I buy meat and freeze it too.

you better belive it!

I would if I could find some. The stores around here seem to never have sales like that. Most of the stores are 24-hour stores and it's even hard to find ripened bananas!

we buy bread close to it's exp., past the exp if we find it and it's cheaper. i also have no problem buying chips and things like that close to the expiration. they don't go bad that fast.

You guys are so lucky with the discount stores! We just have one-HEB. They've basically ran Albertson's and Randall's away. Their prices are okay, but I would love to have an Aldi's or some store like it!!!

I use shelf-stable foods that are past their date regularly. Meat, no. I freeze it on the date or within one day. I use milk within one week of the date. I use bread as long as it isn't stale or moldy, regardless of the date

Most of the time, you'll notice that shelf-stable foods (canned and jarred foods, and some boxed foods) say "Best by", or "Use by" not "Expiration". That just means that they are guaranteeing the quality of the product up to that date, not that it is going to give you food poisoning if you eat it past the date. Technically, canned and jarred good don't have an expiration date, meaning they will not sicken you if you eat it past the date as long as the seal has remained intact and it was canned properly. They do, however, degrade over time in terms of texture, taste, and nutritional value. When I say over time, I'm referring to a can that is several years past its date, not a few months.

I have noticed that unopened boxed foods (like cereal and crackers) tend to go stale and taste like cardboard if you go past the date by much. If they have been opened, all bets are off and they go bad much more quickly.

I would never use a bulging or leaking jar or can at any time regardless of the date, as that is a sign of spoilage.

That's right!

I run a food program here in which we collect edible but unsaleable food from grocery stores and restaraunts throughout the city. By unsaleable I mean it has hit its "sell by" date and our local health dept won't allow any food to be sold that has gone over the "sell by" date. Not because you can't consume it, but b/c this gives the consumer time to use the product before it goes bad.

We deal in everything from canned goods, to meats, to dairy, to bakery, to deli, to produce. The venders who supply the food to the stores will tell you the product will last for quite a while past that date printed on the product. How long is dependent upon what is actually in the product.

Interestingly I pick up pop from our local Pepsi warehouse and the warehouse manager told me that the pop we are getting will last about a year past expiration if it is regular, not diet and in a can. Pop that is diet or in clear bottles lasts about 6 months beyond.

Dairy products are going to be dependent on what the product is. I've actually kept sour cream and cottage cheese in my refrigerator for 2 or 3 months past exp. date and it tastes fine. Milk, I always test it first, but if I have an excess try to get it used within 7-10 days of exp, or in the freezer by the exp. date. Sadly I have bought milk that is 2 weeks from that exp date that is already bad. Probably due to the stores improper handling of such product. But did you know that sour milk is great in baking and pancakes. You don't have to throw it down the drain just because its sour and disgusting to drink. Also makes a great meat marinade for wild game.

Meats are nothing to fool with, but a sight and smell test will determine if it is something worth hanging on to. And I freeze all my meats immeadiately upon coming home unless I plan to use it within the next 24 hours.

People who have the attitude that foods can't be consumed just b/c they hit that exp. date or are past the sell by date are missing out on some great money saving opportunities and I think we can all agree saving money especially on groceries is something we all want to do. That is provided your local stores offer such a service.

Here, our stores do not dicount very much once it hits that sell by date unless they have a huge surplus. THey either throw it to the trash or else donate it to one of a couple food programs here in our city.

Coincidentally, the one I run does not have income limits of any kind and therefore anyone can use it. You should check into seeing if your own city has such a program as while I know no where in the country has one as big and established as ours, I do know that there are a handfull of smaller versions like mine around the country.