Are You Throwing These Foods Away Too Soon?

It looks like I may have been throwing away lots of money on the items I have in my refrigerator. About once a week I go through my fridge before my next grocery stop, to make sure I buy what I need, and have room for everything I'm going to be bringing home from the store.

I check those "sell by" and "freeze by" dates carefully. After all, I don't want to be that parent that poisons her kids with expired food. According to a recent study, the average family throws away the equivalent of 11 meals a month. The sell by dates are really just a guideline, and you normally still use most foods after they expire. Here are eight foods that all typically last longer than one week past their sell dates.

• Milk- Milk is usually good for one more week.
• Yogurt- Usually good for one more week.
• Hot-dogs - At LEAST another week after they expire.
• Bacon - As long as it is unopened, it lasts at least a week after expiration date.
• Eggs- These are usually good for at least a month past the expiration date.
• Butter- Butter? I didn't know it ever got old. Apparently it lasts about a month past the expire date.
• Cream Cheese- A block of cheese can last up to a month and a half after you open it, unless it has mold on it. Even if it has mold on it, you can actually just cut off the mold and eat the rest. But if there is mold in shredded cheese, or soft cheeses like ricotta, you need to throw it away.