Grocery shopper shares simple paper bag hack that can help you save money on food: ‘I needed this today’

With prices at the grocery store still extremely high, throwing out expired, uneaten food has become an even more frustrating feeling.

But one TikToker shared a simple hack to expand the lifespan of mushrooms, ensuring you can make them last days after your supermarket run.

We’ve all been there. You open your fridge to start a mushroom dish to find sticky, slimy mushrooms rotting away on a back shelf.

Luckily, Paden Ferguson (@padiano) has shared a popular TikTok video explaining his food-saving hack to keep mushrooms fresh — by using a paper bag.

“I promise you, your mushrooms are going to last so much longer,” he says in the video.

The first step is to remove your mushrooms from the original container. You can remove the stems to make them fit better, but this step is optional. Then, add the unwashed mushrooms into a paper bag. Fold over the top, and put the bag in the fridge.

This easy trick can increase mushrooms’ lifespan to 10 days and enhance their flavor.

This hack works well because the bag absorbs moisture, keeping your mushrooms ripe and firm. Mushrooms are made of 80-90% water, so they tend to release moisture over time while pulling additional moisture from the air.

Without a material to help absorb that moisture, mushrooms spoil quicker and gain an unpleasant, soggy texture.

Last year, grocery prices skyrocketed due to inflation and supply chain issues, with food costs increasing by about 11% from 2021 to 2022. While prices are expected to grow at a slower rate in 2023, they will still be unusually high.

This hack can help save money and keep mushrooms fresh for as long as possible, offsetting historically expensive prices. While it won’t transform your monthly grocery bill, every little step counts.

Food waste is not only detrimental to your wallet — it also impacts the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates over one-third of food in the United States is not eaten. This bad habit squanders resources expended during production and adds tons of waste to landfills every year.

Fellow TikTokers were surprised by this easy hack, expressing their thanks in the comment section.

“What a simple way to save money,” one user wrote. “Thank you!”

“I needed this today! We eat mushrooms every day but not quickly enough apparently,” another TikToker said.

One user added, “I’m definitely saving this.”

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