If you want your chocolate, nuts, brown rice, cornmeal, and other non-refrigerator items to still be yummy longer all you have to do is use your Food saver with the jar attachment. Simply cram all of your "peanut M&Ms" in a Mason jar, put on the clean lid, attach the Foodsaver jar attachment, suck out the air, add the jar ring, and Voila! You've got fresh nuts, or candy, or whatever dry food you want for a very, very long time. The cool thing is you can even open your jar, get what you want out of it, then go through the steps all over again and still keep them fresh!  I'll NEVER have to go without my chocolate bars or almonds now. Oh, and by the way, you can get a Foodsaver on E-bay for CHEAP. If you want to preserve more fine items such as cocoa, muffin mix, etc, simply put it first in a sealed plastic bag with all of the air out of it, then put it in the jar and seal the same way.  AwESOME!

Guess what I just discovered? You can also simply put a mason jar INSIDE of your canister sealer, use your foodsaver, and thus seal the contents inside of the mason jar without having to spend more money on a jar attachment! So cool!

So you put the jar into the canister to seal. Do you have to keep the jar in the canister to store? Or does it seal the jar somehow so that you can remove from canister?

I want a food saver now! They sound great.

Which model do you guys recommend getting? I have been looking into getting a food saver for a VERY long time, but I have often thought that the fact that you have to buy special vacuum bags for it doesn't make it worth it because they are expensive. But I guess I will have to get one now.

I don't use the bags a whole lot. But I have tons of jars. The good news is that once you open the jar, so long as you don't ruin the lid in the process of a fevered lunge for those Peanut M&Ms you can simply reseal the jar with the same lid. It's as simple as that.  Also, the bags are quite affordable at Costco and they offer a coupon on them frequently as well.  The bags are also reusable if you get into them. You can simply reseal them.
The only thing you have to worry about when you select a model is to make sure that it comes with the air port.

A couple of things about using the Food Saver Systems:
  * You do not have to have canisters to store things.
  * You can use the bags to seal, freeze, store on shelf, boil in bag, microwave, etc. 
The only time you can reuse the bags are when you store things on the shelf or freeze items in them.  Be careful with freezing meat.  I always freeze my meat, chicken, etc., in individual pieces on a cookie sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap and put a whole bunch into a vacuum bag.  Then when I want some I take out the number of pieces I want and revacuum seal the freezer bag and put it back in the freezer.  When it is empty, I do not have to worry about contamination from meat and thus reuse the bags over and over again - one item I do to be careful is to rinse the bag out and only freeze the same type of meat in it each time. 
 
Hmmmm...some of this has already posted, but I don't know how... So be sure to read the whole thing I just added - and Congrats Diva on the E-Bay Win for $34!!!

Some items of interest about using the Food Saver Systems:
  * If you get one, please read all the instructions and watch your CD or other video that comes with it - several times - they will answer most of your questions.
  * You do not have to have canisters to store things.  I actually prefer the Mason Jars and Bags.
  * If your Food Saver comes with a large canister, great - you could seal regular and wide mouth mason jars in it.  If it comes with a jar sealer, it will come with either the regular size or the wide mouth size sealer. Mine came with the regular and I purchased the wide mouth sealer.
  * Mason Jars, not mayonnaise jars, are recommended because Mason Jars are strong enough for vacuum.   
* You can use the bags to seal, freeze, store on shelf, boil in bag, microwave, etc. 
  * The only time you can reuse the bags are when you store things on the shelf or freeze items in them.  They can not be reused if you have boiled or microwaved in them. 
  * Just remember to be careful with freezing meat.  (They actually recommend that you do not reuse the bag when you store/freeze meat in it.)  I always freeze my meat, chicken, etc., in individual pieces on a cookie sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap and put a whole bunch into a labelled vacuum bag.  Then when I want some I take out the number of pieces I want, easily unwrap them, and revacuum seal the freezer bag and put it back in the freezer.  When the vacuum bag is empty, I do not have to worry about contamination from meat and thus reuse the bags over and over again - one thing I do to be careful is to rinse the bag out and only freeze the same type of meat in it each time. 
  * My Food Saver had cut my grocery budget for years!  I LOVE IT!!!   

More reasons to have a food saver vacuum / sealer.  Take advantage of manufacturers packaging:

Those who do not have large families can use them to reseal the bags that chips, crackers, cookies, or cereal come in and they remain fresh for a long time.  The new Food Savers have an instant seal feature.  Note:  Don't rip open your bags - just cut straight across the top with opening them each time.

Also use the vacuum seal function on the frozen waffle, sausage, etc., bags.  (Even one sausage or meat patty resealed is worth the effort because it is so easy - you aren't re-bagging anything - just using the manufactured bag and saving money. And a lot less wasted food!)

Reseal your salad in the bag it came in - you don't have to have special containers. And it lasts for weeks.