Frugality

Have Leftovers? You Need a Vacuum Sealer!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, but I was excited for it to be over because I knew it would give me the opportunity to use my favorite money saving gadget. My wife and I hosted Thanksgiving, and there were a ton of leftovers by design. Once everyone left our home I busted out my Mesliese vacuum sealer.

I use it to create meal sized packages of smoked brisket, ham, and turkey to put into freezer for future use. It’s available at Amazon for only $84.99.

Advantages Of Vacuum Sealing

Vacuum sealing is a great way to handle leftovers:

• Easily Reheatable: Because the packages are vacuum sealed, they can be dropped in to a pan of boiling water and heated up quickly. I could also just poke a hole in the pouch and throw it in the microwave as well.
• Custom Sized : The pouches can be created any size I choose. I could create pouches that are single serving or family meal sized.
• No Freezer Burn: The airtight, sealed pouches prevent freezer burn and help the food last longer, and taste fresher when reheated.
• Save Money: By having great food that’s easily reheatable, I have a secret weapon in the battle against overpaying at a restaurant. These pouches will give us great options to take to work for lunches, or for family dinners weeks and months from now!

Vacuum Sealing Costs:

There are two main costs associated with vacuum sealing; The vacuum sealing unit, and the plastic rolls used to make the pouches.

• Vacuum Sealing Unit: The average cost of the actual unit can vary between $50 and $200.
• Plastic Rolls : Varying sizes and packages are sold, but a standard roll costs about $10. How often oyu need to purchase a new roll depends upon frequency of use, but I usually go through 1 or 2 rolls per year.

Whether you have leftovers by accident, or you’re purposefully creating extra food, a vacuum sealer can help you store your leftovers for delicious, quick, and money saving meals later!

Incidentally, another great vacuum sealer on Amazon is the Chef Preserve Vacuum Sealer. Its reasonably priced at $99 dollars on Amazon. It also comes with 30 vacuum bags.

Spare bags are very affordable on Amazon.  If you do want to go with Amazon, get the Prime 30-day free trial to avoid paying for shipping, then cancel when you’re done buying.

Brought to you courtesy of Brock

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Brock Kernin

Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children,  Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.