Note from Crystal: I think that this story illustrates how we all save for things in different ways and have different mentalities towards saving — and that’s completely okay! If Debi had asked me how to save to pay cash for a crock pot, I would have told her to skip eating out a few times over a one or two-week period and use the money saved to buy a crock pot at the thrift store or garage sale.
However, she has a very busy life so she chose to continue eating out and save up her Swagbucks to pay for the crock pot instead. In the end, it worked well for her!
A testimony from Debi at Bluegrass Savers
It dawned on me one day that having a crock pot might make my life a whole lot easier. Since I started blogging in addition to my full-time job, I had less time to devote to making dinner so we were eating out at least six times each week including lunches.
For a while it was fine because I was spending so little on our groceries and supplies using coupons. Over time, the cost was beginning to adding up, though. Frozen dinners were also becoming frighteningly popular — and my husband hates frozen dinners.
I love to cook and was really distraught over this situation at home. The weirdest thing is that we always have so much food in the pantry and freezer but it was rarely cooked.
I realized it would really help to get a programmable crock pot so that I could make dinner in the morning and it would be ready when I got home from work. The only problem was that a crock pot was not in our budget.
When I saw the $20 Amazon.com gift card for $10 through Living Social, a plan began to take root in my mind for how to get one with cash. I had also been seeing so many people talking about getting an $5 Amazon.com gift cards using Swagbucks, so I joined toward the end of January, 2011. I quickly started winning points and got my husband to sign on as well. Within a few weeks of doing that, both accounts were mysteriously canceled for violating the rules.
I contacted their customer service, only to find that it was against the rules to have more than one account per household! I had only redeemed one $5 gift card and was waiting for two more to be posted. Needless to say I lost those and over 1000 Swagbucks. (If I would have seen the series on Swagbucks sooner, I may have avoided this costly experience.)
I then created a new account and saw several daily deals that I could use, so I purchased them through Swagbucks, allowing me to earn points faster and I continued to search as usual using the tool bar. I redeemed $20 more worth of Amazon.com gift cards and added this to my Living Social deal to purchase the slow cooker for $2.21 to cover the taxes! The Amazon.com list price for the slow cooker was $59.99; they had it on sale for $44.54. I ended up only paying $12.21, including the cost of the Living Social deal.
I’m so excited to be able to come home and have dinner ready instead of having to eat out so often!
Debi Smith is 24 and has been married for two years. She lives in Kentucky where she works full-time in the medical research industry, and also writes Bluegrass Savers.
Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.
A very easy recipe is to cook a turkey breast in the crockpot- I buy them frozen and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Put in the crock pot set on low and cook all day. You don’t need to add another thing and they turn out delicious and moist. Yum!
Y’all are inspiring me to get the Crock-Pot out – maybe even today! I asked for one as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago; it’s a Hamilton Beach slow cooker with three different-sized inserts so that I can use the proper size for my recipe. My old Crock-Pot is the traditional all-in-one version that’s not so easy to clean, but it still works after many years. I ran across a recipe for berry cobbler baked in the Crock-Pot and it is yummy – but the idea of roasting a whole chicken or ham is intriguing – thanks to all of you for the links!
Susan – I got the one you’re talking about and love it! My roasts were coming out over cooked in my 6 qt, so I did a little research and found that the crock is supposed to be 2/3 full to cook properly. I used my swagbucks gift cards to buy the Hamilton 3-in-1 from Amazon. Kind of expensive for a crock pot (well – it was free, but a lot of gc to use – lol!), but worth it with the 3 crocks. Plus, it’s pretty. 🙂
I had no idea it needed to be 2/3 full! I think I’ve been having the same issue when I cook whole chickens in mine. When I take it out after the designated cooking time, it doesn’t seem cooked so I leave it in a little longer and it gets over cooked! I guess it’s probably because the chicken is too small for the 6 qt.
I also am a working mom who used to bring home a lot of take out and would agree that crockpots are great even though I also don’t cook the usual crockpot fare. Alton Brown has a really good recipe for slow cooker lasagna which I would encourage you to try if you like lasagna. I also use the crockpot (I have two, one from our wedding 20 years ago and a newer programmable one I got for Christmas a couple of years ago) for my freezer cooking. I’ll buy pork shoulders on sale at the grocery store, buy some pork rub, cook, shred and throw the meat in the freezer. We then use the pork for carnitas, sandwiches, etc.
One of my favorite easy crockpot recipes is a pork loin and about half a cup of apple juice. Occasionally I’ll throw in some garlic, too, but it is so simple and cooks up perfectly. When it’s done, you just shred the meat with two forks. Then you can mix it with bbq sauce if you want, use it for sandwiches, baked potatoes, pork nachos, soft tacos… all kinds of possibilities!
Oh, yum. Thanks for the recipe. I’m writing it down to try. My favorite with pork is just to throw it in with saur kraut and then serve over mashed potatoes.
I purchased a few digital crock pots as Christmas gifts last year. You can find them on sale for as low as $19.99 at some of the great after Thanksgiving & holiday sales.
Wow! Crockpots are only $30 here! I got mine for $20 and a beef shoulder roast to go with it for .55! Just cooked it the other day and got three meals out of it. Best deal so far for me!
Darn it, I dunno how I did that…anyway…as I was saying…
I do a side dish in my 4qt crock. And its programmable too. I love it. Although the low setting is as hot as the high setting on my 6qt! I think no two crocks cook the same.
I don’t know what I’d do without my crockpot! Especially with small children, its a great tool to get dinner on the table with the minimal amount of stress and prep work. We have a fairly large crock pot we got as a wedding gift, but what I’d really like to invest in is a smaller one to do a couple chicken breasts or soup. Ours is programmable and works great, but I almost always have to use the lowest, slowest setting to cook stuff and even then, chicken breasts are done in about 3 hours! I love this website for finding creative ways to cook just about anything in a slow cooker- http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
Your story sounds just like mine! I can put frozen chicken breasts in at 4pm and they’re done by 6:30. Haha.
I went looking for another crockpot to do smaller things in. I went to BedBath&Beyond and got a round 4qt for $30. I used a giftcard I got as a gift. But I still thought that was a fair deal either way! So now I can do meat in the big one and a side disk in
Did you know that BBandB accepts expired coupons?! Their coupons might be for 20% off an item, $5 off a purchase of $15 or more, etc, and they do have expiration dates on them, but they’ll accept them anyways. After we were married, we took the money we got in our cards (along with a ton of coupons) to BBandB, and saved a bundle of money and purchased a ton of kitchen items, etc. Not everyone realizes you can use the expired ones.
YUP! I have a wad about 6 inches thick of BB&B coupons. We were registered there and received a lot of giftcards. We were able to get so many things by using their expired coupons. In fact, after 4 1/2 years of marriage, we just recently used up the last of our giftcards! BB&B is a great place to shop if you’re careful with sales and coupons…kinda like Kohl’s. Plus their return policy is GREAT. lol
Just be careful putting frozen chicken in the crockpot–make sure you move the chicken around once or twice. It sounds like you have it worked out just fine, but I have friends who got salmonella poisoning from frozen chicken cooked in the crockpot. Apparently, the chicken in the very middle didn’t cook as well as those on the edge. Just a thought!
I’m with you–it wouldn’t have been my route, but I’m glad you shared it. It’s always interesting to see how others minds work to save money, and sometimes it helps me think in a new “out of the rut” way about an issue in my own life! 😉 I love using Swagbucks to save money . . . so grateful for that avenue.
I love my crockpot, but I have not found very many recipes that I find amazing to cook in it! With the exception of sauces that are better after simmering, I find that most of the meals that I prepare in my crockpot are not a favorite of my family. Any great suggestions? Sadly, I am only able to use my crockpot a couple of times a month because of that!
Me too, Cassandra. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong but other than BBQ meat and roast, my crockpot meals are never very tasty. The same ingredients in the oven or on the stove seem to taste better though…I wonder why that is?
I am planning on making a ham in my crockpot for Easter. All you do is put brown sugar o the bottom, the ham fat side down, and then a little more brown sugar on the top. I hope it turns out because I am having family over. Any suggestions??
How neat! I never thought of using a croc pot for ham!
It works! I had to cover with aluminium foil.
I’ve been making ham like this for a few years now. You will not be disappointed!
Another thing I found helpful along the crockpotting subject…. crockpot liners are AWESOME! I wish I had discovered them when I was working 9 hour days 6 days a week, lugging my three little kids with me to work everyday, and coming home at 8pm to feed them and then *BLECH* scrub a crockpot at 11pm….not fun. Now that I get to stay home, I’ve discovered these gems, and I don’t really need them much anymore. But for any working mom, they are a blessing!! Here’s a link to a $1 off coupon:
http://www.reynoldspkg.com/reynoldskitchens/en/coupon/reynolds-slow-cooker.aspx
They work great. Cook your food, serve your food, throw away the liner. DONE.
I agree, they are WONDERFUL! Thanks for the coupon link! :0)
@Beth that is remarkable! You are amazing! This may be a silly question but are the liners like a bag that covers the entire pot, so the food doesn’t spill into it? Sounds like a great idea. Mine is pretty easy to clean, the actual pot is ceramic but the liner sounds like it will be even easier.
Yes, the liners kinda come out over the crock insert, kinda like lining a garbage can with a garbage bag, lol. I have found that sometimes condensation builds up under the liner and leaves some greasy stuff, but it rinses right out. Better than caked on stuff.
I also started rubbing the inside of my crock with olive oil before putting in the food. Even when stuff looks like it’s so burnt on and never coming off, it scrubs right out with soapy water. So, if you don’t have liners, olive oil works great.
Thanks for the info Beth! I’ll pick this up as soon as I see them on sale! 😀
Thanks for the link – and yes they are great. I don’t use them much on regular basis, since I can let the pot soak after dinner when at home. We do, however, camp and they are great for taking crock pot meals and then easy, easy clean up so I don’t spend time doing dishes instead of enjoying camping!!
I didnt think you were supposed to make a new account if you had one that was deactivated? I could be wrong, I just think it goes against their TOS so you may be deactivated again. 🙁
We got a larger rival for our wedding. It is probably my most used wedding gift! I love making tons and freezing half. Plus it makes the house smell yummy all day.
crockpots make fixing dried beans so easy!
plus you can make yogurt in the slow cooker (found info. on a crockpot blog, she tried using the crockpot each day for a year 🙂
Good for you! I know it is exhausting trying to cook dinner after working all day and then coming home to your family which is your 2nd full time job! Even crock potting a few nights a week will save you money =)
I have 5 slow cookers of various sizes and love them!
I make roasts, hams, turkey, corned beef, etc. for sandwich meat for my husband’s lunches. Much cheaper than deli meat, and he loves the flavor since he takes a packed lunch 5 days a week!
We aren’t big fans of what people normally think of as crockpot fare. I often peel whole potatoes or wrap unpeeled ones in foil, place in the bottom, and put a whole oiled chicken or roast on top. The potatoes turn out really yummy, and the meat isn’t so mushy because it isn’t sitting in juice–in fact the chicken skin is usually slightly crispy, but the meat is moist. Sometimes, if I really want a one meal dish, I add veggies with the potatoes; other times I put them (wrapped in foil with an ice cube or two) on top of the roast. Most of the time I just microwave them before the meal.
They are a big time saver/budget saver! I love having my meal made and the mess cleaned up in the morning. In warmer weather, if we aren’t grilling, I usually have something in the slow cooker. Did I mention that I love my crockpots?!
I love this idea! Iwish I would use my crockpot more often, but I tend to forget. And my husband complains that everything that comes out of it tastes the same 🙁
If you have any other ideas to share, I’d love to hear them!
Many women have to coupon because they can not control their spending habits. I have always paid cash for every small and large appliance in my house. Mainly because we are a one family income and we can do that because we never eat out. We due have movie night and we save tons of money by being a member of Netflix 🙂
Most women I know coupon because they find it fun and a great way to stretch their budget so they have the money they need to live on cash, not on credit. Interesting that our experiences have evidently been so different.
We don’t eat out a lot, cook primarily from scratch, use Netflix, and live on cash. We are a homeschooling, one-income family as well.
Great response! 🙂
I am one of those that coupon because it is fun and helps stretch our budget! We could afford groceries without couponing, but I also like Coach purses, dinners out at our local sushi bar, and vacationing with my husband while we have no kids. Diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks!
Amen! We are a one-income home, but our income is such than we can afford to budgeting for eating out once a week ($40 for all 5 of us) and for date nights as well. It’s all how to choose to prioritize. We don’t buy nice clothes or designer anything, but I love our family outings!
I’m not sure about “many” women. I started couponing about a year and a half ago, and it has really helped us maintain our budget. I keep such a strict budget that my husband sometimes gets irritated with me. We rarely eat out although because I coupon it may happen alittle oftener than it used to. I mainly shop at CVS and the grocery store and I do feel that my spending habits are very much in control. Maybe it’s true for “some” women.
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ is probably the best source for crockpot recipes. I’ve made some awesome recipes from that site. I use my crockpot for almost every dinner. I have three kids age 3 and under, and it’s super helpful to just throw in dinner and not worry about it for the whole day. I cook dinner 7 days a week. (no take-out breaks for me, 🙁 haha) I have a Spicy Cinnamon Chicken recipe in there right now. love it. So check out that website, I’m sure it will help you out.
Yeah, we rarely go out to eat anymore–so it’s 7 days a week here, too.
And I second that website–lots of good recipes and kinda fun to read, too!
I don’t mean to be negative, but I think what jumped out at me with this story is how they were able to afford eating out 6 times per week (including lunches), but yet didn’t have the $$ to buy a crockpot. I love using coupons and getting frugal deals, and I applaud anybody who get a good bargain, but I just don’t see how they were strapped for $$ and didn’t have $$ in the budget for a crockpot, but yet had the $$ to eat out so much.
Agreed. I think a few grilled cheese and tomato soups/pb&j/ham and cheese sandwiches could have supplied the cash in just a few weeks.
Those were my thoughts exactly.
I disagree. My husband and I both work full time and go to school full time. Sometimes it IS easier to each get a cheeseburger from the dollar menu and eat that with some potato chips and a drink at home. I’d much rather spend $2 at Wendy’s then spend $5 on the same meal purchased from the supermarket. PLUS it gives us some MUCH needed time together. We see each other 1 hour a night on weekdays before one of us has to start writing a paper or get 6 hours of much needed sleep. And don’t think that we don’t use coupons just because we eat out more than cooking at home. We use the Entertainment book to get BOGO meals at restaurants for date nights and we often buy lunches and dinners with the same type of BOGO deals. I get a few copies of Entertainment book from different family members for Christmas and we use it throughout the year to save money AND spend time together.
@Maria, it wasn’t so much about not having the money to get one as much as that it was included on the budget and was more of a spur of the moment decision for me. I simply didn’t want to purchase it out of our regular operating account or even use a credit card.
It was nice to simply save up the swagbucks for something like this. Also, there are weeks when I only spend $10 at the grocery store but we just end up using what we saved in groceries to eat out(with coupons too) because of time constraints.
Debi, I know how it is to weigh and find a budgeting balance between eating in or eating out when you work full time, especially when you have young children. I’ve been on both sides of the scale. I used to work 60 hours a week (when I was preggo with my first). But now I’m a SAHM. (now that I’m done having kids.) So, I can see where you’re coming from. 😉
But there was a time I was working 40 hrs a week and bringing my kids (3,2,1) with me to work (family business) and cooking dinner every night. So, it can be done!! But it ain’t easy.
She never says they didn’t have the money for a crock pot, she says that it wasn’t in their budget. I’m sure their budget accounts for eating out six times a week and other parts of their routine and left no room for an extra expense. As some one who sacrifices other areas in order to free up more money to go toward eating out, I understand completely. We all set about creating our monthly budgets differently, and I think that is what Crystal was trying to show us (especially with the disclaimer!). We don’t have the same lives, schedules, priorities, desires, or incomes, and it is not our place to judge someone for doing something differently then we would have, even in a small way. We all know by reading Crystal’s blog that a lot can be accomplished by giving up everything and sacrificing, but I love getting to hear stories about families who reach their goals other ways. It’s not ALWAYS about sacrificing. Sometimes we can have our crock pot and eat out too!
Well said! Also got a chuckle from your twist on the cliche at the end! 🙂
Great response!!
@amanda
I agree! We too scarifice in other areas of our budget so we can pick up lunch a few times a week and eat dinner out 3-4 nights a week. It’s something we enjoy doing as a family and gives us a break from the norm. I love to cook but I also love to go out especially on the weekends. It gives us something fun to do after church or even on a saturday when we are staying in town. I love how you put what you put. We all have different prorities and while the poster could have “afforded” a crock pot it wasn’t in her budget. For me, I may have to save up extras for huge meals for special occasions because we eat out so much that my grocery budget is pretty small, however my out to eat budget is pretty large. It’s all what works for you and your family and long story short I like the way you put this. 🙂
What struck me now was “since I started blogging”. Couldn’t blogging be put on hold to prepare a dinner?
My husband works FT, goes to school 2 nights/week, I’m a FT student plus we have a 4 year old. We eat together the 5 nights/week we can. While we can afford the luxury of eating out, we choose to stay in.
Sure, some nights are grilled cheese, soup, spaghetti….no gourmet meals right now, but we enjoy it.
I agree. My husband and I have full time jobs, we have two small kids and we make all our meals (yes, even lunches the day before) from scratch. If blogging takes priority over making food, that is her decision. But, I was shaking my head at how much time and effort was wasted in accumulating swagbucks and having them cancelled because they did not check the rules (I think all such websites have the one account per household rule, so it’s not something totally out of the blue)!
I agree. I noticed that during the last few holiday seasons, target sells them for $15.
I love crockpot
And have had it for years. I think it saves energy and money versus heating the big oven. Plus, I hate having my toddler triplets in the kitchen when the oven is on. But, with the crockpot it is totally out of reach, so I feel it is safer to have around. I just started making whole chicken and turkeys in it too. Check out my blog for how toos
Thats an awesome post. I am a stay at home mom, but with so much running around I get take out a few days out of the week, sometimes up to 5 or 6. I have a crock pot but am bad at planning so it rarely gets used. We are trying to do Baby Step 1 so I need to get better at planning, stop eating out and save some $$. We are also trying to eat whole foods and organics so we need to spend the extra $$ on whole food instead of fast food.
Thanks for this blog and all the great idea. I was pleased with the Great Day egg coupon. The timing was perfect, as we had to buy 4 dozen eggs for a scout camp out. I was happy I could provide healthy eggs for the boys.
Thanks again
I am saving up my Swagbucks to get a Kindle. It may take me a year or more, but it will be a way to purchase one without dipping into our other funds. Thanks for your inspiring post to keep going!!
I love that idea. I have secretly been wanting a Kindle, but love my books too. But couldn’t justify paying for one. I’ll have to see if I can be patient enough to not spend the swagbucks 🙂
I bought a Kindle recently! I used Swagbucks, MyPoints, some gift money, and our budgeted “fun money” from two months (hubby didn’t mind). ‘Course, now I use it for games more than anything. 🙂
I have been looking in to purchasing a programmable crock pot also. I usually opt for a quick dinner when I get home from work as my husband works nights. Sometimes that means a bowl of cereal, sandwich or salad when I’d enjoy a warm meal more. However, each time I’ve tried to put money aside for one, I get overwhelmed by the all the different brand slow cookers that are programmable. Can you often any tips on which features I should look for? Congrats on your efforts as they have obviously paid off in many ways.
Look for lead-free glaze. Some of the major brands are not lead free.
Yes, this! From what I understand Hamilton Beach is one of the few brands that are lead free.
@Tracy, we eat cereal for dinner sometimes too. I actually enjoy cooking but after work some days its definitely out of the question between work and blogging. I just end up bringing something home from a restaurant. I do try to get coupons and other deals, so it’s not as expensive but it still adds up after a while especially since we live in a relatively small city & there are not as many restaurant deals. Lately, I’ve been making a lot of roasts, which we can eat for several lunches & dinner with a different side item. Hubby has been loving it!
Neither of us care too much for frozen meals even though you can get some really good deals on that.
I got a Hamilton Beach 6qt crockpot, it had great reviews on amazon except that some people complained about the smell of plastic esp the first few times you use it, i didn’t experience that.
Allison I have started putting everything together in the crock pot the night before that way all I have to do it pull it out of the fridge throw in the cooker part and go. I am not a morning person and cannot get up even 10 minutes before I do now. lol So I understand not having extra time for that. Also I understand the kids being kinda picky because they are small. I use the crock pot to cook chicken breasts so when I get home I can shred them and make several different meals with the chicken. Just yesterday I cooked chicken breast in the crock pot and today I made enchiladas and with some extra I put it in with mac n cheese… My daycare children loved it ( they are all under the age of 3). I try to cook chicken breast like this atleast once a week. I also cook pork loins like this to make shredded bbq pork sandwiches.
I was going to start doing this but my husband advised against it because going from cold to hot so quickly would break the crock part. Could you advise if you’ve had any problems?
I do this all the time. Probably almost a million times. It doesn’t hurt it. It heats up slowly so it’s not like you’re putting a frozen crock in boiling water.
You can also assemble all the items in a separate dish (I would seal them in a large Rubbermaid type dish) and put that in the fridge. I leave the crock pot out on the counter and ready to go and then in the morning I just put everything in and turn it on. I too was actually concerned about the quick cold to hot for the pot itself, so this way I just don’t have to worry about it when I leave the house. I have an extra dish to wash, but it’s worth my peace of mind!!
I’m always leery of it cracking, too, so what I do is prep everything the night before and throw it into tupperware. Takes 30 seconds to dump it all into the crockpot in the morning, which I do while I’m letting my teabag steep. By the time my tea’s brewed everything’s into the crockpot and I’m good to go!
The reason it is advised against is because if you are using meat, it does not heat it fast enough so it is in the “danger zone” for too long before it is heated. IDK that I completely buy into that, but that is why my husband won’t let me do it the night before LOL!
Just a guess here, but doesn’t it make sense to just put the prepped food in a tupperware container if you’re going to prep the meal the night before? Then in the morning just transfer the food to the crock pot. The ceramic insert doesn’t risk breaking and doesn’t affect the time it takes meat to reach a safer temp because the ceramic inset isn’t chilled.
That said, I’ve never had any issue the other way.
One thing I do is prepare and refrigerate whatever I want to put in the crock pot ahead of time, and then add some boiling water to it before putting it in there the next morning. This makes everything heat up a little faster than if it was room temperature. I don’t eat meat, so I don’t know how it would work for than.
I got my crockpot for free as well. I took a few surveys on a nice survey site I am signed up for and got the crockpot for free! I kept taking them and got a second crockpot for free as well that I gave to a charity.
Good job on saving up and also being frugal by using what you have in your pantry!
I love Swagbucks! Last year, when we experienced nearly half the year with no income, that was my Christmas shopping money; but then friends from church generously gifted to me the exact items I wanted for my kids, that their own family had outgrown. So I was able to use the Amazon credit for other things!
I too have thought about the programmable Crockpot, but now it’s just me and the kids, and our mornings are very early and I don’t allow extra time for things like setting up food to cook, plus my kids are small and wouldn’t appreciate much of it. But maybe someday it will be a good option!
Crystal, you are so right! It never even occurred to me to do that! LOL
Debi, You are going to love the programmable crock pot!!! I don’t know if I can post this here, but I found a WONDERFUL crock pot recipe blog. http://Www.hopealicious.blogspot.com I have used many of the recipes with great success and Hope is awesome!!!