Crock Pot Finances
Dave Ramsey often says his method of building wealth is the “crock pot method in a microwave culture.” He’s trying to use something very common - cooking - to illustrate his point that building true wealth takes time and is never a “get rich quick” scheme. In fact, according to Thomas J. Stanley PhD the average millionaire takes approximately fifteen years to make their first million dollars.
What Dave Ramsey fails to mention, but gets a LOT of forum space over at My Total Money Makeover site, is that investing in a simple crock pot is actually a great way to improve your financial situation. I know it’s helped mine!
Before getting on the Dave Ramsey plan, we ate out at restaurants…a LOT. We probably easily spent about $300 a month going out to eat. That was the first thing to go when I got on a budget, and I often miss some of the things I simply don’t know how to cook myself.
When I was a kid (back in the Dark Ages according to my son), we called a crock pot a “slow cooker” and it would often spend all day doing up pot roast while mom was at work. A common chore for me as the oldest kid was to cut up potatoes and carrots after school to toss in so we could have a small feast for supper when everyone got home. I have had a small crock pot for soups and whatnot, and just this past fall I bought a larger one to restart the fine tradition of pot roasts in my house. GREAT investment!
I’ve discovered great good things can be made from pot roast leftovers. Pull the meat out before you make the gravy, and use half of it for killer good burritos. Toss some of the meat back into the gravy and add some vegetables to make a stew. Do up a large pot of potato or broccoli soup for a side dish (main course for the now-vegetarian son) for maybe two days for my guys. It keeps us out of restaurants and between the chest freezer my father-in-law bought us for Christmas and the crock pot, I’ve added great variety for these winter months by stocking up on great sales and planning 8 hours in advance for supper.
It sounds like such a tiny step, until you remember we probably spent at least $300 a month on restaurants before getting on a budget. Grocery bills have been creeping up steadily over the past six months, and my crock pot I bought on sale has definitely helped me contain that. The savings per month on just the grocery bill probably covers the interest paid on the truck note right now!
