What is your saving demon?

**akaivyleaf** · 08-24-2005, 05:13 AM

Re: What is your saving demon?

Mine is fast food. I stay so busy, its hard to find time to cook, let alone take multiple meals with me. I leave the house at 6am every morning, and very rarely get home before midnight. Who wants to cook at midnight, and then my stops along the way every day aren't conducive to pulling out meals to nuke so.... I do good, to pack my breakfast, and lunch and snack but at night I often find myself at a resturant or fast food venue. If I could do better about cooking and portioning out my food I'd be so much better.

**pennywise** · 08-24-2005, 06:21 AM

Re: What is your saving demon?

Right now I have tamed the demon with the help of this site. The price book was the GREATEST idea and has prevented me from overspending. Just this week I showed my DH that salt on sale at CVS (or someone) was 39 cents. At first I thought this was good and they would have had me, but my price book said Aldi's charges 25 cents regular price. So my demon was books, movies (DVD), and food. I had to cut down with all the tuition money. Don't believe in debt, period!!!! Thank you all, thank you!

**Bluezy** · 08-24-2005, 07:39 AM

Re: What is your saving demon?

An extra fizzy at the convenience store (or two), knowing fully that the price at the convenience store is 4x the amount of what it would cost bought in bulk. Those stores make it too easy when thirst calls.

**Fern** · 08-24-2005, 08:25 AM

Re: What is your saving demon?

I don't often do much cooking during the week so i spend more than I should for one of those ready-cooked rotisserie chickens at the supermarket.

**pennywise** · 08-24-2005, 08:28 AM

Re: What is your saving demon?

Girl, goodness! You can put a frozen whole chicken in the crock pot the night before and throw in what ever marinade and let it go on slow until the next night when you get home. A whole chicken at 89 cents a pound is 1/2 the cost.

**akaivyleaf** · 08-24-2005, 12:49 PM

Re: What is your saving demon?

Do crockpots really cook that slow? For someone like me... If I put a roast in a crock pot on LOW at 6:00am and didn't get home until Midnight, will I have burnt the roast and the house? Should I get a bigger crockpot, so I can add more water than probably is necessary to keep the cooking process slow?

**pennywise** · 08-24-2005, 01:41 PM

Re: What is your saving demon?

My crock cooks slow for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. I recommended putting the chicken in FROZEN so that takes from 10 p.m. to about 4 or 6 p.m next day on slow.

**Gailete** · 08-24-2005, 02:49 PM

Re: What is your saving demon?

Pennywise--if you buy the chicken frozen and cook it frozen, at what point do you pull out the giblets? I never thought about cooking one frozen. I need meals that do the work for me.

**pennywise** · 08-24-2005, 03:19 PM

Re: What is your saving demon?

I remove them after the chicken is cooked. I have done this several times and it works great. This way the meat is done, however, I did buy a second crock for the veggies. So I will have them both on, the veggies in the am and on slow. We are too hurried so the crock works great with everything. I do add water about 1/2 of the pot. Chili is another real easy thing to cook, open the can of beans, tomatoes, cut the green pepper, etc and go to work. You will find simple ways the more you use it. Just use it, forget the recipes. I do steak - put in water add flavoring like A1 and go to work. Anyone else with ideas for this busy gal?

**mom-from-missouri** · 08-24-2005, 06:33 PM

Re: What is your saving demon?

I do homemade leftover soup--all my leftover veggies go into a rubbermade container in the freezer until it is full. Then it is soup time. I add diced up beef (often leftover meat also-such as leftover hamburger or steak). Dump it all in the crockpot and add some aldi's tomato juice, simmer all night or all day. I don't salt or season it until before I serve it, as often the veggies and such were already seasoned when served the first time. If you need to "stretch it, add some rice or diced potato--if you can, do the potato first, as it will be raw and take a little longer to cook and blend flavors. Since it is basically all leftovers, all I am really paying for is the tomato juice. And, if it was a good tomato year, I make my own from the garden, so its all "free".

**Russell** · 08-24-2005, 07:04 PM

Re: What is your saving demon?

Saving deamon: Cars and computers stuff/books etc - oi!

**cercis** · 08-24-2005, 08:04 PM

Re: What is your saving demon?

DH's need for electronic gadgets. The man loves all the newest gadgets.

The other is we love to eat out. I don't cook much so he does all the cooking and eating out is his only real break. We help by buying certificates at restaurant.com and an entertainment book.

The year it has been travel. If we want to see family, we have to drive minimum 6 hours. But it's hard not to see family and to keep my kids from their grandparents. So, we'll drive 9 hours to Dallas next week to see my mom, spend two nights, maybe three, in a hotel.

And then, of course, the private school. I go back and forth between pulling them out next year (when DS2 starts 1st grade and therefore fulltime school) and keeping them in so that they don't have the high stakes testing in 3rd grade (DS1 stresses so hard about tests I'm honestly concerned about his health when it comes time to take these tests).

**baselle** · 08-24-2005, 09:53 PM

Re: What is your saving demon?

Bubble tea is my newest demon, joining CDs, DVDs, and lunch.

**marglo** · 08-24-2005, 10:15 PM

Re: What is your saving demon?

Well, we aren't saving right now except for those non-monthly expenses like Christmas, rather we are putting all extra money we can squeeze out on our debts, but if you mean something that comes up and takes your money that you had planned to use on other things.....it would be eating out, or books, ebay items. I am more tempted to buy things online it seems..guess it feels like it doesn't count or something! :-)

What is your saving demon?