I have been wanting a slow cooker for a long time. DH has been wanting a deep fryer for a long time. However, since neither of these items were "necessary," we'd dithered about getting either one. Of all things, our friend recently told us about a wondrous machine that works both as a slow cooker AND a deep fryer. We found one yesterday, then negotiated the price down by about $25 USD, then used our store discount "club card" to get another 7% off.

Our friend also told us how to buy "Number 6" beef (in Israel each cut of beef is assigned a number, rather than a name), so I can start making yummy slow-cooker stews. This is great news, as DH and I are both working evenings now, and frequently both of us are working random hours between 2 and midnight, so neither of us has time to cook anything, much less eat at the same time. With this new machine, I can do the "cooking" in the morning, and then things will be ready for a quick plating whenever either of us gets a break.