LPO Clutter Scavenger Hunt 7 – Expiration Dates

Welcome to the Laurel Plum Online Clutter Scavenger Hunt. If you missed the explanation post, take a minute to read about the scavenger hunt.

This past week I have been making batches of grape jelly.  Some of the batches didn’t set properly.  Because I recycle, I was able to go to the bin and discovered that 2 of the boxes of pectin had expired. There may be other reasons the jelly did not set, but it still brings me to today’s scavenger hunt.

Today I’d like you to go through your home looking for anything with an expiration date.  There are many places to look for expired items.  If you can’t do all of them today, do one spot a day, or schedule each one on your calendar.

We have already looked at medications in your medicine cabinet. I suggest you again grab a trash bag, a permanent marker, and a soapy rag to help along the way.  Use the marker to make the expiration dates of the items you are keeping more obvious.  Use the soapy rag to wipe down shelving that you probably have not cleaned in a while.

Check your refrigerator and freezer.

Most items in your refrigerator are clearly marked.  Check the lists below under Further Considerations for more specific guidelines.

I recommend you discard leftovers and takeout within 48 hours.  With fish and other less stable foods, it is probably a good idea to let it go much sooner.  In our household, we usually transfer takeout to containers with airtight lids instead of leaving them in the takeout boxes the restaurant gives out.  It keeps the food fresher and provides a little insurance against cross contamination. My hubby or I make a point to eat any leftovers the very next day for lunch.  We seldom have to worry about them after that date.

For items in the freezer, there are small things you can do to preserve items a little longer. Meats and film wrapped goods will keep longer if transferred from the store packaging to freezer bags or if you further wrap them.  Try to mark them as you put them away.  I took the cap for a permanent marker and glued it to a magnet.  I would show you a picture, but our camera is kaput.  Keeping a marker on the fridge makes it super easy to mark items.  If the marker gets used up, I replace it using the old magnetized cap instead of the one the new pen came with.  If you have little guys, I suggest you keep it as high on the side of the fridge as possible.

Prepackaged bags and boxes insulate each other when stacked side by side or on top of one another.

Keep your freezer full. It runs more efficiently and you can keep freezer burn at bay longer.  We purchased extra cooler packs that I use to fill in empty space.

Check your pantry, spice cabinet, and baking supplies.

Most dry and canned goods will last past their expiration dates.  The taste or color may not be optimal, but they often will not be harmful.

With cans, check that the packaging is intact without any damage or deterioration (rust or corrosion). If you do see any problems, discard them.  Try to keep older cans to the front so you use them first.  You can find special racks that you can load from the top and it lets the can roll down a series of angles so that the oldest is easily accessible.  I prefer to just use the longer shelving in my lower cabinets and do not stack the cans.  I can easily reach in and load the can rows from the back when I put away our groceries.

Try to transfer dry goods to airtight containers.  For flour, sugar and other baking goods this will preserve any special characteristics (such as self-rising) longer and guard against meal worms and other little bugs. For dried pastas, it will also keep humidity from disrupting the texture.

For spices, even if they are not harmful, they probably will have little if any taste.  The smaller the piece the faster it will lose its taste. Consider buying whole spices such as cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc and using a specialized grater or mill to process them as you need them.  Consider growing and drying full stems of other spices that can be crushed as needed.  Spices keep better in dark dry spaces.  I use amber jars and freezer zipper bags.  The color protects against any light that seeps into the cabinet because of the bumper dots on the cabinet door.  I also use an open box of baking soda for good measure because my spice cabinet is to the side of the stove.  If you use decorative ceramic jars make sure they have rubber or silicone seals and that you occasionally check the seals for dry rot.   For more information on spices look here and here.

Check your personal care items and cleaning supplies.

On occasion, these products will be marked, but usually you will need to follow generic guidelines.  The three links below in Further Considerations will help.

In our household, I always put in a request with Santa Clause to replace makeup.  Makeup makes great stocking stuffers. For other items such as our teens contacts/contact supplies or things that are suggested be changed more often, I have it scheduled on the calendar to check for empties and replacement dates at specific intervals. Look for makeup, perfume, lotions, deodorants, soaps/gels, and anything else that touches your skin.

For both personal care items and cleaning supplies, I encourage a minimalistic approach.  On supplies we use small amounts of buying the smaller container choices makes it less likely for any chemical changes to start before the product is used up.  I also prefer to stick to the basics to keep numbers down.  Having fewer pieces means easier maintenance, less storage space used, less initial expense and less over all waste.  (It also means that your teenager will surprise you less by their shocking artful application of make-up and nail polish.)

If you are adventurous, you can find recipes all over the internet to make homemade personal care items (including makeup) and household cleaners.  They often can be made from very few ingredients you may already have around the house.  You will have control of the chemicals used and often the homemade version is the more frugal choice.

Further considerations:

Most expiration dates are a simply a guideline.  Companies that make the product can not know in advance exactly when and item will expire.  Some will begin to break down sooner and some later.  I am sure you have noticed that packages are marked with different terminology – “Sell By”, “Best if used by”, “Use By”, and “Expiration Date” to name a few.  Each company has its own procedures for determining the dates used and which terminology, but they have done so to protect themselves from any liabilities and to protect their quality standards.  The dates represent an approximate point when the product is expected to begin breaking down. I suggest with medications, food items and with personal care items you err on the side of caution.

On occasion you will run into a product that has a code instead of a date.  You can call the company to decipher the code for you. In many cases the code could be an indicator that the product is fairly old.  Most companies have gone to a clear marked date to cover against possible liability.

If you can not find a date or a code on something, call the company or try to find a company website.  Look not only for guidance for the specific product, but look for their disclosure policies. I also suggest you look into the procedures your stores have for rotating unmarked goods. Not only will you have a better idea of what to do with the item, you will be better aware when determining what brands and what locations to shop.

Real Simple Magazine has a great listing of Surprising Expiration Dates online that may be helpful for determining whether you should keep or toss an item.  Organize Your Life has taken the time to compile a similar listing. Take a minute to check both of the lists out.

Check back in with the rest of us.

When we get conversations going in the comments we all learn from each other and can encourage one another. So, share your stories in the comments.

Did you find something unusual? Have you had something laying around forever that you finally discarded today? Let us know if you learned something new or did something you didn’t think you could.

Resources mentioned above that are available from our advertisers:

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