My sous vide life

For me, living a sous vide life means to...
 - Buy in bulk
 - Vacuum pack meal courses
 - cook-chill/cook-freeze
 - Cook foods gently and thoroughly, to the desired doneness, at precisely controlled temperatures

Benefits...
 - Volume priced food
 - Fast, no-fuss meal prep
 - Non-critical cook times
 - Meals are consistently delicious
 - No waste
 - Less cleanup
 - Cost savings
 - Better food safety
 - Refrigerator is less cluttered
 - It's healthier (portioning helps me to keep an eye on my calorie intake)

I buy fresh chicken, beef, pork and frozen vegetables at sale prices, portion for meals, vacuum package it, pre-cook/pasteurize, then store in the refrigerator or chest freezer. In the morning I cut open lunch courses and put them in a microwavable container for work. I can drop dinner courses in the sous vide bath either before or after work.

I've spent $960 on gear & gadgets to facilitate my new life (so far), but I think it saves even more than that over the course of a year between the grocery store and restaurants (by virtue of fewer visits thereto) and spoilage of leftovers.

My setup...
 - Ary VacMaster VP112S chamber vacuum sealer ($525)
 - VonShef 8-liter sous vide water oven ($99)
 - Gourmia GSV130 sous vide immersion circulator ($129)
 - Rubbermaid 12-quart commercial polycarbinate food container ($16.25)
 - Kenmore 12702 7.2 cu. ft. Chest Freezer, White ($189.99)