When I talk to young mothers about buying fresh fruit and vegetables, they either tell me it costs too much or that they are discouraged because so much goes bad before they can serve it.

Well, I have answers for both problems and I'm going to share them with you.

Instead of tossing out old fruit, why not use it to make real natural cleaning products? When you factor in the money you'll save –by not buying cleaning products, that fresh fruit suddenly isn't quite so expensive. In fact, you not only come out ahead, but you also get the satisfaction of knowing YOU have created a safe, non-toxic cleaner to help safeguard the health of your family.

Here is one of my favorite recipes:

All Purpose Citrus Cleaner

• 2 Dried up Citrus fruits (Orange, Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit –mix and match whatever is on hand)
• 2 tbs baking soda
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 or 3 drops of liquid dish soap
• 10 drops tea tree or lavender essential oil (optional)
• 1 clean spray bottle

Place the fruit in a microwave and cook on high for 30 seconds, set aside to cool. Pour the baking soda into the warm water and stir until dissolved. Using a funnel, pour soda/water mixture into the spray bottle. Once the fruit has cooled enough to carefully handle, prick them with a knife and squeeze the juice into a bowl. Strain the resulting juice and add it to the spray bottle. Add the dish soap and the essential oil. Shake the bottle to mix the ingredients. Use as you would any spray cleaner.

*If you add the essential oils, your cleaner should last far longer than you will have it on hand. If not, try to use it up in a week or keep it in the refrigerator between uses.

Now what to do with those left over vegetables. If you know ahead of time that only half of your purchase will be eaten before it goes bad, why not use half right away by turning it into a ready to use vegetable stock? Depending on your preferred vegetables, you should be able to find an easy recipe to suit your family, but here's my favorite:

Vegetable Stock

• 4 large onions, cleaned, quartered with peel left on
• 6 carrots, cleaned, but not scraped
• 6 stalks celery, cleaned
• 2 large peppers, cleaned and quartered with seeds and ribs left in
• ¼ cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Arrange the vegetables on a roasting pan. Drizzle the oil over them and work with your hands or a wooden spoon until lightly coated. Salt and pepper. Cover with aluminum foil or roasting pan lid. Roast in the oven at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or until the onions and peppers have softened. Remove from oven and scrape vegetables into a stew pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes then set aside to cool. Once the soup has cooled, strain the liquid and remove the vegetables. Store the broth in glass jars in your refrigerator or freezer.

Cut it up.

To make it easier to use the remaining fruit and vegetables in a timely manner, why not cut some of them into snack portions?

Carrots and celery can be cut into six inch strips. Pack them inside lidded jars and cover them in water. Not only is that a more attractive package, but it also keeps them crunchy for your little snackers. Store them where the kids will see them as soon as the fridge is opened.

By dicing onions and celery as soon as you get them home, you cut prep time later and are much more likely to use them. These can either be stored in the fridge or the freezer.

Why not slice and core a few of those apples or pears? If you refrigerate them in water and a teaspoon of lemon juice, they will stay crisp and white for several days. Quick freeze the fruit.

Cut bananas or peaches into bite sized pieces and arrange them on a non-stick or parchment lined cookie sheet. Place the sheet in the freezer and leave it there until the slices are frozen. Grapes, strawberries or blueberries can be frozen whole. Store them in a freezer bag.

Frozen fruit can be used to make smoothies or can be blended and used as a topping for cereals and desserts or can be thawed and used as called for in recipes. Use frozen grapes and berries –in place of ice cubes, to add that something special to your favorite drinks.

With a little effort –and good thrift sense, you can save time and money while serving your family the very best food available.