Toss it or Keep it?

[Toni-Lynn]

http://www.grocerypricebooks.com/grocerypriceblog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/exp2.jpg (http://www.grocerypricebooks.com/grocerypriceblog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/exp2.jpg)
Have you ever wondered if something is good or not but you can’t tell by looking or smelling it? I personally hate those companies who either don’t put expiration dates on their items or they use some “secret code” that only they can read. Some things just have “get rid of me” written all over them. You know the ones I mean. The cheese with the fuzzy stuff on it or that chunky milk? Those things are pretty obvious lol Other things are not always so easy to tell. How about toothpaste? Olives? Here is some handy information to have for foods, H&B items and household goods. This list is just a guideline. Items that are stored properly have a better chance of keeping their shelf life. After a certain time, some foods may discolor or the taste may be affected but the products are still safe to consume. These are marked with an *.
http://www.grocerypricebooks.com/grocerypriceblog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/exp1.jpg (http://www.grocerypricebooks.com/grocerypriceblog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/exp1.jpg)

Food
Beer - Unopened: 4 months
Brown sugar - Indefinite when stored in a moisture proof container in a cool and dry place
Chocolate - 1 yr from production date
Coffee, canned ground - Unopened: 2 yrs, Opened: 1 month refrigerated
Coffee, gourmet beans: 3 wks in paper bag*, Ground: 1 week if sealed
Coffee, instant - Unopened: Up to 2 yrs, Opened: Up to 1 month
Diet Soda (plastic bottles) Unopened: 3 months from “best by” date, Opened: Doesn’t spoil*
Dried pasta - 12 months
Frozen dinners - Unopened: 12 to 18 months
Frozen vegetables - Unopened: 18 to 24 months, Opened: 1 month
Honey - Indefinite shelf life
Juice, bottled (apple or cranberry) - Unopened: 8 m, Opened: 7 to 10 days
Ketchup - Unopened: 1 yr*, Opened or used: 4 to 6 months*
Maple Syrup, real or imitation - 1 yr
Maraschino Cherries - Unopened: 3-4 yrs, Opened: 2 wks at room temp; 6M months in fridge
Marshmallows - Unopened: 40 weeks, Opened: 3 months
Mayonnaise - Unopened: Indefinitely, Opened: 2 to 3 months from purchase by date*
Mustard - 2 yrs*
Olives in a glass Jar - Unopened: 3 yrs, Opened: 3 months
Olive oil - 2 yrs from manufacture date*
Peanuts - Unopened:1-2 yrs unless frozen or refrigerated, Opened:1-2 wks airtight container
Peanut butter, natural - 9 months
Peanut butter, processed - Unopened: 2 yrs, Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months
Pickles - Unopened: 18 months, Opened: No conclusive data.
Protein Bars - Unopened: 10 to 12 months. Check “best by” date on the package.
White Rice - 2 yrs from date on box or date of purchase
Salad Dressing in a bottle - Unopened:12 m after “best by” date, Opened:9 m refrigerated
Soda, regular - Unopened:Cans or glass bottles, 9 m from “best by” date, Opened: Doesn’t spoil*
Steak sauce - 33 months*
Tabasco - 5 yrs, stored in a cool, dry place
Tea bags - Use within 2 yrs of opening the package
Tuna, canned - Unopened: 1 yr from purchase date, Opened: 3 to 4 days, not stored in can
Soy sauce - Unopened: 2 yrs, Opened: 3 months*
Vinegar - 42 months
Wine - Unopened: yrs from vintage date; 20-100 yrs fine wines, Opened: 1 wk in fridge, corked
Worcestershire sauce - Unopened: 5 to 10 years*, Opened: 2 years
Household Products
Air freshener, aerosol - 2 years
Antifreeze, premixed - 1 to 5 years
Antifreeze, concentrate - Indefinite
Batteries, alkaline - 7 years
Batteries, lithium - 10 years
Bleach - 3 to 6 months
Dish detergent - 1 year
Laundry detergent - Unopened: 9 months to 1 year, Opened: 6 months
Metal polish - At least 3 years
Motor oil - Unopened: 2 to 5 years, Opened: 3 months
Mr. Clean - 2 years
Paint - Unopened: Up to 10 years, Opened: 2 to 5 years
Spray paint - 2 to 3 years
Windex - 2 years
Wood polish - 2 years
http://partners.mysavings.com/42/225/1329/ (http://partners.mysavings.com/z/1329/CD225/)

Beauty Products
Bar soap - 18 months to 3 years
Body Wash - 3 years
Bath oils - 1 year
Body bleaches and depilatories - Unopened: 2 years, Used: 6 months
Body lotion - 3 years
Hair Conditioner - 2 to 3 years
Deodorant - Unopened: 2 years, Used: 1 to 2 years
Hair gel - 2 to 3 years
Hair spray - 2 to 3 years
Lip balm - Unopened: 5 years, Used: 1 to 5 years
Lipstick - 2 years
Mascara - Unopened: 2 years, Used: 3 to 4 months
Mouthwash - Three years from manufacture date
Nail polish - 1 year
Nail-polish remover - Lasts indefinitely
Perfume - 1 to 2 years
Rubbing alcohol - At least 3 years
Shampoo - 2 to 3 years
Shaving cream - 2 years or more
Teeth-whitening strips - 13 months

[chris1203]

Wow. What an extensive list. Thank you for posting it. I'm never sure how long to keep using a product so I'm sure that I will be referring to your list often.

[stampkim1]

Thanks for the info...I usually will try something before I toss it but this is great guidelines. I know the expiration dates are just there as the government made them put them there...most items can go well past them, but then you get to the point of wondering how much further.

[my5little1s]

also just to add another if you freeze your milk the longest i have let my milk stay frozen is three weeks and then i take a gallon out the night before iwe need it and just leave it on the counter and in the morning its perfect and we drink it within 3 days and by this time its usually 10 days or so after the expiration date BUT IS STILL GOOD trust me i have an EXTREMLEY hard time eating or drinking anything on or beyond the expiration date but i do good with milk like this and no the milkdont taste funky :penguinkiss:

[atula]

I think I will get a print out of this list and stick it on my refrigerator...it is so so useful....and sometimes you really do get frustrated thinknig whether to keep or or throw sometihng....

[SageMother]

I think I will get a print out of this list and stick it on my refrigerator...it is so so useful....and sometimes you really do get frustrated thinknig whether to keep or or throw sometihng....

If you stockpile, this is a great list for rotating the food in your larder. Moving those soon to expire foods to the front of the box or refrigerator keeps you from pressing your luck by guessing!