6 Ways To Make Food Last by Mary Hunt on Creators.com

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6 Ways To Make Food Last

You picked out the perfect head of garlic. It's not two days old, and you pluck two cloves from it to make your famous spaghetti sauce. Now what? Where will you keep the rest of the head to keep it fresh until the next time you need garlic? On the countertop? In the refrigerator? Thankfully, our first great reader tip has the perfect solution:

KEEPING GARLIC. To keep your fresh garlic for an extended period of time, peel and place the cloves into a glass jar. Pour olive oil over them and put the lid on top. Store it in refrigerator until you're ready to use it. — Audrey, e-mail

GREEN CHEESE. Keep your cheese from growing mold by soaking a paper towel in white vinegar. Wrap the towel around the cheese before putting it in a baggie. This really extends the shelf life of your cheese. — Camille A., Texas

BANANA SPLIT. Don't buy a whole cluster of bananas. They will all ripen at the same time. Buy singles at different stages of ripeness so you don't have every banana ripen at once. — Linda S., Nebraska

PANTRY PARTY. I love using http://www.recipekey.com to plan my meals. I can enter all of the items that I have in my pantry and freezer. It will suggest recipes I can make with just the items I have available. I love it because I get to try something new and I don't have to go to the store for just one thing. — Sarah, e-mail

RECIPE WONDER. Menu planning is key to our financial success, as food is one of our biggest expenses. I found an online tool that makes menu planning easier and even fun! I recommend http://www.plantoeat.com.

You can easily upload your favorite recipes, quickly plan a weekly menu, create an organized shopping list and share your recipes with friends and family. I can't believe how much fun I'm having with this tool. Plus, now my mom and I have an easy way to connect and share our recipes. — Tamara C., e-mail

TASTY CRUMBS. I save the crumbs at the bottom of cereal, cracker or chip bags and put them into a plastic container. Later, I use these crumbs when making meatballs, hamburgers or meatloaf. The cereal crumbs are loaded with iron and make my meatloaf even better. — Emily S., e-mail

CORRECTION. A tip in your recent column titled "Fight Back Against the Creep Factor" involved canceling a bill on an unordered package and returning the package marked "Refused." According to my postal clerk, if you open any part of the package, including the bill envelope on the outside, you must pay return postage to send the package back. Unwanted mail can be returned without cost to you if you write "Refused" on the package, but it must be unopened. If you have opened the package, use the postage-paid return label if there is one. Otherwise, call the sender to request one and, at the same time, cancel the unwanted subscription. — Mary J., e-mail

Would you like to send a tip to Mary? You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Include your first and last name and state. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 18 books, including "Debt-Proof Living" and "Tiptionary 2." To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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