Want To Save On Food? This Is The One Kitchen Gadget You Need

Buying a new gadget or small appliance for my kitchen is not a decision I take lightly. I try to avoid unnecessary clutter in my kitchen as much as possible, so I’m really selective about buying things that will take up counter space. That being said, I believe that sacrificing a bit of space to my vacuum sealer was one of the best decisions I’ve made in years!

Many people tend to view vacuum sealers as unnecessary luxuries, or as only being useful for preppers or people with big families. But everyone can benefit from owning a vacuum sealer, and today I’ll tell you exactly how! Whether you’re cooking for two people or ten, using a vacuum sealer to store food will help you stock up, cut back on waste, and save money almost effortlessly.

Related: This One Simple Trick Will Save You A Fortune On Groceries

9 Ways That A Vacuum Sealer Will Save You Money

1. Freeze Foods Longer

Using a vacuum sealer, you can kiss freezer burn goodbye! The lifespan of frozen foods stored in a vacuum-sealed bag is MUCH longer than foods stored in a normal freezer bag. For instance, frozen beef will stay fresh for about 6 months when stored in a freezer bag. But if you use a vacuum sealer to store it, frozen beef can last around 2 or 3 YEARS!

When you take freezer burn out of the equation, your frozen foods won’t go to waste. And less waste equals less wasted money!

2. Buy In Bulk

With a vacuum sealer, you can take advantage of sale prices on foods like meat and cheese by buying them in bulk. Freeze whatever you won’t use immediately in vacuum-sealed bags. They’ll stay fresh for months and months and save you a lot of money over time!

3. Keep Herbs Fresh

You can use a vacuum sealer to keep herbs fresh for months! Quickly blanch the herbs in boiling water—about one minute should do—then dunk them into ice water. Dry the herbs off, then vacuum seal and freeze them. Buy fresh herbs in the summer when they’re cheap, and use them up throughout the winter!

(This method is great for using herbs in cooked recipes! But the freezing process affects the texture of fresh herbs, so it’s not an ideal method if you want to use the herbs raw.)

4. Shop Seasonally

Grocery stores usually offer the lowest prices when a particular food is most readily available. Take advantage of any seasonal items by buying in bulk when the price is low. Use your vacuum sealer to seal them up and store them in your freezer. You can enjoy cheaper, tastier produce all year long!

5. Keep Refrigerated Foods Fresh

You can use a vacuum sealer to extend the lifespan of foods in the fridge too! Seal up cheese, produce, and anything else you want to keep fresh. (Just be careful not to crush any delicate produce!)

6. Keep Leftovers Longer

Leftovers typically only stay fresh in the fridge for a day or two. You can keep them fresh for up to a week just by storing them in vacuum-sealed bags! No more throwing out leftovers you forgot to eat.

7. Extend The Life Of Dry Goods

Dry goods already have a pretty long lifespan, but vacuum-sealing them can help them last even longer! Store flour, sugar, rice, dry beans, nuts, oats, and more in vacuum-sealed bags. This is really useful for long-term food storage.

8. Make The Most Of Your Space

Vacuum-sealed bags are more compact than traditional storage bags and containers. When each item is compact, you can fit more of them in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. When you have more space, you have more space to store bulk products and save even more money!

9. Meal Prep

You can use a vacuum sealer to store easy meals in your fridge or freezer. If you have something on hand you can make quickly, you’ll be less likely to spend money on a last-minute fast food run. You can portion out and seal smoothie ingredients for breakfast, or freezer meals for dinner!  Check out some of our favorite easy freezer meals that can be made in an hour.

Honestly, it’s almost impossible to not save money when you start using a vacuum sealer to store food. And while they’re simple machines to use, there are a few tips and tricks that are definitely worth learning. Here are 5 useful tips that will help you make the most of your vacuum sealer!

5 Useful Tips & Tricks For Using A Vacuum Sealer

Freeze First – If something is likely to be crushed by the pressure of a vacuum sealer, freeze it first! If you freeze delicate or wet items like bread, berries, and sauces first, they won’t get crushed or squished when you seal them up.

Stop Halfway Through – Another method for sealing up wet or delicate items is to stop the vacuuming process before it finishes. Just press the Vac/Seal button, then press Seal before the item gets squished or liquid starts leaking out. It will immediately stop the vacuuming process and seal the bag up.

Label Everything – Keep a marker near your vacuum sealer so you can label all your bags. Make sure to note what the food is and when you sealed it. This will help you identify what should get used up first when you get around to eating it.

Use The Same Bag – You can get vacuum sealer bags in roll form, which makes it easy to make bags as long or short as you want. If you want to be able to use a little bit of a certain food at a time, store it in an extra-long bag. You can cut it open, get some of the food out, then reseal it again and again. It’s much less wasteful than using a new bag every time!

Get A Good Deal – My favorite vacuum sealer is the Food Saver FM2000. It’s simple, gets the job done, and doesn’t take up too much space on my counter. It typically runs around $80, but Amazon changes its prices all the time. It regularly goes on sale for around $60 (and I’ve seen it go as low as $50!)

Do you have a vacuum sealer?