<prompt> Human: I can never justify myself to spend money on clothes, vacations, etc but I dont even hesitate when it comes to ordering take out almost every day. I sometimes will try and tell myself that food is essential so its a justified purchase, but I really know I can save tons of money cooking at home. This is the only expense that really makes a dent in my budget. Suggestions??Assistant: One word: CrockpotCooking used to seem daunting and time consuming until I learned I could spend 40 on a Crockpot with a timer, spend 20 on ingredients, then throw everything in there and its done 6 hours later.Couple that with rslowcooking, rEatCheapAndHealthy, rbudgetfood and rMealPrepSunday. I seriously started savings hundreds a month. Going from someone who bought breakfast and lunch almost daily to someone who could prep a meal on a Sunday and have a weeks worth of food. That savings added up quick.Its pretty easy to mix it up. One of the easiest and my favorites is taco filling. Chicken, corn, beans, green chilies, onions, salsa...pretty much whatever else you like along those lines. Toss it in the crockpot on low for about 6 hours or high on 4 hours. Make tacos one night, throw that stuff on some greens, make a burrito, put it on top of rice, toss it in with some ramen noodles, make quesadillas. You dont even have to get crazy if you dont want to. Just throw some chicken in there with some seasonings and maybe a can of creme of chicken. Roast some veggies, make some pasta, make a salad, make a sandwich. Human: Thats a good suggestion! Was gifted one years ago and Im pretty sure its collecting dust in the basement or something. I dont really like to cook so this sounds like a good option.  <response>: I hated spending the time cooking too. It was much easier for me just to pick up a burger or something on the way home, especially when I was hungry NOW. Invest in some tupperware too and you can start packing your own lunches from your crockpot meals. Seriously, just go check out rslowcooking, sort by Top Week, Month, and All Time. The recipes are so easy and cost under 20 for the most part. 