What’s Your Expiration Date Policy?

I make no secret of the fact that I don't like to waste things and I like to save money. That being said, sure sometimes I may play a little fast and loose with the dates on things. 

First of all, there's a big difference between "Use By" and "Best By".

"Use By" is usually on things that are perishable - milk, eggs, etc. "Best By" is usually on things that have a longer shelf life, but may not be as great over time - dry pasta, soup mixes, etc.

But then there are those things that have a bit of a grey zone. Cheese, for example. I mean hey, there are some cheeses that are purposefully aged for months, or even years. So when it comes to things like that I usually go with the mold test and/or the sniff test...if it's moldy (and by that, I mean too moldy to cut off any ugly spots) or if it smells funky (and it's not supposed to, of course), it gets thrown out.

With those "Best By" products, I'll usually be pretty flexible. I mean look, if the date on the package is from three years ago, I'll chuck it. But if it's from three months ago, I might give it a whirl.

So what's your policy on package dates? Do you stick to the dates solidly or are you a little flexible depending on what it is? Comment below and let us know!