Well, actually with a bread on the back. Piece of fish was at the very end of my freezer. It expired a year ago. BOO!
But back to the story of a bread. I was getting a box of pasta out of my pantry when I noticed that there was something behind all the boxes. And when I got it out, it was a bag with a few slices of VERY green bread. Gross gross gross! Apparently, My Older Kid put the bread in the back and completely forgot about it.
Then a couple of days later I went to grab a bottle of ketchup and I saw ...well, that it expired in March of last year! And to make things worse, the were not one but three bottles of the expired ketchup. So here we go (oh, and I also found a baggie of old trail mix):
So I decided that it's time to clean my pantry. I haven't done in a while. The result...is BAD:
31 different cans and packages!!! All expired November of last year or earlier. This is truly a sad day. I've been doing so well with our fridge and freezer but, apparently, my pantry needed help the most. On the bright side, now my pantry is all nice and clean, and I'm ready to start a new week.
So here's what I threw away this week:
Fish-$1.88
Bread-appr. 25c (there were about 5 pieces in a bag, and it was a cheap loaf)
Heinz ketchup- 89c/ea (still had stickers on bottles)
GV ketchup- 79c
Trail mix- 50c (it's funny, I still remember most of the prices on the things I bought. I wish I would remember the expiration dates too...)
3 Campbell's select soups, 99c ea
8 chicken noodle soups, 50c ea
1 Campbell's gravy-50c
1 big can of Chili beans w/sauce- 75c (manager's special, the price is still on a can)
1 mustard-60c
1 big can of canned pears-99c, expired in Dec, 2010!!!
1 peanut butter- got it for free but still very sad
1 little bag of leftover chips-let's say, 50c
2 boxes of old taco shells- got them for 50c each
4 bags of popcorn-25c ea
1 mustard dipping sauce-69c
1 Ken's poppy seed dressing- 99c
1 can mixed veggies-50c (manager's special)
3 Stove Top stuffing boxes, 50c ea
1 Kikkoman sesame marinade-don't remember but I doubt I payed more than a dollar for it
1 Reser's potato salad- got it for free but nobody liked it. I kept moving it around the fridge until it got gross
So in total I threw away $21.19 worth of food... No good! But you know what? I've learned my lesson ! Just because something is a good deal, on sale, on clearance or I have a coupon for it, doesn't mean I need to buy it! We do not like canned chicken noodle soup but I bought it just in case...The whole case...Or stuffing... I can't stand store-bought stuffing! It's too salty and lacks flavor but again, I got it just in case! No more!!
I threw away almost 10% of my food budget this month. It's not gonna happen again!
YTD spending: $191.04
YTD savings: $140.95
Left to spend this month: $88.96
YTD coupons used : 32
YTD waste: $26.33
I have a lot of waste too, no good!
ReplyDeleteWell, hopefully, we can both do better next week!
DeleteOuch!!! That's too bad! Well, live & learn right?! ;)
ReplyDeleteSo true!
DeleteJust so you know, some of those dates may be 'sell by' dates or recommended 'use by' dates. I have fed my family food past the dates on the cans or bottles and have been fine. I just check when I open them that it still looks, smells and tastes fine (in that order). I have thrown stuff out after I have opened it occasionally, but for the most part, it has all been fine and no one has gotten sick!
ReplyDeleteThose were all "use by dates". And I only threw away things from last year. I did have a few cans that barely expired (like some canned pears that we ate for lunch today with the boys). I'm going to use them all up in the next two weeks. I'm just not sure about using stuff with meat(like "meaty" soups) or salad dressings, or buttery popcorn etc.
DeleteWell you are starting over fresh. But I know that hurt...but its ok!
ReplyDeleteJust think of it as a mistake you won't make again
Definitely, not again! It does hurt...
DeleteOh I am bad for that sometimes too. Mine is usually with pricier stuff though. I've never seen ketchup in those big of bottles for that cheap before! I'm in Canada and I just bought a bottle that looks like a similar size and I paid $3 and that was half price! The good thing is now you are aware and will think before you buy. Lesson learned.
ReplyDeleteOh, it was manager's special! Usually these bottles are at least $2.50, even on sale. But they still had 7 months until the expiration date,and we were planning some BBQs last summer that never happened.That's why I bought 2 big ones!
DeleteI am sorry you had to throw so much stuff. It happens to all of us, trust me. But this reminds me of a (not so) funny story. Me and my husband moved to a different city and we got some "goodie" bags from several people to help us get started - canned food, pasta, cereals, stuff like this. I didn't pay any attention until later when I realized that most of the stuff was expired. Some have been expired for years. I didn't know what to think. I felt like people cleaned their pantry and instead of throwing their expired stuff, offered it to us.... Very disturbing, trust me. I'd rather throw food and lose money than do this to anybody....
DeleteWow, that is terrible! Why would people do it?? Talking about "loving thy neighbor"!!I'm sorry it happened to you. I can't even imagine doing something like that to anyone I know.
DeleteInterestingly enough.... found this today and thought of you.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20111223/food-safety-freshness-best-before-dates-111226/
Wow, thanks for the info. I'll definitely keep it in mind next time. We often eat things that are a little past their expiration date. That's why I kept cans with exp. date after November of last year and just tossed stuff that expired before that. It reminds me how we once cleaned my MIL's pantry and found a can of cream of celery from 1984!! And it wasn't even bulging or anything. I wonder how it looked inside though. We didn't dare open it :)
DeleteI tend to forget that stuff in my pantry gets old too. It seems like it has a forever shelf lift which, of course, is not true. Good clean out job.
ReplyDelete