> I'm looking for some type of meter that I can put on an appliance that
 > plugs into an outlet so I can get a measurement of how much electricity is
 > actually being used.  So far I haven't found any in looking through a few
 > relevant catalogs.  Any suggestions are appreciated.
Radio Shack has a "clampon ammeter" for under $50.00 that will do most of 
what you want. Multiply the current in amps times your voltage to get watts 
used. It's not exact due to some technical considerations, but it's probably 
close enough for your purposes.
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