I purchased a Foodsaver v2240 food storage system and absolutely love it. I can buy bulk meat and cheese, (works well with shredded cheese also), and divide it up and freeze it, thus saving trips to the market and money by buying in bulk. Another neat thing to do is to make up a 4-8 serving meal, (such as pasta or cassorole) then divide it up into individual servings and freeze them. Then for a fast meal drop it in the microwave or boiling water, and it is ready in minutes without prep or dirtying dishes. The system is simple to use and has the option of using bags, roll, or vacuum containers. The machine has an automatic vac and seal program, just put the bag in and press a button, it will do the rest. The machine also has dry and wet settings, (the difference is the amount of time it vacuums the bag). It also has an interrupt button for storing delicate things such as pastries and breads so they don't get crushed. The containers are great for leftovers extending their storage life by two to three times over Tupperware. The bags are convenient, but the roll is more economical because you only use the amount necessary to store what you put in it. Another upside to the heavy duty bags is you can microwave or boil them, (get the aftermarket bags like the ones elrodharris sells, I'm not promoting this seller, but using him as a point of reference. Most of the aftermarket bags are better than the ones from foodsaver if they are listed as microwavable).
BAG ROLLS FOR FOODSAVER - FOOD SAVER VACUUM SEALER BAGS 2 JUMBO ROLLS - 8" AND 11" - 100 TOTAL FEET - SAVE $21
These are cheaper than the ones you get from foodsaver and are heavier duty. Sometimes the ones from foodsaver melt if you heat them too much.
If you buy the system from EBAY it CAN save you about $50 over Costco, definitely worth the investment.
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