We were almost finished with our Eat from the Pantry Challenge when I stumbled across Would You Buy Expired Food to Save Money? from Money Saving Blog.
Kathryn writes that eating food past the “best-by” date is a growing trend in Great Britain.
She writes that while many people are saving money by purchasing the expired goods at deep discounts. And because they’re eating the food, there’s less of it ending up in landfills.
But is it a good idea to eat expired food to save money?
If the food has been properly stored, and it has a “best-by” date that has recently come and gone, it’s probably safe to eat. But if the “sell-by” or “use-by” date has passed, you should chuck it.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I frequently purchase day-old bread, snacks and buns at the bread store, at a great savings to our family. But I’m not sure that I would extend that shopping to canned goods… even if StillTasty says it’s okay.
I think that if you’re going to cook from home, eating the freshest things possible makes it much more enjoyable (and safer).
Using things up instead of throwing them out is typically a noble, frugal thing. But when it can compromise your family’s health and safety, then you should really ask yourself if saving a few bucks is worth the risk.
I personally think that watching the sales, using coupons, and growing your own food, are far better ways to save on your grocery budget than buying expired goods.
And if you keep a good inventory of what you have and rotate the older food to the front of the pantry, you’ll make sure you use up the food before it gets old.
What do you think? Do you buy food past the “best-by” date?
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