Crock pots are great for when you have class. Its so convenient to just dump everything into the crock pot in the morning and not have to worry about it the rest of the day. Not exactly fast, but definitely worry free. One of my favorites is Cranberry Chicken because I can use skinless chicken thighs and they are cheaper than buying chicken breast.

I like to heat 1/2 cup of black-eyed peas with 1/2 cup of diced tomatoes with jalapenos (both from cans) in a skillet until the excess liquid is simmered away. It makes for a good, inexpensive main meal or side dish.

NOMNOMNOM

We stock up on meat when it's on sale...for example, boneless skinless chicken breasts (my favorite) were buy one get one free at the store, so we stocked up on them. Same with ground chuck when it's on sale...which is rare, here. So if you eat meat, check the sales ads, and some butchers will even give you a heads up when certain types of meat will be going on sale, if they know in advance.

Like repubgurl said, I love my crock pot! Even if I'm at home all day, I still use it.

A good recipe for the crock pot, if you like chicken soup:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or whatever other type of chicken you like)
1 tsp of "better than bouillon" vegetable base
Salt and pepper to taste
Onion flakes
Whatever veggies you like...I personally use mushrooms, carrots, and either eggplant or potatoes...I overload mine with the veggies, but again, it's all to your liking, however much you'd like.

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, then toss them into the crock pot with the vegetable base, salt, pepper, onion flakes, and veggies. Then add 1 cup of chicken broth or stock, and then add as much water is needed to cover every piece of chicken and veggies. Give it all a quick stir, and then set the crock pot. We usually eat ours over rice. For my boyfriend and I, this lasts for 2 dinners, and we usually have a small bowl left over afterwards as well.

Buying the chicken during a BOGO sale, investing in the vegetable base (it's around $5/jar, but it has lasted me quite a long time, since you only need a little bit!), getting cheaper spices and seasonings in bulk (if you have a GFS near you, I recommend them...HUGE tubs and jars of spices for half the price of the smaller ones in regular grocery stores!), and getting whatever veggies are on sale makes for a thrifty dinner. Also stocking up on rice helps...we got a year's worth of basmati rice (yes...a YEAR'S worth...and we eat rice at least a couple of times a week!) for $8 when it went on clearance.