Here I go again, throwing out a bunch of bananas, dumping some old carrots, and tossing rotting apples and tomatoes.

I feel like I lose a lot of money over this type of things A LOT. More than I should ever.

I’m always misreading when avocadoes are supposed to be eaten, or misjudging how long bananas will last, and I’m scared that meat has been in the fridge.

I determined action was needed and looked up everything and created this complete list. So before you do your meal planning, budgeting, or grocery shopping, get acquainted with this everything-you-need-to-know list.

I’ll give credit where credit is due, as always, and I found my best source in Christine Byrne. You can thank her in part for this comprehensive list. Very helpful!

VEGGIES

Leafy Greens:
• Store: refrigerator drawer
• How: placed in dry paper towel and then into a plastic bag
• Duration: 1 week
• My Two Cents: works like a charm

Salad Greens:
• Store: refrigerator drawer
• How: large plastic container with paper towel layered in
• Duration: 10 days
• My Two Cents: I’ve also had success with plastic bags and paper towels

Beets:
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: in a plastic bag
• Duration: 2 weeks
• My Two Cents: I don’t have cents on this one…sounds good to me

Potatoes:
• Store: dark pantry
• How: paper bag
• Duration: 1-2 months
• My Two Cents: I just leave it in the netted bag it comes in. Not sure if it lasts longer in the paper bag

Asparagus:
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: stems in water and a plastic cover over the top. A plastic quart bag works well to loosely drape over them and the quart bottle holding them
• Duration: 4 days
• My Two Cents: I tried this and was surprised at how well it worked. I had no idea asparagus kept better like that. Course I think they last a little longer than 4 days personally

Celery:
• Store: refrigerator drawer
• How: wrapped in tin foil
• Duration: 2 weeks
• My Two Cents: I never tried it in tin foil before. It really keeps it fresh and away from wilting

Cucumber:
• Store: fridge drawer
• How: plastic wrap
• Duration: 1 week
• My Two Cents: tight plastic wrap keeps it fresh. I have also sliced them and stored them in a bowl in vinegar in the fridge. It’s a tasty treat.

Winter Squash:
• Store: dark pantry
• How: unwrapped
• Duration: 1 month
• My Two Cents: Once cut into (halved), you can wrap the rest in tin foil and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.

Broccoli:
• Store: refrigerator drawer
• How: plastic wrap
• Duration: 5 days
• My Two Cents: I will also cut up the broccoli and store it in gallon size bags. Cuts down on some time when I prepare it

Cauliflower:
• Store: fridge drawer
• How: plastic wrap
• Duration: 5 days
• My Two Cents: I will also cut up the cauliflower and store it in gallon size bags

Cabbage:
• Store: fridge drawer
• How: wrapped in plastic
• Duration: 2 weeks
• My Two Cents: also lasts if peeled and stored in gallon size bags for easy use

Head of Lettuce:
• Store: fridge drawer
• How: dry paper towel and plastic bag
• Duration: 5 days
• My Two Cents: exactly this

Carrots:
• Store: refrigerator drawer
• How: plastic bag
• Duration: 3 weeks
• My Two Cents: keep them in a sealed bag. It keeps them fresh longer

Bell Peppers:
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: plastic bag
• Duration: 1 week
• My Two Cents: maintains well though for less time if chopped up and stored in sandwich bags

Radish:
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: dry paper towel and plastic bag
• Duration: 2 weeks
• My Two Cents: this is great for me

Mushrooms:
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: paper bag
• Duration: 3 days
• My Two Cents: I tried doing this and they do keep well. However, I think it was just as good in the carton with plastic they often come in. I’ve also stored them (when chopped) in plastic sandwich bags, which works decent. So I guess maybe if you’re buying them whole, it’s best to store them in a paper bag

Onion:
• Store: dark pantry
• How: unwrapped
• Duration: 1-2 months
• My Two Cents: I also store chopped onions in the fridge in sandwich bags

Ginger:
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: unwrapped
• Duration: 1 month
• My Two Cents: though not as fresh, I also buy frozen ginger cubes to cook with which keep for a long time and are very easy to manage

Ginger (cut):
• Store: refrigerator drawer
• How: dry paper towel inside plastic bag
• Duration: 1-2 weeks
• My Two Cents: I’m good with this

Garlic:
• Store: dark pantry/out of sunlight
• How: unwrapped and whole
• Duration: 2 months
• My Two Cents: I’m good with this. I also buy frozen garlic cubes to cook with

Parsnip:
• Store: fridge drawer
• How: plastic bag
• Duration: 2 weeks
• My Two Cents: good enough for me

HERBS

Basil:
• Store: counter
• How: stems in water (glass jar) and drape a plastic bag over the top
• Duration: 1 week
• My Two Cents: thumbs up. Dry them out and store them for longer use

Cilantro:
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: stems in water with the top covered with plastic (bag)
• Duration 1 week
• My Two Cents: Dry them out and store them for longer use

Parsley:
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: stems in water and tops covered with plastic
• Duration: 1 week
• My Two Cents: Dry them out and store them for longer use

Rosemary/Thyme:
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: wrap in plastic
• Duration: 2 weeks
• My Two Cents: Dry them out and store them for longer use

Chives:
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: wrap them in a damp paper towel and wrap them in plastic wrap
• Duration: 5 days
• My Two Cents: Dry them out and store them for longer use

FRUITS

Apples:
• Store: refrigerator drawer
• How: unwrapped
• Duration: 3 weeks
• My Two Cents: apples keep well in the fridge or on the counter. I prefer mine cold and they do last a little longer in the fridge

Citruses:
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: unwrapped
• Duration: 2 weeks
• My Two Cents: halved, they seem to store well in plastic quart bags for a few days

Bananas (whole):
• Store: countertop
• How: unwrapped
• Duration: 3 days past ripe
• My Two Cents: frozen bananas are also excellent. So if you’re worried about losing some, stick them in the freezer. That or let them get so ripe you can make banana bread

Bananas (half):
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: keep the peel on and wrap the exposed part in tin toil
• Duration: 1-2 days
• My Two Cents: stick it in yogurt, smoothie, oatmeal, etc. to get it eaten soon

Berries:
• Store: refrigerator drawer
• How: uncovered in a vented container
• Duration: 3-5 days
• My Two Cents: they’re wonderful frozen too

Grapes:
• Store: refrigerator drawer
• How: perforated plastic bag is best
• Duration: 1-2 weeks
• My Two Cents: maybe it’s just because we eat a lot of grapes…but I usually set half of them out on a plate, rinse them, and then store them in the fridge uncovered at night. I’m not sure of the duration that it lasts this way because we usually have it eaten in 2-3 days and repeat with the other half.

Avocados (whole):
• Store: countertop until ripe/refrigerator shelf if ripe
• How: unwrapped
• Duration: 4 days past ripe
• My Two Cents: I lose many avocados. I have gotten around this by buying them at different levels of ripeness so I have more days to get them eaten

Avocados (half):
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: squeeze lemon on exposed skin and wrap in plastic. It’s better to have the nut in the side that you store
• Duration: 1-2 days
• My Two Cents: see above

Tomatoes:
• Store: counter
• How: unwrapped
• Duration: 5 days
• My Two Cents: I actually find that tomatoes last longer in the fridge drawer (at least a few days longer. Just my opinion. And if they are grape tomatoes I usually keep them in the perforated container they come in and store them on a fridge shelf.

Melons (whole):
• Store: counter
• How: unwrapped
• Duration: 5 days after ripe
• My Two Cents: Make sure you can smell the melon when you buy it in order to gauge ripeness and freshness

Melons (half):
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: plastic wrap
• Duration: 7- 10 days
• My Two Cents: they keep well if cut into cubes and put in a bowl on the counter during the day, and then plastic wrap over the bowl in the fridge at night. This allows people to easily munch on it during the day but extends its life

Pears:
• Store: counter
• How: unwrapped
• Duration: 4 days past ripe
• My Two Cents: stick them in the fridge to get a little more life out of them. The freezer is also a good choice if you’re unable to eat them all before they start going bad

Peaches and Plums:
• Store: counter until ripe/refrigerator shelf once ripe
• How: unwrapped
• Duration: 5 days past ripe
• My Two Cents: also very good frozen and blended

DAIRY & BREAD

Cheese (fresh):
• Store: refrigerator cheese drawer
• How: in water, change out every two days
• Duration: about a week
• My Two Cents: thumbs up

Cheese (soft):
• Store: refrigerator cheese drawer
• How: it should be wrapped in parchment and then plastic over the top of that
• Duration: 2 weeks
• My Two Cents: thumbs up

Cheese (semi-hard):
• Store: fridge cheese drawer
• How: parchment then placed in zip lock bag—sealed
• Duration: 1-2 weeks
• My Two Cents: thumbs up

Cheese (hard):
• Store: fridge cheese drawer
• How: wrap in parchment then plastic
• Duration: 1 month
• My Two Cents: thumbs up. Cheese is pretty darn easy.

Bread:
• Store: One loaf on the counter for use, the others in the freezer
• How: A sealed bag is good but I also just use the plastic wrap-tie bag they come in
• Duration: 3 months
• My Two Cents: For home-baked bread, I will store it in a gallon-zip lock bag to keep it from hardening in the air

MEAT & EGGS

Eggs:
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: egg carton it came in
• Duration: 2 weeks or until expiration
• My Two Cents: check for broken or cracked eggs in the carton before you buy them

Cold Cuts (pre-package):
• Store: fridge shelf
• How: package it came in
• Duration: unopened = 2 weeks, opened = 5 days
• My Two Cents: If the pre-package has a zip lock keep it in the package, if it doesn’t move it to a bag that you can control air exposure.

Cold Cuts (deli):
• Store: refrigerator shelf
• How: sealed bag (no air)
• Duration: unopened = 2 weeks, opened = 1 week
• My Two Cents: if you’re having a hard time getting through a package before they go bad, have a sub party. Create long sub sandwiches and invite the neighbors over for a picnic

Smoked Fish:
• Store: fridge shelf
• How: sealed with no air
• Duration: unopened = 2 weeks, opened = 5 days
• My Two Cents: Toss it in the freezer (same type of sealable bag to lock out air) and it can last for about 6 months

Raw Fish (scallops and shrimp as well):
• Store: refrigerator drawer (one designated for meat)
• How: same packaging it came in
• Duration: 1 day
• My Two Cents: it doesn’t last long so only buy it for the special occasion. Unless you throw it in the freezer…in which case it can last 3-6 months (sealed bag with no air)

Raw Meat:
• Store: refrigerator meat drawer
• How: same package it came in
• Duration: 2 days
• My Two Cents: I always put mine in the freezer to extend life until I use it. Just put it in a sealed bag with no air and it will last about 3-6 months

Raw Poultry:
• Store: fridge meat drawer
• How: packing it came in
• Duration: 2 days
• My Two Cents: though I usually use poultry quickly, I will put excess in the freezer. It’s the same as raw meat—put it in a sealable bag with no air and it will stay about 3-6 months

Bacon:
• Store: refrigerator drawer (use on specifically for meat to prevent contamination)
• How: sealed bag (original packaging) where it can’t be exposed to air
• Duration: unopened = 2 weeks, opened = 1 week
• My Two Cents: throw it in the freezer to make it last longer or to use at a future date