The unit
IMHO, the manual units are better than the automatic ones. I spent a fair amount of time researching and I noticed that the reviews for the automatic ones had a significant number of bad reviews, but almost all of the manual ones had a far higher number of good reviews. So for the extra step or two of motion, I opted for 3240 manual unit and lucked into catching it on sale at Target.
The bags
I don't buy the pre-formed bags anymore. Instead, I buy the rolls and have gotten pretty good at judging how big/small to make the bags as to have minimal waste. Just takes a little practice. I watch for sales and purchase ahead. There are several vendors on eBay that are a little bit cheaper. Just search on 'Foodsaver Bags'.
Useage
Sounds to me like what you're wanting it for is perfect. I've found that when you're bagging up raw meat, it's good to put it in the freezer until it's just firm, not frozen. It tends to help keep any liquids out of the machine. Get in the habit of labeling & dating the bag with a sharpie before putting it in the freezer. After a month, you're not going to remember what it is or when you put it in there. You will probably want to use the oldest stuff first, although I've had steaks frozen for months and come out as good as the day it went in there.
Russ
