Keeping Herbs Fresh

I buy a lot of fresh herbs, and even though they are relatively inexpensive, I cannot stand the fact that fresh herbs seem to go bad after only a week in the refrigerator.  I tried growing my own for awhile, but lets just say - I don't have a green thumb (surprising, I know, since I come from a long line of gardeners i.e. - mother, grandmother).

This is what is left of my herb garden from last summer:

One sprig of mint.  I was so excited when it came back, but then I was quickly informed by a friend that mint is like a weed very hard to kill.    Ah well . . . I'm still excited about it anyway.  I am happy there is one thing I can't kill.

Well back to the problem.  Each week I usually buy fresh parsley and fresh cilantro, they are usually about a 89 cents to a dollar a bunch.  Not that much, but over a year I guess I am spending about $100 on fresh herbs.  That is too much.

Although the bunches are really big, enough for a whole month,  they usually go bad after only one week.  I tried storing them many different ways: storing them like you would flowers, storing them in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel . . . but to no avail, the longest I have gotten parsley and cilantro to last is two weeks.

Today, I did some internet research and found this cite.  http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_store_parsley_cilantro_and_other_fresh_herbs/

This person says that what I did before, storing my herbs in a glass jar like you would a bouquet of flowers, is only partly right: you have to make sure the leaves are dry, trim the stems, put the ends in a jar of water, AND cover the top with a plastic bag then place the herbs in the refrigerator.

This person claims that my herbs will stay fresh twice as long, so I am looking for these herbs to stay for about 2 weeks.  We are at Day 1 and counting, I will keep you posted. :)