Slow cookers are a budget-friendly way to make hearty, homemade meals. For about $30, you can purchase a basic slow cooker to make delicious one-pot meals for a family of four. Here is a month’s worth of budget-friendly slow cooker recipes to feed a family of four:

Chicken noodle soup is a classic, comforting dish that’s perfect for a slow cooker. Place four bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, an onion, three carrots, three celery stalks, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper in a slow cooker. Cover with low-sodium chicken broth and cook on Low for 6-8 hours. Remove chicken, shred with two forks and return to the pot. Add egg noodles and cook until tender.

For beef stew, cube one pound of beef chuck roast and place in a slow cooker with potatoes, carrots, celery and onion. Add broth and spices like rosemary, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook on Low for 8 hours. The beef will become very tender. Serve the hearty stew with crusty bread.

To make chili, brown one pound of ground beef with onion and garlic, then add to a slow cooker along with kidney beans, diced tomatoes, corn, and chili spices like cumin, oregano, basil and chili powder. Cook on Low for 6-8 hours. Top with cheese, scallions, avocado, or cornbread.

For BBQ pulled pork, place a 3-4 pound pork shoulder roast in a slow cooker and cover with your favorite BBQ sauce. Cook on Low for 8 hours or until the pork is falling apart. Shred the pork with two forks and mix with more BBQ sauce. Serve on buns with coleslaw.

To make Irish beef stew, place 1-1.5 pounds of stewing beef, potatoes, carrots, onion, and broth in a slow cooker. Add Guinness beer and spices like rosemary, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves. Cook for 8 hours on Low. The beef will become melt-in-your-mouth tender in the rich, flavorful stew.