Organize Storage by Date
Even though store-bought items generally have an expired date or best used by date on them, I don’t rely on it alone to rotate through my stock. I take a permanent marker (this is the one I use) and mark the date I put it into inventory, thus I can know better which ones to rotate through not only by the manufacturer’s date, but by how long it’s been sitting on the shelf or in a bin. This includes things in my freezer, that I dehydrate or make, and needs to apply to home-canned items as well.
Sometimes, I will find myself using freezer tape to put on containers that I don’t want to mess up with a permanent marker. It works better than masking tape in the freezer, but I find masking tape just fine for just about every other application.
Alternatively, you could put the “Best By” or “Expires By” date to help yourself know when it might need to be removed if you haven’t already used it. But remember … best by dates don’t mean the product is expired, just that it may have reached the peak of it’s best taste. You can find more info on that here.
I mark the top and the sides so that I can see whichever way the item is being stored.
STOCKPILING RULE OF THUMB:
First in — First Out.
This means that the things purchased first need to be eaten first, meaning you need to rotate through your stores well. Thus, dating is an important visual to let you see how much you are using, how quickly it is going, if you purchased too much, or when you need to restock!
What way do you use to help keep your stockpile organized?
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