I love my Excalibur too, but I hear you about the price.
For most things (dried veggies and fruit, fruit leather) you should be fine storing in glass jars, good airtight tupperware, even ziplocs, for a few months. If you are doing meats and whole meals, then without a vacuum packer I would go with the freezer option.
Chef Glenn's site is a great resource, especially for ideas about dehydrating whole meals: www.backpackingchef.com.
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