Keeping snacks fresh and crisp can be difficult if you don't have the right materials to seal the food in certain containers.
However, materials like clips might not even be necessary as one influencer has shared an easy way to keep chips from going bad — and all you need is the bag of chips itself.
The scoop
Blogger and influencer Kathryn (@TastyThriftyTimely) runs a YouTube channel sharing food and recipes that can save shoppers money and time.
In a recent video, the blogger revealed one way to keep snacks fresh without using extra tools. The trick works for any bag of chips, pretzels, or other snacks that come in a plastic bag that cannot be resealed.
"Open chip bag and no clip or elastic to close it?" Kathryn started out the video. "My brother-in-law has been coming to the rescue for years with this simple hack for how to close any flexible bag."
To start, push out all of the air out of the bag and make a fold at the level where the chips or snack sit. Then, fold the bag's corners like a paper airplane. These folds should overlap at the chip level to make the best seal.
Next, begin to fold down as many times as you can. When you can't go any further, take the two tabs created from the initial fold overlaps and pull them over to secure the bag.
How it's working
It can be frustrating to find a bag of chips or pretzels in your pantry that has gone stale overnight because it wasn't properly sealed. Learning how to keep snacks and other leftovers fresh is one of the best ways to reduce your personal food waste.
Not only is wasting food dangerous for our world, but it is practically throwing cash in the trash.
The nonprofit Feeding America estimates that Americans toss out 92 billion pounds of food every year, which adds up to more than $473 billion. Reducing this food waste can save families hundreds, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture saying every person could see savings of around $370 annually.
Experts estimate that roughly 40% of the food we buy winds up in an overcrowded landfill that goes on to produce air pollution toxins. By making our food last longer, we can reduce the number of items that end up in landfills and decrease the demand for mass-produced products that cause air-warming pollution when manufactured and transported worldwide.
If you're looking for other ways to help reduce food waste, consider buying food from organizations like Too Good To Go and FlashFood that sell leftover goods at a discounted rate before the food expires.
What people are saying
Many other YouTube users were left shocked by the easy hack and thanked Kathryn for sharing the tip on keeping food fresh.
"The most useful information I've learned on the internet, thx," one user wrote.
"Thank you it worked," another said, while a third commented: "So smart."
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