OK, here's a question for you, and be honest:

When was the last time you opened the fridge door and went...'Uh-oh'? You know, there's that certain aroma that waifs out the door that tells you 'Yep, something didn't last'.

You take a look at the milk and realize it may have been in there just a little too long. Maybe that pound of ground beef thawed just a little too much. Or that leftover goulash might be a little too, ah, leftover.

And into the garbage it goes (And get that garbage outside as fast as possible!). Yes, as it turns out, we are a wasteful group of folks.

In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average family of four throws away $1,500 worth of food every year.  Here are six types of food, and how you can make them last longer . . .

1.  Onions.  Keep them in the refrigerator in a paper bag, and they'll last more than two weeks.

2.  Hard cheese.  Take it out of the plastic it came in, and wrap it in parchment paper and tin foil.  Parchment paper is the stuff you use for baking.  It can last for months.  And if it gets moldy, just cut away an inch of cheese around the moldy spot.

3.  Apples.  They'll last ten times longer if you keep them in the coldest, most humid part of your fridge.  That's usually the bottom drawer.

4.  Potatoes.  Don't throw them away just because they grow sprouts.  Just break the sprouts off.  Potatoes actually tend to be sweeter after sprouts have grown on them.

5.  Lettuce.  Put it in a plastic bag . . . poke about ten holes in it . . . and it should last about four times longer.

6.  Milk and dairy.  Bring a cooler or an insulated bag with you when you go shopping.  Or just make it the last thing you put in your shopping cart.  The shelf life for dairy products goes way down if they're exposed to heat, even if it's just for an hour.

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