Yes, the bags can be expensive, but you can find some bulk bargains on Amazon and they go on sale at our local Farm & Fleet store when regular canning supplies go on sale. If you need to freeze/store items for a LONG time, they are well worth it. If we butcher a steer or bag a deer, we two are certainly NOT going to eat that all up any sooner than a year or so, so for us, it’s worth it and it’s cheaper in the long run to do meat in bulk, or to take advantage of seasonal sales if/when you have to buy meat.
I stumbled upon a total STEAL on pork loins, once - talked the kid into selling me two when they were limiting it to one, per. So, sealing all of that up with the Food Saver really was worth it.
I guess you have to think about how you’ll use it. With all of our wild game and fish & occasional road kill (Beau hit 3 deer and 1 steer in 2015!) and with growing a lot of garden produce, it’s worth it to us. ;)
My husband just happens to be at Cabela’s now! So I’m having him check them out.
I’m thinking mainly of buying one for my business, and using it to keep the dried chilies and other spices I buy fresher. It’s cheaper for me to buy a huge bag, but then I would need a way of storing what I don’t use right away. Of course, I’ll end up experimenting and using some of it for personal use. And if the business goes under, all of it!