I truly enjoy going to the grocery store. I like to bring the girls along and use it as an educational errand and teach them that a piece of fruit and fruit snacks are not the same thing. I do get to take more time when I am by myself and really read all the nutritional labels - but that is another story.

If you spend a lot of money on your produce (especially if they are organic), you don't want them to go to waste. On average, American families end up trashing 14% of the food they buy because it spoils. Here are some tips on how to store your groceries so they can last long enough for you to enjoy them.

• Apples give off a gas called ethylene that speeds up ripening in vegetables, so don't just throw your veggies and apples in the crisper all together. Store your apples separately.
• Cold temps can actually damage some veggies and fruits like squash, tomatoes, and oranges. So keep these on your counter away from the cold.
• If you love bananas but find that they turn mushy too quickly, store them in your fridge once they have ripened. The skin will turn brown, but the fruit inside will last much longer. If they are already overly ripe, peel them and then place them in a ziploc bag in the freezer. You can use them later to make homemade banana bread or a smoothie.

Want to hear the rest? Then read more

• To prevent salad greens from getting slimy, place them in a plastic ziploc bag, blow a little air into the top and then seal it off. This keeps them crisp and fresh.
• If you buy meat and store it in the freezer, place it in your own ziploc bag and squeeze out all the air. The paper or flimsy plastic wrap you get when you buy it may not protect it from freezer burn.
• Got leftovers? Don't just put a piece of foil or plastic wrap over a bowl. Transfer them to airtight plastic containers with lids to keep the oxygen out.
• Take care of your dry goods too. Cereals, flours, crackers, and chips should be sealed up to prevent them from going stale or attracting bugs like food moths. I keep my flour in the fridge in a ziploc bag, and I put cereals and crackers in ziploc bags as well. I'm a fan of those chip clips too, and use those to seal off opened bags of potato and corn chips.

Fit's Tips: This should help to keep your food fresh once it's home, but another thing you can do is only buy what you can use for that week. Make a meal and snack schedule before you go to the store, so you have an idea about when you'll be eating those foods. Place that schedule on the fridge once you get home from the store. That way it'll remind you what you had planned to make, so fruit, veggies, and cheese don't get forgotten.

Source