When it comes to buying groceries, I realize I am an odd duck. I work out of the home. I get bored. The grocery store is about a 2-minute drive from my house. Also, we don’t cook all that much. Bottom line, shopping is boredom therapy for me, and I am at the grocery store 3 or 4 times a week, buying 6 or 9 dollars’ worth of stuff at a time.
I’m not a mom with 4 kids buying…however much groceries are needed to, you know, keep them alive and stuff. But if I were, I would be concerned about food waste and spoilage, and making my purchases last.
If that’s you, you should check out this piece from MoneyTalksNews, “21 Tricks to Make Groceries Last Longer.” Here are some highlights…
- Toss spoiled produce: the culprit is ethylene. Rotting produce emits this gas, and it corrupts the good produce.
- Punch holes in plastic produce bags: Trapped moisture speeds up breakdown
- Freeze fruit: Apparently, you can do this. I have never tried anything beyond bananas
- Shrink-wrap the crown of bananas: Again, ethylene. This apparently helps
- Fresh herbs in water: Bundled in a vase, just like flowers!
- Onions in pantyhose: Your mom read this in a Helpful Heloise article in 1977
- Store counter items away from windows: Sunlight makes produce age faster.
- Wraps greens in foil: Makes them last longer in the fridge
- Reduce clutter in the fridge: Better air flow means better temperature distribution, fewer warm spots
- Upside down tomatoes: If the stem is gone, storing upside down means less air will seep into the hole and cause spoilage
There are many more tips at the original piece, so check it out!
Some of these make complete sense, others (such as buttering your sliced cheese for storage) seem a little nutty. But, if you’re desperate to wring every penny out of your food budget, preventing food waste is a big concern.
How about you? See any useful tips? Any old family tricks you would like to share? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!