I bought a crock pot awhile ago, thinking that I found the solution to my nightly dinner dilemma. Like so many other "crock pot fanatics", the bloom was off the rose as soon as I found myself with a bit more time and money to spend. So, my crock pot found it's way into the deep, dark recesses of my pantry, never to be heard from again. Or so I thought. My budget is tighter than ever and time is at a premium, as well. Dinnertime is again centered on a warm and wonderful crock pot meal, much to the delight of my family.

A little heads up. If your crock pot is more than 7 or 8 years old, you'll want to invest $30 or $40 in a new one. Crock pots have improved, and you can find models with better energy efficiency, timed starts, temperature settings by degree, warming cycles, secure lids, and a host of other features. Besides the new features, I keep reading that crock pots save money and time. How exactly does that work?

Money Saving: Certain dishes, like beef stew, pot roasts, and soups, are usually cooked for a pretty long period of time. If you're using your oven for, say 3 hours, that's about 10 kWh for that meal. Cooking the same pot roast in a crock pot for, say 6 hours, will take about 1.2 kWh. That's simply based on your oven wattage of roughly 2500 versus your crock pot wattage of roughly 200. It just makes sense using a smaller appliance for such a long cooking period. Check out your appliance wattage and energy consumption using any of the energy consumption calculators online and see if you don't agree.

Crock pots are the perfect home for inexpensive cuts of meat. You're going to cook using low heat and a long, slow cooking method. This method best suits meat that is more sinewy with more connective tissue because it breaks down all the tough stuff. You'll be cooking in liquid, too, which tenderizes the budget cuts, which you'll find becomes fork-tender. As a matter of fact, the more tender meat cuts don't work that well in crock pot recipes as they just break down too much. Try budget cuts like brisket, rump roasts, round steak, pork shoulders, and the like, for some surprisingly delicious and tender meals.

Your family is rushing home from work and school, and there's nothing for dinner. You make a quick stop at the drive-thru, plunk down a huge pile of money and think "there's got to be a better plan". Well, there is. You work too hard for that money to throw it away on bad food. How about, instead, you plan a meal, prepare it ahead of time and throw it in the crock pot in the morning? Everyone comes home to a hot cooked meal and all is well. Now, you have time for the evening routine, without worrying about that anguished cry - "what's for dinner". The fast food joints can get along just fine without your money.

When the weather turns hot and steamy, you don't need to add any more heat to your house by cooking a meal. With the air conditioner running, it seems foolish to start heating your oven or stove top. Unfortunately, I can't live on salads all summer long. There comes a time when my family and I want a hot meal, even in the summer. Having the crock pot cooking away on the counter top doesn't heat up the kitchen, and we get a hearty meal, without stressing out our air conditioner.

Time Saving: If you are watching your pots boil, you are wasting time. Even stirring soups and sauces take time, especially if you're making something that could stick to the bottom of the pot if left unattended. When you make a meal in one pot it truly does save time, but not if you have to watch it! Sure, you can put a pot roast in the oven and you won't have to stand over it while it cooks, but now you're not saving money. Don't we want to save both money and time?

Getting my family to help with meal preparations is a big time saver in my book. If I can walk away for a few minutes while my children are scrubbing potatoes and plunking them in the crock pot, I've got those precious minutes to attend to another task. Getting kids involved putting a crock pot meal together is possible because there's less danger of having someone get burned; you don't turn on a crock pot until all the ingredients are in and you're ready. There are many crock pot recipes available that have only a few basic ingredients, so even a cooking novice like my husband can jump right in there and cook a meal, too.

Nightly stops at the store to quick grab something to cook for dinner is a serious waste of time. Now I take one trip to the grocery store, and buy everything I need for at least three crock pot meals. I can plan several all-in-one-step meals, buy and even prep a lot of the ingredients ahead of time, and pop a meal in the crock pot in the morning. Now, we can go straight home from the soccer game... home to a hot meal!

Money and Time Saving: By doubling your crock pot recipes, you'll have leftovers for lunches or be able to put the extra meal in the freezer for later. Not only is it convenient to have your lunch all ready, but it is also a money saver; no more money spent eating out at work. Having a freezer full of meals is a great time saver, too. Who doesn't love finding a meal all ready to just heat up and go? The money saved by using your crock pot just once to produce two meals just makes sense to me.

Look at your poor crock pot just waiting for you to come to your senses, once again. I know you can do it, once you start looking through all the new recipes! Get your kitchen counter cleared off, set up your crock pot, and make out your grocery list. Now, won't you enjoy saving all that time and money when you cook?