I love my serger, and don't feel like I could live w/out it, if you are doing two straight stiches plus a zigzag stitch, even if you use the 2 needle function, you are still going around your clothing, purses twice. Just that aspect will save you time. I have a White ATS 2000 that I can't stand AT ALL, it is my "back up" machine. My full time machine is a Janome 204D which I LOVE LOVE LOVE. I have used the Brother 1034D and I don't love it as much as my Janome, the differential is really easy to set, and you rarely have to change it. It is much quieter than any other machine I have tried (important if you have kids that nap lightly), threading is not as easy as the White, BUT, I had it for 2 months before I ever had to rethread it because I could just tie on and it threaded easily. It comes with a very detailed manual which is nice for beginners. What I love most about it though, is that I can't find a fabric that won't go through it. My White will NOT serge knits or streatchy fabric very well, it gets scallopy, no matter what I do to the tensions. If you decide you do need a serger, I would really recommend driving around and "test driving" as many sergers as you can. I would also recommend looking at
http://www.patternreview.com they have thousands of reviews on machines. Good luck!