I’m a little embarrassed to say that I find myself throwing out food more often than I’d like. It’s pretty typical for me to forget about some produce I’ve bought until it’s gone bad. In the store I had great plans for those mushrooms, but when they got to my house I somehow forgot about them, and when I remember, it’s too late. And that’s wasteful and sad. Well, that’s all gonna change because I now know that keeping food fresh is all about how you store it!

• Lemons: Store in a resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator and they should last for a month.
• Whole wheat flour: Refrigerate it to keep it fresh longer.
• Avocado: Spray a cut avocado or extra guacamole with cooking spray, cover it, and put in the refrigerator to keep it fresh and green.
• Fresh herbs: Wash them and dry well, then freeze.
• Nuts: Store in the freezer.
• Mushrooms: Keep them in the fridge in paper bags, not plastic.
• Fruits and vegetables: Store them in separate drawers in the fridge to make them last longer.
• Potatoes: Keep them at room temperature with an apple to delay sprouting. And don’t store onions and potatoes together- they each emit gases that make the other rot faster.
• Greens: In a storage container lined with paper towels.
• Milk: Inside the fridge on a shelf- not the door. The door is not cold enough for milk.
• Eggs: In their store carton- also on a refrigerator shelf.
• Bananas: Don’t separate them until you want to eat them- they’ll last longer in a bunch. Wrap the tops of ripe bananas in plastic wrap to prevent them from ripening more.
• Tomatoes: Keeping them stem side down keeps them juicy, and for best flavor they should not be refrigerated unless they start to get overripe.
• Bread: Although most refrigerate bread, that will actually make it spoil faster. Keep it on the counter in a sealed bag or container.

Of course these little storage hacks won’t keep milk and produce fresh forever, but they’ll help you keep them a little longer, saving your food- and your money- from the garbage.