Okay, first things first. Expiration doesn’t mean that after that date, the food will automatically become rotten. It’s just that its quality might deteriorate a little. Hence the tag ‘best before’, duh! So before you throw away any more food, kindly go through this list to save yourself some money.

1. Cereal

Oh no! You’re getting late for your office and you’re feeling super hungry. Thank God for that box of cereal you have. But wait! OMG! It has exceeded its expiry date!

Too bad you have to throw it away now, right? Wrong! They may not taste as great, but cereals can last upto 6 months after their expiration date!

Moral of the story: Stock up on them cereal boxes homie!

2. Pasta

Hey, who doesn’t like pasta? It’s tasty, can be made in a number of ways and are more or less healthy. Well, almost healthy.

Anyway, how many times have you too thrown away a seemingly good packet of pasta just because it’d exceeded its expiry date?

Well, newsflash! Pasta doesn’t contain any water. So it can easily last much, much longer than its intended expiry date. Just make sure you keep it in a cool, dry place.

3. Bread

One of the most consumed things is also one that’s thrown out the most. Innumerable times, we’ve thrown away a nice loaf of bread just because we’d noticed a ‘blue mold’ on one of the slices.

Also, it’d crossed its expiration date.

Well, turns out you can always remove that blue chunk of mold and enjoy the remaining slice. Moreover, stale bread makes excellent French toast.

4. Yogurt

Love your favourite flavoured yogurt but can’t have it cause it has crossed its expiry date? Well, worry not peeps. For yogurts are here to stay.

Sealed yogurt can easily last upto one to two weeks beyond its expiry date. If it smells right, feel free to eat it.

5. Chips

Love your favourite bag of chips but you gotta ‘Lay’ it to rest cause it’s no longer edible? Worry not. If the bag is sealed, the chips can last upto months beyond their expiry date. Njoi!

6. Chocolate

Think your chocolate has crossed its expiry date just because you notice a ‘white layer’ on it? Well, it’s called chocolate bloom and may be a consequence of either fat or the sugar variety used in the chocolate. And, it’s perfectly safe to eat.

7. Ketchup, mayonnaise and jam

Condiments like jam and ketchup are consumable even long after their expiry date. If the bottles are open, just sniff ’em to check for a foul smell.

8. Frozen Foods

When it comes to frozen foods, you can conveniently overlook the expiry date. Want to extend the life of a food item? Just freeze it.

9. Water

Okay, water doesn’t expire. ‘Nuff said. Just make sure that you store it in a clean container though.

10. Soda

Thanks to all the chemicals that go into making soda, scientists claim that while diet soda can last upto 4 months after the best before date, regular soda is consumable upto after 9 months.

11. Pickled Food

Trust vinegar to automatically increase the shelf life of a food item. As is the case with pickled food that easily last way longer than their intended date.

See? Thank us later for saving your money. One word of caution though. Please have foods that have expired, at your own risk. Phir baad mein humein mat kehna.

Original story seen at: Bustle