It started out like any other potluck. I made chili, but the Crock-pot was only half full, so I added cooked macaroni and corn and ripe olives and green peppers until the Crock-pot was full. I found if it was only half full it burned around the edges. Besides, you don’t go to a potluck with a half full Crock-pot.

I was envious of my sister-in-law who received a “3 in 1 Slow Cooker” for a gift. She gets the best gifts. (I think she goes through the store and makes a list like a bride filling out a bridal registry. She always gets the latest thing, and usually, I have never heard of it.)

Back to the “3 in 1 Slow Cooker” – it was hard enough controlling my envy the year she received it; but it got worse each year because it came to every family dinner after that. She always had the right size bowl for whatever she wanted to bring – usually “Little Smokies” wrapped in bacon.

At the beginning of the summer I started making many meals in the Crock-pot instead of heating up the house. I decided I was going to buy myself a “3 in 1 Slow Cooker” and justify it by the savings on the air conditioner.

Then I saw the price.

I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. So I wrote down the measurements of the two Crock-pots I already own. One was 4 quart and the other was a 1 quart. All I needed was a 2 quart Crock-pot for the recipes that were smaller in volume.

I went online and found one for $10.00. That was much easier for me to spend than the $50.00 to $70.00 on the “3 in 1 Slow Cooker”.

I  used all three Crock-pots for one family dinner in July. We had three hot dishes and the house did not get heated up.

The moral of this story is to look at what you already have and buy only what you need.

As for my sister-in-law – I give up, she will always be more trendy than me!

These are my three Crock-pots!