When Will Your Stored Food Go Bad?

When Will Your Stored Food Go Bad?
When there’s a sale on foods you eat, you may love to stock up on them. You’ll fill your pantry, freezer, and fridge with items when they’re at their best price, and then you can avoid paying full retail when you suddenly need them in the future. It’s a great practice, and in theory it works well for most things. 

You probably don’t, however, buy ten gallons of milk at once because you know you’ll never be able to drink that much before it turns sour. But if you think shelf-stable products and things stored in your freezer will keep indefinitely, you’re wrong. Everything you store will eventually go bad, and some sooner than others. So how do you know when to stock up, eat it, or toss it? Here are some guidelines.

Frozen Meat and Poultry

Meat and poultry are some of the most expensive grocery items to purchase. There are hardly ever any coupons for them, so when there’s a good sale, people stock their freezers. You probably don’t have unlimited freezer space, but either way you shouldn’t buy more meat or poultry than you can eat in nine to twelve months, because that’s how long they’ll last when frozen. 

After you make your purchases, you should put poultry into the freezer within one to three days, and meat in the freezer within three to five days. Make sure you wrap them well, or they can get freezer burn. Freezer burn won’t make them go bad sooner, but it will affect their taste. 

Canned Goods

If you’re preparing for a natural disaster or the end of the world, what do you stock up on? Canned goods, because they will stay good for the longest amount of time and don’t require refrigeration. Canned goods will last longer than all your other stored foods, but they don’t last forever, either. Most canned goods like vegetables can last anywhere from two to five years. Canned goods that are acidic, like fruit or tomatoes, will last for about one to one-and-a-half years. Make sure to store them in the dark for maximum freshness, because light can increase deterioration.

Bottled Beverages

Is there a sale on soda or bottled water? Bottled water can last indefinitely if it hasn’t been opened, but it’s best to use it within two years. Soda and other bottled juices can be safely stored unopened for about three months before the quality begins to deteriorate. While they may be good for a bit longer, their color or taste may begin to change – they’re still safe, just markedly less appealing.

Snacks and Packaged Foods

There are varying guidelines for your snacks and packaged foods. They may have expiration dates, but potato chips generally last for one month past it, and crackers and pretzels for three months past the expiration date. The preservatives keep them lasting longer. Boxed pasta should be used within a year of purchasing it. Some items, like store-bought bread, will last longer if you put them in the fridge instead of the pantry (one to two weeks for the bread).


Jennifer Hawkins a professional chef and nutrition freak who loves to blog about anything from new recipes to tips on serving quick and easy dinners.

Top 6 Tasks On Your Moving Checklist

Tasks On Your Moving Checklist

If you are thinking about taking off to greener pastures, you may be a little bit overwhelmed. Relocation is never easy, even if you are only moving a block away from your current location. However, fear not: This moving checklist can help you make sure you get everything ready to go long before you bid your current home farewell.
1) Research Options for Transporting Your Belongings

The first thing you will want to do is figure out how you are going to go about transporting your items from once place to another.
You have quite a few options available, including portable moving and storage containers, truck/van rentals or hiring a professional company to do it all for you.
Consider your budget, the distance you are going, the size of your household, the kinds of things to be transported, etc. when deciding which option to go with.
Book the services you desire at least six to eight weeks in advance, if possible.

2) Use up Perishable/Consumable Things

Packing is one of the most time consuming and tedious aspects of relocation. However, you can cut down on what you have to bring along if you simply use things up beforehand.
Try to eat everything you have left in your fridge and freezer. Also, spiff up your home so as to get rid of old cleaning supplies rather than lug them along.

3) Deal with Address Changes/Mail Forwarding

If you are going somewhere temporarily, simply forwarding your mail is probably good enough. However, if you are not coming back to your current living space, you will want to change your address.
Call any company with which you frequently correspond so they are all aware of your new address. Then have the post office forward mail to your new address in case there is anyone you forgot to notify.

4) Obtain/Transfer Personal Records

Your move will go a lot more smoothly if you have all of the important documents in place beforehand.
Notify your children’s school, your doctor, dentist and other important organizations to get your records transferred. You should research medical providers, lawyers and schools before moving to choose your new providers.

5) Go Through Your Belongings

As soon as you get the chance, you should do a complete sweep of your possessions.
Make three categories: keep, toss or donate. Then consider which items you want to take along, which you should throw away and which ones may be useful to someone else.

6) Pack Your Stuff (If Applicable)

Next, you should obtain supplies like boxes, bubble wrap, blankets, tape and labels to prepare and pack your property.

Go online today to research companies like United Mayflower Container Services, which offer a variety of convenient moving and storage options.
Becky is a creative writer and one of her favorite topics to write about happens to be storage. If you'd like more information regarding portable moving and storage containers please visit http://www.unitedmayflower.com/