Just a thought… Your dream doesn’t have an expiration date. Take a deep breath and try again. [Kt Witten]

You can watch a video version of this journal on my Facebook page, or here on YouTube.

Still catching your breath after Friday’s 28-5 Jays win over Boston? I can’t help but think that on the first game back for first-base coach Mark “Bud” Budzinski after losing his 17-year-old daughter in a tubing accident, he might have wondered if Julia was his Angel in the Outfield. I know I do. (Does anyone else remember that movie? It was a favourite in our house as Lauren was growing up….)

Now…where was I?

Ah yes, today’s journal. We go back in time a bit to a post about some yogurt drinks for the kidlets. Their “best before” date was the next day and they were on sale – hugely – and so I had to buy them. And then I asked you what you would do: would you purchase and, secondly, would you give them to the kids?

I thought I’d be able to collect and count the responses, but with so many on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, it was impossible. SO many responses – nearly 100 on FB alone. Of those, and let’s make it a percentage, about 5% said absolutely not. Maybe 2% said they’d eat it themselves but not give it to the children. And the rest consisted of wisdom like this:

“There’s a difference between ‘best before’ and ‘expiry.’ ‘Best Before’ indicates the quality of food might not be 100% but still safe to eat.”

“Best Before is just a suggestion.”

“Does it pass the sniff test?”

“If they’re not open, they’re okay.”

Okay, well, I’m sure it does go bad eventually, but I’ve never opened a container of yogurt, no matter how old, that had mold on it. Once it’s been unsealed and forgotten in the fridge for a few weeks, absolutely – but never new. Perhaps I’ve been lucky.

Oh, and someone else said to buy the drinks and freeze them in ice trays! To me, that makes total sense. After all, you can freeze anything, really; it’s just how it thaws that determines whether it’s a good idea, right?

One woman said she throws things out a few days before the date stamped on her food. I promised no judgment in my original post, and you know, that’s her business. But it makes me so sad to see good food go to waste, especially when it’s perfectly fine to eat for days or weeks after the date stamped on it.

This past Friday, I bought a jug of milk that was half off because it expires this coming Wednesday. And I knew the milk would be gone by then, so I count that as a solid win. There’s no shame in discount groceries, doggy bags or leftovers, for heaven’s sake. Because more than half of total food waste happens at home.

I’m not a Depression-era child like my parents, but as I age, it’s become a passion with me to find food deals: I search out the dairy that’s near its d-day. I pore over that rack near the back of the store with products that are getting a bit dusty. I keep eggs in the fridge for weeks and weeks.

A short power outage or trip with food in the car doesn’t worry me in the least. I cut off the bruises; trim the white or blue off the cheese that isn’t meant to be white or blue; buy stuff and freeze it right away. The average family of four wastes about $2000 worth of food in a year. Regardless of income, how dare we?

This isn’t scientific and I’m the last person to give dietary or health advice. (And in a moment I’ll link to an article that reminds us all of the no-wiggle-room items like baby formula.) All I can tell you is that I’ve only once gotten food poisoning and it was from foolishly thawing salmon on the counter, changing my mind about dinner and freezing, then thawing it again another time. I deserved to be sick and I was. Food poisoning is not a joke and my kitchen isn’t the set of Fear Factor. I wouldn’t endanger those I love; if I wanted to do that, I’d cook more!

But seriously, with inflation as high as it is worldwide and, of course, at home, we have to look at this logically. And to that end, I have for you a handy list of when things should be used, saved or pitched. The link is here from RealSimple.com.

Take a moment to visit if you’re interested and I hope you’ll share this journal, which I promise has no expiry date. Oh, and neither do my Drift with Erin sleep stories, which I hope you’re enjoying for free through Simplecast.com. Have a lovely week and I’ll be back with you here on the holiday Monday.