My Cookbook Challenge 2012

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I find that living frugally brings up a constant struggle between making cost-conscious choices and avoiding feelings of deprivation, boredom, or frustration that result from not buying whatever I want, whenever I want.  These negative feelings can come up just as easily when I'm grocery shopping as when I'm (not) clothes shopping.  So, I've devised a 2012 cookbook challenge to bring some zest into my cooking while still maintaining our strict grocery budget.
And first, a word about that budget... I've now reduced our grocery budget to 30% of what it was before we started living frugally.  But, a 70% reduction in food spending required putting some strict measures in place, such as eating boxed macaroni and cheese every Friday night and buying mostly cheaper meats (ground beef, chicken, stew meats) instead of choicer cuts like pork chops, steaks, tri-tip roasts, etc. I've been fairly creative about maintaining a tasty menu despite these changes, but it's time to be a little more intentional with my menu creativity for 2012. 
Over the years I've amassed a collection of 31 cookbooks.  I've decided to use two each month this year for my menu planning inspiration.  I won't cook every dinner out of the cookbooks (after all, I still need to keep Taco Tuesdays, macaroni Fridays, and burger Saturdays to maintain our budget, not to mention a steady diet of leftovers) but I'll try to do 4-6 new recipes per month from the cookbooks.
Incidentally, this challenge actually kills three birds with one stone.  Not only does it inject some fun and creativity into my frugal cooking, but it also gives me an opportunity to enjoy these cookbooks that I shelled out money for, and, if I don't like the cookbooks, I can get rid of them and reduce clutter.
I'll report back as to how my cookbook challenge goes, including how easily I was able to find recipes that are cheap to make.
Here are the cookbooks I'll peruse for 2012:
January: The Gourmet Slow Cooker: Simple and Sophisticated Meals from Around the World by Lynn Alley, and 365 Ways to Cook Pasta by Marie Simmons
February:Top Secret Restaurant Recipes: Creating Kitchen Clones from America's Favorite Restaurant Chains by Todd Wilbur, and Miss Vickie's Big Book of Pressure Cooker Recipes by Vickie Smith March:Meat and Potatoes Cookbook by Maria Scott and Pressure Cooking for Everyone by Rick Rodgers
April:New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant by the Moosewood Collective and The Pressured Cook: Over 75 One-Pot Meals In Minutes, Made In Today's 100% Safe Pressure Cookersby Lorna Sass
May:The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life by Ellie Krieger and The New Basics Cookbookby Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins
June:Raw Food Made Easy For 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet and the Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins
July:Slovak Cooking by Josef Rybar and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman
August:Salads (Quick and Easy Cooking) and Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka
September:Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow by Michael Kenney and Sarma Mengailis, and Slow Cooker: One-Pot Cooking and Casseroles by Catherine Atkinson
October:All Around the World Cookbook by Sheila Lukins and Rachael Ray Express Lane Meals: What to Keep on Hand, What to Buy Fresh for the Easiest-Ever 30-Minute Meals
November:Pot Pies: Forty Savory Suppers by Beatrice Ojakangas and the Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook
December:The Gourmet Slow Cooker: Volume II, Regional Comfort-Food Classics by Lynn Alley and The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer

Do you have some cookbooks you could dust off and revisit for 2012?
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