Tried meal prepping with a vacuum sealer for 2 months and saved $140 on groceries

Honestly I thought it was just hype but after sealing chicken and veggies that used to go bad in 3 days they last like 10 now. Has anyone else noticed a big difference with storing bulk stuff this way?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantf7314d ago

Youre missing the bigger picture here... vacuum sealers are just another plastic waste machine. Sure your chicken lasts longer but now youre throwing away a ton of plastic bags every week that cant be recycled because theyve got food residue all over them. $140 saved on groceries is nothing compared to the hidden cost of all that packaging youre sending to the landfill. Plus vacuum sealing actually ruins the texture of vegetables like broccoli or green beans they come out mushy and weird no matter how fast you eat them. And if you forget to dry the food all the way before sealing you end up with freezer burn anyway just in a more expensive way. People act like this is some kind of magic trick but its really just a fancy way to generate more garbage for a small grocery discount.

karen_roberts414d agoTop Commenter

Yeah, you make a really good point about the plastic waste. I used to think vacuum sealers were this amazing tool for saving money and I almost bought one last year. But after reading what you said @grantf73 about all those bags ending up in the landfill with food residue, it just clicked for me. I mean, saving $140 is nice but not if youre just trading one expense for another one that hurts the planet. The texture thing with veggies is spot on too, Ive had friends complain about mushy broccoli from their sealer. Honestly, you changed my whole view on these things.

sullivan.spencer13d ago

I heard somewhere that you can actually reuse the bags if you just wash them out good enough, might cut down on waste a bit. I get the concern about plastic though, it's a real trade off between saving money and creating trash. The texture thing with veggies is true for stuff like broccoli but I find carrots and potatoes hold up really well in there. And honestly, you can compost the veggie scraps from your prep anyway so maybe that balances some of it out.