Expiration Dates?

[Morrigoon]

Have you seen the price of cereal lately?

You get what, 5 bowls per box? $4-$5 per box (seriously, have you SEEN the price of cereal lately?). I've chosen to snack and breakfast on TJ's Chocolatey-Coated Chocolate Chip Dunkers. Two Dunkers and a glass of milk sets me up quite nicely. And you get way more than 5 snacks/breakfasts per tub of Dunkers.

I bought a couple boxes of Frosted Flakes recently because it was marked down to 2/$4, but overall, I find it too expensive now.

Yes, you can freeze milk. Works just fine (don't worry about the color of it when frozen, it goes back to white when it thaws.)

[BarTopDancer]

I buy cereal at Target, with coupons, or when it's on super duper sale at the store. The size of the boxes also shrunk, but when I use the serving size (usually 3/4 of a cup to a cup) I can get 2 weeks of work breakfast out of the box. Since I'm trying to portion control it's working well for me.

[MouseWife]

Oh yeah, Target has better prices on cereals. Try them, Morri. And, something I found, womens {I guess mens as well} disposable shavers, Ralphs' did not have a generic inexpensive brand at all! I found some at Target for pretty cheap, nothing similar at Ralphs', just expensive.

I'll have to remember the milk tip, it is way too expensive to buy them seperately.

[RStar]

Morri, how long have you been buying cereal? A while back (I foorget 5-8 years maybe) there was a big news blitz that the cereal companies were ripping off the public, price fixing, and the like. So in response they reduced the prices from $6 a box to $3-4 a box. Now, along with everything else, they are back up to $4-5 a box and the boxes are getting smaller. I always look for the sales, and yes Target and Walmart type stores are cheeper than Grocery chains.

And BTD, you actually eat the serving size of 3/4 cup? That's like 3 spoonfulls! I would have never thought anyone did that!!

[BarTopDancer]

Originally Posted by RStar

And BTD, you actually eat the serving size of 3/4 cup? That's like 3 spoonfulls! I would have never thought anyone did that!!

Yes, I do. Cheerio's is a cup I believe, and much more than 3 spoonfulls. Grapenuts is half a cup (and super fattenig! ) which is also more than 3 spoonfulls. Don't use such a big spoon

[cirquelover]

Have you seen the price of cooking oil?! I went to buy some tonight and it has doubled in price!

As far as cereal goes, I buy it on super sale at Safeway and always print of coupons from the manufacturer. Last time I bought 4 boxes for 3.25 and that was brand name cereal too!

Our store says they're just not ordering as much and hopefully it will cut back on waste. Of course I live in a tiny town and it may cost more to get here, who knows!

[Morrigoon]

Because cooking oil relies a lot on corn.

Oh, and tonight I was planning on grabbing some Dreyer's ice cream... till I saw their new size. WTF? I hate when they pull that. So I voted with my dollars and bought the store brand, which was 1.75qts instead of 1.5qts (which Dreyer's and Breyer's have gone to). Of course, neither is 1/2 gallon.

[Gn2Dlnd]

Um, here's the deal on "expiration" dates: Companies want you to buy more of their product. The date printed on meat and dairy is a "sell by" date. The product should be good in a cold refrigerator for a week after the date. Dry goods, canned goods, etc., sometimes have a "best by" date. Ignore this, it's a completely arbitrary number. If its gone rancid, you'll smell it. Otherwise, use the groceries you've paid for. Macaroni and cheese in a box is something that would take a year or so to go funky. Of course the company is going to tell you to throw it away if its past the fake date. They want you to give them more money.

I once had a customer call me, demanding to know why my product didn't have an expiration date. When I explained to him that my product was good for at least a month, if stored in a cool place more like 90 days, he would not be mollified. "Every other product has an expiration date! Why doesn't yours?" I couldn't convince him that this was not true. Go through the grocery store, there are still plenty of products that don't suddenly and magically "expire" from one day to the next. When he suggested that I might be looking at a lawsuit, I thanked him for his suggestions, told him to throw away my product, and, if he really felt the need, I would notify my insurance company and lawyer. What a maroon.

So, it boils down to this. Keep the fridge door closed. Store your dry goods in a cool, dry place. Don't buy dented cans. Close the fridge. Keep meat in the coolest part of the fridge and freeze what you're not going to use in 3 days. Don't stand in front of the fridge with the door open. Processed meats like hot dogs, bacon, and lunchmeat are full of preservatives, keep them until they smell odd. Eggs last forever.

And close the damn fridge door!

[Strangler Lewis]

And don't read in the dark.

Here in Switzerland, most stuff has a sell by date and a use by date. I'm always appalled to find things at our local Whole Foods that are past their date. Of course, I'm also appalled when the butcher/fish man gives me the pieces from the top and back that are less fresh and look it.

On the subject of planned obsolescence in food, I'm also convinced that the egg candler of old has been replaced by an egg tapper. I'm finding more cracked eggs than ever when I check a carton.

[Gn2Dlnd]

Do you swap out broken eggs for good ones, or do you go through cartons until you find a full dozen unbroken? I only ask because I was taught to swap, but I occasionally get funny looks in the store when I do this.

Switzerland?