants to try their hand at magical practices (without it costing a fortune to do so!).
I loved the inspiration behind this book - that you don't need fancy tools to practice the craft; just your imagination more than anything.
This had some great tips and information, and this makes it most attainable to all. The book gives recipes and instructions for spells and for making candles, oils, runes, and charms and has over fifty methods included for making/working magic within a very low to zero cost budget. The instructions are simple and easy to follow, and I loved the fun, engaging setup and essence of the whole book.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

A practical, sensible book for practicing the Craft of the Wise. How is it wise to go many dollars into debt for your tools and accoutements? Not very. Blake provides us with a delightfully humorous and practical guide to being a good witch without acquiring bad debt, karmic or otherwise. Recipes, crafts, and advice from a wise witchy woman who really knows her stuff! It's on my essential bookshelf and I use it.

[Latasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

this would be a great book for beginners and not so crafty people.

[Stupid Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not a bad book at all. It's a good book. But as a thrifty witch myself, I learned nothing new from this book. Not bad if you're unimaginative or generally very new to witchcraft such that you may not have had much call to think through a lot of things yet, but mostly this is a rehashing of advise that I myself have often given, so it was not, for me, very helpful.

[Wadeana Beveridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Food for thought

This book is useful for witches and non-witches alike. It's a reminder that the joys in our lives dont necessarily come from the materialistic THINGS we buy but how we intent ourselves to be. How our wants, drives, and efforts are the main resources to have a good life or a good Craft.

[Mela Sidro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for any practitioner, but especially one on a budget.
However, I feel like there were SO MANY useful tips and tricks that just weren't included or mentioned at all. Off the top of my head, I could list many cheap or free things that weren't touched on in the book at all.
It does have good info and some cheap alternatives and idea, but not nearly as many as what I was hoping for.

[Carrie (The Butterfly Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good well written book with lots of info but I didn't learn anything I didn't already know. But I'm a thrifty witch!

[Ivy♌ · Rating 5 out of 5]

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,

[Moon Dance · Rating 5 out of 5]

All who are into the Craft should add this book to their collection, along with her other 2 books "Everyday Witch A-Z" and the companion spellbook. "Witchcraft on a Shoestring," is a valuable, informative, easy going, relaxing reference book. I have enjoyed all of Deborah Blakes books on the Craft. She makes the reader feel at ease when learning or just refreshing your skills.
It is not difficult to follow nor difficult to understand, like some of the other books out there. And I have read many books, so many that I can open my own library, and most were confusing and to difficult to follow Until I found Deborah Blake books.
I would highly recommend any of Deborah Blakes books to anyone who is interested in learning the Craft. They will help anyone to be able to follow their path.

-scmoondance40-)O(

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be very useful. It includes free or frugal ways to find, make or buy what you need. She includes a very large craft section. There are also frugal recipes to make for a potluck, organized by pagan holiday. My favorite section was where she listed the one place she did spend money, her witchcraft library. She lists all of her favorite books by category. This book would be especially useful for those new to the craft.

[Jenna Deaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witchcraft on a Shoestring by Deborah Blake is an amazing resource for the shelf of any thrifty witch or pagan. I had read an loved an early version of this text and am delighted to say that it continues to hold up well with citation and information updates that excellently build on what was already an amazing tool for me as a practitioner. I do think I will be buying a physical copy or two as gifts for my coven members when this book releases in March 2024.

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm only on the first chapter of this book, and I absolutely love it so far. And the added humor makes it a greater joy to read. I can't wait to read the other two books I have of hers! And purchase the ones I don't.

Bless & Blessed Be!

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!!! Many handy tips to work your magic without breaking your bank account. Lots of fun and neat ideas to try. This is a wonderful book to have on your magical bookshelf! I highly recommend it!🤩

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms Blakes books never disappoint another great read full of great useable information!

[Micca B aka gigglybookgeek · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Tiffany Spencer]

Witchcraft on a Shoestring
There were a few interesting things in this one. I’d never heard of book swaps. Book swaps are when you can sign up (on a site) and list all the books you have and the books you’re looking for. It also gives some of the sites (titletrader.com, paperbackswap.com, sweaptree.com, and bookmooch.com) are some of the ones it lists. Since in the past years I’ve found it easier to read e-books rather than print books that I’ve really wanted to give away to clear up space, I think this is cool idea. There was a massive book store place here once that you could take older books and they might buy them, but they were very selective about which of your books they’d buy. So the gas it took for you to drive there you would *not* have made back if you had a box full of books. I’d probably just *give* mine to someone if they asked without the swap. Still, I love the idea.

Then there were some suggested sites where you can meet other like-minded witches and Pagans like Witchvox that says it lets you connect with other local Witches. It doesn’t bother me being a solitary but sometimes I do wonder are there others were I live. Then it gave some magazines and blogs like the Wiccan-Pagan Times, the Magical Buffet, and Witches and Pagans.

Then it had some recipes I wouldn’t mind trying. (Things I probably shouldn’t eat) There was Tres Leche Pie (three milk pie, chocolate dipped strawberries, strawberry paradise cake, the Watermelon Bowl, and the pumpkin soup (which I’ve always been curious about). The crafts would also be good for a crafty person but none of those really stood out as something I’d like to try.

Rating: 6

[Katya De · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book was provided trough netgally

"Witchcraft on a Shoestring: Practicing the Craft Without Breaking Your Budget" by Deborah Blake offers a refreshing take on Witchcraft for those seeking to deepen their practice without emptying their wallets. What sets this book apart is its assumption that readers already possess some knowledge of Witchcraft, skipping the introductory fluff and diving straight into practical advice—a rarity in the genre.

Blake expertly guides readers through cost-effective alternatives and substitutions, ensuring that financial constraints don't hinder one's spiritual journey. From explaining the rationale behind each substitution to providing clear instructions, the book empowers practitioners to explore and adapt their craft without feeling limited by financial limitations.

One of the highlights of the book is the inclusion of recipes and crafts, adding a hands-on dimension to the practice. These additions not only enhance the reader's understanding but also foster a sense of creativity and connection with the craft.

Ultimately, "Witchcraft on a Shoestring" reminds us that the essence of Witchcraft lies not in material possessions, but in the deep, personal connections we forge with ourselves, nature, and the divine. It challenges practitioners to prioritize intention and connection over materialism—a valuable lesson in today's consumer-driven world.

#WitchcraftonaShoestring #NetGalley

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightfully written informative book on affordable diy good witch witchcraft.
I am not a practitioner, but I’m always curious about all things about nature and becoming a better person. Deborah Blake subtly debunks any ideas that witches are evil, but rather they appreciate the power of nature and becoming the best human possible. I might even unconsciously be a Green Witch!
This nonfiction book is easily read and directions art simple to follow. I totally enjoyed the authors writing style and clever do it yourself solutions and where to find free information, uses of herbs, gardening, Wiccan etiquette, crafts, and, yes, spell-casting. And more. This might also be a reference book for a themed event. There are clever crafts and recipes, even one for making paper.
I recommend this book for the broad minded person who wants to understand modern witches and their magick. Yes, magick, not magic. I heartily recommend this book for witches beginning their practice because it is such an easy comprehensive reference.
Thank you NetGalley and Crossed Crow Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

[Wake Up Neo · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great resource for beginner witches who are looking for ways to practice their craft without spending a lot of money, because let's face it, some of the tools can be expensive. Blake provides recipes, crafts, and advice on how to save money on witchcraft's most common items. I think this would be a great resource for every beginner witch, not so much for more experienced witches who have probably already sourced most of the stuff in this book.

My only real complaint is that this book is a rerelease with updated links and resources, and I wish the author had taken the time to maybe remove the Harry Potter references throughout the book, it was a bit disappointing seeing it in a book being issued in 2024, even if it was a reissue.

*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

[Celeste Wasche · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Books Tea Magic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deborah Blake delivers a brilliant book, spelled out in highly consumable content that’s brimming with ways to ignite magic without breaking the bank. With loads of ideas that are perfect for practicing magic and upcycling items that you likely already have on hand. I love this approach which takes us back to our roots and agree that the most important premises of the practice are free. Blake encourages us to get resourceful, while simultaneously awakening our inner crafty + witchy muse. While I don’t agree with every single thing Blake’s written, that’s the beauty of it — we are all walking our own path to craft an extraordinary life and sharing insight along the way. My favorite section was definitely the “50 was to practice witchcraft for little or no money.” Quite magical ✨♥️🔥

[Maddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[MarryAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[JadersCorner · Rating 5 out of 5]

NetGalley review

I absolutely loved this book. It’s much needed, I think the glamour of the internet good away the simplicity of what being and practicing pagan is. I know I am partially biased to this author but she again never disappoints .
So many resource and some you wouldn’t even think about.

Highly recommend this to everyone and most of all the babies pagans out there just getting started.

[LittleRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[L.A. Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although most of the things I already know, being a frugal Yankee myself, this is good for people who want to feel vindicated if they don't buy that pre-dressed candle they see at the Pagan/New Age store. You can find a lot of the spell work and rituals online now. You don't have to give your paycheck to Llewellyn. Some of the books she mentions are necessary for beginners and good for reference.

[Lyric · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Air · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolute gem. I loved her humorous narration as she explains the best ways to NOT get ourselves into a bind, so to speak. There were a lot of helpful tips and tricks I think people could refer to for a very long time!

Thank you NetGalley!