My food is dated ... that is the food that I bought over the weekend has now had it's Best Before dates written in marker pen on the front. Now I can actually see the dates on it without having to resort to reading glasses and turning the light on, on these dark late Autumn evenings.
Not that much of this food is going to be eaten for a while!
It's all been added to the bottom part of the food cupboard, ready for bringing out when virtually everything in the top part has been used up.
I spent random moments over the course of a weekend earlier this year, sorting through all my foods and adding the dates to the packs, and only left the things that were either out of date or that needed using up during 2025 in the top cupboard, everything with a longer date went into the bottom part of the cupboard.
Over the course of the last few months I have put some newly bought things into the bottom part, and taken some things out as I needed them, but always I have been mindful of the dates. I decided over the weekend that I will concentrate on eating up the foods in the top part of the cupboard this month, ready to move things from the bottom up to the top in the New Year, or maybe before if I make lots of space.
Christmas has now arrived at Greggs ... and the new festive cups are lovely cheerful.
We stopped at the services on the way back from visiting Mum yesterday, for our usual strange Sunday lunch. This time I got a free vegan sausage roll off the Greggs app and we treated ourselves to a doughnut each for pudding. Don't worry Alan didn't go without, he was over at Subway buying himself a ham and chicken salad roll while I was taking this photo.
Last night I was so lazy, and because these lovely chips were in the fridge I simply had a couple of chip butties for my tea. In a bid to stop that happening again, I set to this morning dividing the remaining chips into little bags to pop into the freezer.
I now have seven portions for the freezer, safely bagged and stashed, and a few of the little odds and sods which I will have alongside a 'beef' burger on a bun for my tea tonight.
I am wasting nothing.
Even the trays that the chips came in are being repurposed, I am going to use them as trays for open freezing other foods on. Better to reuse than simply recycle, for as long as they last.
Sue xx
Those chips are irresistible so well done on only eating a portion of them! I usually date bottles of sauce etc when I open them but Norrie just opens things then can’t remember how long they have been open! Catriona
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that some of the condiment jars in my fridge should have been finished off a long time ago, I should have a look at the labels on them.
DeleteYour cupboards are so nicely organized. I started to write the dates of expiration or best by dates on the items I've bought, but, sometimes, my daughter puts the groceries away for me and she doesn't write the dates. I should make it a point to write the dates when I next sort through the cupboards.
ReplyDeleteI think having such limited cupboard capacity in my kitchen has trained me to be super careful how I store everything now. It's good to have a sort out every now and then. I have just realised that my freezer inventory does not match the contents of the drawers anymore!!
DeleteYou've got your own little supermarket going on there in your bottom cupboard. Handy to shop at home on a cold windy day!! I am beginning to stock up my pantry a bit each week when I see things we buy on offer. I noticed last week as I did at this time last year that Sainsbury's seem to have less and less offers on their basic products like butter and yoghurt etc in the run up to Christmas or is that my imagination? Has anyone else noticed that at their supermarket?
ReplyDeleteI really have, and that has always been the plan. I think we would all be sensible to hold a few weeks food in our homes now. The offers on all the basics are usual on after Christmas to try and keep us shopping after the festivities. The supermarkets are a very well-oiled machine aren't they, so many ways to get our cash.
DeleteI write dates on the top of the can. And I try to rotate the old stuff to the front. Not always successful. I prefer butter to 'spreads' and if I see it on offer, I buy two packs and freeze one. WTJTM2 is right, a lot of the staples seem to be full price at the minute. But I did get a bargain on bread flour this week .
ReplyDeleteI can't see the top of the cans so I tend to write on the labels. When they are in the top cupboard they are immediately visible to me as everything is waist height upwards, and when they are in the bottom cupboard ... if I am on my hands and knees ... I can still see them.
DeleteI used to love butter, but sadly I can't eat it anymore, it really does freeze well doesn't it.
Great idea - especially for those with eyes that don’t see tiny print without glasses or even resorting to taking a photo then enbiggen to actually see the numbers…….that’s when you find them on the package or unscramble the ‘code’. Or who have others in the household who move things trying to see if they’ve been shelved in the right order and put them back out of order. Wish I’d thought about it years ago - would’ve saved a few ‘tiffs’😊
ReplyDeleteYep, needing reading glasses later in life really impacts on things like this. I have three pairs dotted around the place and they are on and off like yoyos.
DeleteI keep masking tape and permanent pen to hand to date/label things as they are opened/frozen. I consider very carefully before using things that are past 'best before', and even more carefully things past 'use by" as advised by the Susie Bowler 'leftovers book. On the whole I'm keeping up with the pantry stores pretty well.
ReplyDeleteI use lots of things that are past Best Before, that is only a guidance that the quality may be less. But Use By is an important one, and with me now having no sense of smell I rarely use anything that has gone more than a day or two past it's Use By Date ... or I get Alan to sniff it for me.
DeleteWe use things by date order, but the only thing on which I write the date is Jellicoe's diabetic medicine.
ReplyDeleteYes, using things in date order is important, hence my big sort out of the foods in the cupboards earlier this year. Checking the dates on medicines is even more important.
DeleteI also write the dates on everything I buy, as you say, so much easier to see.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good habit to get into isn't it. :-)
DeleteYour cupboard looks much healthier than mine! What a great use for the little trays, and such a good idea to write dates on things. Are the printed dates getting tinier? or is it my eyes losing focus! lol....
ReplyDeleteThat bottom cupboard is looking very healthy isn't it. Sadly, I do think it's our eyes getting worse. :-(
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