Stocking Up

Stocking Up
Stocking Up

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stocking-up
Our most money-saving appliance in our home is a FoodSaver Vacuum sealer. We use it to vacuum seal fruits, vegetables, meats, homemade stir-fry meals, casseroles, as well as single serving size leftovers.

Which kind of Food Sealer is best?
The jury is still out on this one, but I’m partial to FoodSaver vacuum sealing system. In the last 15 years, I’ve purchased 5. I don’t know how many years they are supposed to last, but generally speaking, mine seem to peter out at about 3 years. Even at around $150-250, it’s a great investment that can save you thousands.

Generally speaking, I prefer to purchase our meat on a monthly basis, when we can find good deals. I realize that this particular method can be difficult for families that are living week to week on a paycheck or who have been laid off and working on a limited fixed income, Which is why we’ve offered our series on $50 weekly menus. It is still possible to find great deals on a week by week basis and stock your freezer.

Here’s how we prepare our Meals for the Freezer:

stocking-upStart by dividing the packages of meat up into “meals”. These package sizes will vary depending on the size of your family. When the kids were younger, 2 chicken breasts were plenty, now we use 3, etc. It also depends on what you intend to use the meat for, are you going to grill it, put it in a casserole, etc. You won’t need as much meat for a stir-fry or casserole.
stocking-upFold the top of the bag down before placing the meat into them, this prevents the top from getting wet (& yucky)!
stocking-upI usually wait to seal them until I have all of the packages filled.
stocking-upSee how the top is folded . . .
stocking-upNext- if you’d like, you can take a few paper towels, split them into quarters and fold them (like a paper fan). I use these to insert in the very tops of the bags to prevent the juice from the meat from being sucked into the well of the sealer.

stocking-up I realize that the latest design in foodsavers has a deeper well for juice, but I’ve found that not doing this results in a very messy cleanup.

Don’t forget to write the date on the bag!

Happy Sealing!

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About GB101 720 Articles
Filled with an insatiable wanderlust to see the world, I've dedicated most of my life to saving money where I can so I can afford to see and do the things I want. I dug our family out of debt by reducing our grocery expense to less than $300 a month. You can too!

4 Comments

  1. I have always wanted one of these but they can be so expensive. i can see the ways i can save with it but with that down payment im worried that i wouldnt use it enough or save enough in the long run

  2. I just read about using the sealer and I am sure it works great. I use the zip lock freezer bags that have the air punp. The pump is not run on batteries or electricity. It is a little hand pump that costs very little.

    I really don’t have space for any more appliances, although I do drool over some of the news things coming out on the market now. I have never had any trouble with the zip lock system and the bags can be washed and reused, unless they were used for meat. So if you are space and money challenged like me, then you might want to give this system a try.

  3. Hmm, I will have to dig my sealer out and try using it again. DH used to be the one that used it and I was the one getting everything ready to be sealed. With our move several years ago we stopped doing that. Now I will need to find the bags for it.
    My favorite item to save money though so far has been my electric meat slicer we bought many years ago.

    I use it to slice up boneless roasts, and dill pickles for use in sandwiches and salad plates and things come out like the deli, and all at sale prices. Now I will have to see how that meat will work sealed and saved ( that would be nice to make more variety).:ohmy:

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