I love crock pot dinners as you now and it has surprised me to realize that it has only been in the last few years that slow cooking has become so popular again.

I started cooking in my crock pot in the 1970s, yes I am that old I hear you thinking.  I put it away again but got it out when I found it again when I moved house.  I was working back then as I am now and I am still singing the praise of slow cooking.

In the last 2 years I have noticed in grocery stores the emergence of crock pot/slow cooker mixes.  You add your meat or chicken and one or two other ingredients with the packet mix and you have your crock pot dinner ready to cook.

I have used them once or twice when I was really busy but prefer to work from one of my own recipes as then I know exactly what  is in it that I am serving my family.  Their popularity though tells me that there is a market now that wasn't there or big enough before.

People have discovered the great taste that slow cooking brings to the dish and how simple it is to make.  Another benefit is the small amount of clean up required.  If you are working then you know you want to relax as much as you can when you come home and not be in the kitchen.

How nice it is to know that dinner is cooking itself while you are at work or away from home all day.  I am glad that others are now finding how convenient crock pot dinners are and how great they taste too.

If you haven't joined the crock pot revolution then now is the time!  Crock pot dinners will change the way you cook and how you spend your time when you are home from a hard day's work.

Cooking on a budget is more often easier than you think.  Here are a few tips for cheap easy meals using your slow cooker. Don't forget to ask your mother and grandmother for their tips too as they had to be experts in the depression years.

Buy in bulk or when on special

You don't have to be a big family to benefit but you will need a big enough freezer or pantry cupboard to cope with this method of cooking on a budget.  This includes meat and vegetables and make sure to prepare them properly for the freezer or for bottling and canning.   When you find groceries you use often  ''on special' then buy them up too.  Items like canned tomatoes and beans are two that I stock up on.

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