OP - once you have finished cooking/using, you basically fill the bowl with warmish water to the top of the blades, turn to speed 6 for 10 seconds, then the same on reverse, then to get the water up into the lid, hit turbo, then I just rinse the lid/bowl/seal/MC under a hot tap with an IKEA long handled scrubbing brush, takes 2 seconds, I think you can buy a proper thermomix brush but the IKEA one is about a $1.

Re the slow cooker, it doesn't slow cook as such, but I've found that all the recipes I used to slow cook - beef strog, chicken casserole, soups etc, are tastier and easier in the TM, so I haven't dragged my slow cooker out since.

I just made butter chicken from the Indian cookbook for dinner tonight with a few variations - more puree'd tomato, less chilli and less liquid (water and cream) and its totally killer, cant wait to eat it, making Naan's shortly too!

You'd be able to work it in the budget, mine is paying for itself