So I decided that I had a few bucks to spend on a used one. Instead of actually getting in the car and going to a garage sale or thrift shop like a normal person, I just posted on Facebook that I was interested in buying a bread machine. I kid you not, within 5 minutes I had two friends offering to give me one! For FREE! That's my kind of deal. I picked up the first one offered later that day and I've already used up an entire bag of bread flour.
Yesterday I decided to venture into new bread machine territory and make homemade bagels. They have to be shaped, boiled and baked by hand, but the bread machine makes them so easy! They take a lot of time for the rising, etc., but not a lot of effort. Now that my family knows I can make bagels at home, I'm sure the bread machine will be working overtime.
If you're interested you can find the recipe here.