How to keep perishables from...... perishing?

A vinegar wash before putting them in the refrigerator helps delay the mold spores on produce. I have been doing it and it works well. I usually fill up my sink and add 2 cups of vinegar and let them soak for about 10 minutes then pat dry. As far as cheese, I don't have that problem. My kids love cheese and eat it too fast lol.

I go to the store every few days for veggies. I use a basket so I only pick up a few things at a time, and so it doesn't take me long to get in and out. [This is separate from/in addition to the big grocery shop.]

Then, I've trained myself to eat the same thing for a couple of days. Or at least, to use the same veggies, although I typically cook them differently the second (or third) day. Like I'll buy a cabbage, so there's cabbage in everything for 2-3 days, then it's used up and I don't buy cabbage again for a while so I'm not bored. Sometimes you have to force yourself to use up stuff in the fridge, even if it's maybe not what you necessarily wanted to eat.

I also will chop off any rotten parts and see if I can use the rest of the item. This doesn't work with wilted and gooey spinach of course but some things you'll find most of the veggie is OK even if there's a spot that's starting to turn.

Finally, if I do go and bulk buy veggies, I find that they definitely last longer from different stores. Costco veggies last a long time, as do the veggies from a local popular green market. I figure both of those places have a rapid turnover, so they're fresh, and they store them at the proper temperature. If I get veggies from Winn Dixie, they're often rotten in a day or two - the one near me just doesn't have the freshest stuff on the shelves.

I really need some help with improving shelf life of my perishables. I hate it when I go to the refrigerator and find my spinach rotting, my strawberries with fuzzies, my cheese with mold, my turnips growing leaves. I love produce and am the only one in the house who eats them. I hate having to go the store every week just to pick up spinach. I am in the refrigerator multiple times--so it's not like I am not looking.

Could really use some mfp expertise!

Thanks in advance.

Try putting some kitchen towel in the bag with the spinach, it absorbs the moisture and keeps for longer. You can do this with most fresh veg, I do it with carrots, lettuce, mushrooms etc.
You could try freezing your fruit depending on how you eat it. I freeze bananas and defrost them to add to porridge or yogurt.
Try buying frozen veg like root veggies etc, they are still just as healthy.
Don't store fruit with apples, they increase the way fruit ripens.

I have the exact same problem! I can only get to the grocery store once every 2-3 weeks due to a chaotic work/school schedule, and it drives me mad that my fresh things don't stay fresh! I've been getting better about buying frozen veggies and fruits to tide me over between trips.

With me, it depends on what I am using my fruit for...I usually buy fruit to put in my oatmeal, which I eat daily, so strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, I keep down in the crisper. Now, if I plan on using some of the fruit for a smoothie, I will rinse the fruit off and put it in freezer bags to freeze it, then I can put it in a smoothie later on, when I am ready without having to worry about it perishing. This is what I do with my bananas, I eat them daily in my oatmeal, but sometimes I cannot eat them fast enough, so when they start becoming extremely overripe, I peel them and place them in a freezer bag, sealed tightly and put them in my freezer. Then, when I am ready for a smoothie, I will take it out of the freezer and throw it directly into the blender. Onions, and sweet potatoes, I keep down in the basement where it is cooler, and I keep them out, or loosely in a bag. If I am going to make a dish with the onion, and I only use half of it, then I will dice up the other half, place it in a plastic container or plastic ziplock baggy and freeze it. I also freeze my ginger root, green and red bell pepper, jalapeno, diced tomatoes from the can or not from the can, and tomato sauce. Butternut squash I will keep down in the basement as well. Lastly, with herbs, I just discovered a pretty good method. I keep a small basil plant growing in my window sill for fresh basil on hand. I take cilantro and rinse it off completely and then set it in water with a little vinegar in it, and place it back in the refrigerator soaking in the vinegar, uncovered. I put my parley in a cup or a bowl filled with water, and a little vinegar placed in the refrigerator. Therefore, you could try this with your spinach, or you could rinse it off, soak it in a little vinegar, let it dry, then freeze it for later use by placing it in a ziplock baggy with no air in it. Hope this helps. Message me if you need even more specifics.

I just buy what I'm going to cook.

Google Jamie olivers money saving meals, he shows you tips on not wasting food really helpful!!

No. 1 top tip that I recently discovered for carrots.

To prevent the misery of black and limp carrots keep them in the fridge under water. Change the water every two or three days. They stay super crunchy for ages!

It really works.