We all mean well when we go for that big shop at the beginning of the month – it saves money buying it all at once, right? The problem comes when you do the fridge ‘clean out’ and you’re not really sure whether this jar of that or bottle of this needs to be tossed out.

You’re probably thinking what’s the fuss, just check the expiry date and act accordingly. If you’re anything like my friends and I you’re going to give those dates a little leeway, some off pickles never killed anyone as far as I know, but foods actually have different expiry dates depending on where they are stored.

This infographic below comes from DesignTaxi and gives us an idea of how long seafood, meat, beverages and dairy products can be stored before they need to be dumped in the bin. You can click on the image for an enlarged version if your eyes aren’t quite what they used to be.

I applaud anyone with enough self-restraint to keep a chocolate in the fridge for a year, you’re a better person than I.

Think before you chuck things out because you’re flirting with that expiration date, you may be flushing money down the toilet at the same time,.

That green fur on top though – yeah, that one really has to go.

[source:designtaxi]