Save time and money on meals by getting the most out of your slow cooker— plus win £50,000 in our raffle
SLOW cooking can be a quick way to spending less cash.
It uses less electricity and making meals requires a lot less effort so you can save time and money.
I’ve been using my slow cooker for everything from one-pot meals to whole roast dinners, and it has been a revelation.
But several savvy Sun Savers have alerted me to other genius slow-cooking hacks, which are too good to keep to myself . . .
- LUNCH BOX: Hit the supermarket’s reduced yellow-sticker section at the end of a Monday and take whatever veg and meat they have, pop it in the slow cooker overnight with a few herbs and then blend it to make a soup you can cool and freeze in lunch box-sized portions for the week. The Morrisons’ Wonky Veg Box, £3.50, is always great for this, too.
- BAKE OFF: No good at baking? Let the slow cooker to do the hard work for you — and it costs almost nothing. Flour, salt, dried yeast and grease are all you need to make a delicious loaf of bread. There are plenty of recipes online and you’ll save at least £1 on the sliced stuff.
- PIZZA THE ACTION: Swap takeaways and store-bought, freezer-aisle pizza for a DIY slow-cooker pizza. Use the same ingredients you would for the loaf and line the bottom of the pot with some foil before you press your fresh dough into the base, then, while cooking, get tomato sauce and your toppings ready.
- LIGHT UP: You could use wax flakes in heat-proof jars inside your slow cooker to make beautiful DIY candles. Old jars (minus lids) work brilliantly or you could pick up 12 x 200ml jars for £6 at Hobbycraft, then you need soy wax flakes, £8, and wicks, £2.50. That’s £16.50 but you can make lots of great gifts for weddings, baby showers etc. It’s a saving on designer candles which start at £10 each.
- SCENT-SATIONAL: I’ve found a genius bargain way to keep my home smelling nice. Once a week, simply add a pack of Wilko’s Honeysuckle and Jasmine Pot Pourri, £3, to water in your slow cooker and your house will smell incredible.
- PRICES correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
Deal of the day
BUY two of Bloom and Blossom’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar baby products at Boots and get a free copy of parenting book Calm, with illustrations from the famous kids’ book, worth £6.87.
2-4-1 Sun Superdays
TAKE your explorers on an epic adventure this Easter with days out to some top UK attractions.
Discover an amazing underwater world at SEA LIFE, and come face to face with the country’s first and only sea otters at their new home at SEA LIFE Birmingham.
Or enter the new World Of David Walliams at Alton Towers Resort and help Granny and Ben to pull off the greatest jewel heist in history on Gangsta Granny: The Ride.
You can also celebrate 20 years of The London Eye by taking flight on one of the 32 pods, or visit the London, Edinburgh, York or Blackpool Dungeons for a taste of history with a dark twist.
Plus, this Easter the much-loved Julia Donaldson character Zog zooms into Warwick Castle, where you can learn to fly and roar to earn a golden star reward.
Cheap treat
McVITIES milk chocolate digestives are half-price at The Co-op. Snap up a pack for £1.35, down from £2.70.
SAVE: £1.35
My Sun Savers fiver
DONNA MARIE-GURNEY, from Abbots Langley, Herts, says: “I’m saving my fivers for my two children to put into their savings accounts.”
- Send us your Savers fiver stories at and you will get 28 codes worth £5 if it is used. Please include your name/town.
Top swap
JUMPSUITS are here to stay – and this denim one from Nutmeg at Morrisons is perfect for the spring. Bag it for £25, far cheaper than a similar version sold at Only for £64.99.
SAVE: £39.99
Reader's saving tip
NANCY MARLEY, from Maybole, Ayrshire, says: “I use the boiling salted water I’ve used to cook my veg as a weed killer. It’s environmentally friendly and cost-effective.”
- Share suggestions at and you will get 28 codes, worth £5, if yours is used here. Please include your name and town.
Shop and save
GRAB a sharing bag of Sensations Thai sweet chilli for £1 at Sainsbury’s, down from £2.
SAVE: £1
Hot right now
GET up to 50 per cent off selected fragrance gift sets at Boots – perfect for Mother’s Day.
Play now to win £50,000 on the Sun Savers Raffle
JOIN thousands of readers taking part in the new Sun Savers Raffle.
Every Sun Savers code you enter will earn you a ticket for our £50k monthly Raffle.
And for every ten tickets you collect in a calendar month, you get a GOLDEN TICKET for our £80k Raffle, which takes place every three months.
There is no limit to how many tickets you can collect.
So the more you enter, the better your chances.
To take part go to or open the Sun Savers app.
Then opt in to each month’s Raffle by clicking “Yes!” when prompted and start collecting the Sun Savers codes printed daily in the paper.
Every time you scan or enter a code into Sun Savers, you get a Raffle ticket in the £50k Raffle.
Not yet a Sun Savers member? Just go to or find “Sun Savers” in the app store to get started.
- T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs at .
Fancy a free fiver?
YOU can get FREE cash with super Sun Savers just for buying your favourite paper.
Our brilliant new rewards club will pay back our most loyal readers.
Just pick up the paper each day to collect your Sun Savers codes and we will GIVE YOU £5 when you have collected 28.
This isn’t a one-off and there is no limit to how much cash you can save.
For every 28 codes you enter, we will give you a fiver.
So over the course of a year, that could add up to £65.
We are keeping it super-simple.
You don’t have to enter codes from consecutive days, so don’t worry if you forget a day or two.
most read in money
Download our easy Sun Savers app and quickly scan your code using your smartphone.
Or go online and enter your code at .
To get you on your way, join today and we will put a bonus £1 in your Sun Savers wallet tomorrow.
And the good news doesn’t stop with free cash.
With Sun Savers, we give you the best hacks, deals and tips to save money every single day.
TO JOIN: Don’t worry, folks — joining takes just 30 seconds, .
- PRICES correct at time of going to press. Deals/offers subject to availability.
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