For couponers, knowing how much to stockpile and when to properly rotate what you have is essential. This is necessary because throwing away anything, even if we paid only pennies for it, is so not cool! My rotation strategy is pretty basic: when I purchase 10 new boxes of cereal, I place them behind the other boxes on the shelf in my garage—same goes for everything else, from pasta sauce to toothpaste. Then, at least four times a year, I go through everything I have to make an inventory. Even though I don’t write it all down, I’ve found it helps me determine which products I need to replenish and which products I need to avoid. Anything that’s in my stockpile that’s going to expire in the next three months gets brought inside or marked for donation.
The more you coupon, the easier it will become to know how much to buy at a time. You’ll learn how often body wash is free, or when peanut butter is $1.00 or less. The more you coupon, the easier it will be to gauge how much to buy when you find a great price. In addition to knowing how often an item can be found for a certain price, it’s also vital to have a basic knowledge of a product’s shelf life. In order to help, we created a list of what we thought were the top 100 shelf-stable products, and listed them with their corresponding shelf lives.
Please share your tips and strategies! How do you know how much to buy and how do you rotate your stockpiles?
1. Salty Snacks
| Chips, corn tortilla |
3 months |
| Chips, potato |
2 months |
| Crackers |
3 months |
| Nuts, shelled |
4 months |
| Popcorn, kernels |
18-24 months |
| Popcorn, packaged/microwavable |
12 months |
| Pretzels |
3 months |
| Snack Mix |
3-6 months |
2. PB & J
| Jams/Jellies/Preserves |
12 months |
| Peanut Butter |
9 months |
| Nutella |
8 months |
3. Fruit
| Applesauce |
12-18 months |
| Fruit, canned |
12 months |
| Fruit, dehydrated |
8-12 months |
| Raisins |
6-12 months |
4. Vegetables
| Beans, canned |
24 months |
| Beans, dried |
12 months |
| Beans, refried |
24 months |
| Lentils, dried |
12 months |
| Olives |
12 months |
| Pickles |
18 months |
| Pumpkin, canned |
24 months |
| Tomatoes, whole or diced |
12-18 months |
| Tomato sauce |
12-18 months |
| Vegetables, canned |
24 months |
5. Pasta
| Pasta, dry |
24-36 months |
| Pasta sauce, tomato based |
18-24 months |
| Pasta, white |
12-18 months |
6. Soup
| Bouillon |
24 months |
| Broth, canned |
12 months |
| Chili, canned |
18-24 months + |
| Dry soup mix |
12 months |
| Soup, canned |
24 months |
7. Baking
| Baking powder |
18 months |
| Baking soda |
24 months |
| Cake/Brownie mix |
12 months |
| Chocolate chips, semisweet |
18 months |
| Coconut, shredded |
12 months |
| Cornmeal |
12 months |
| Cornstarch |
18 months + |
| Corn syrup |
24 months + |
| Flour, all purpose |
8-12 months |
| Flour, whole wheat |
6 months |
| Frosting |
3-8 months |
| Gelatin |
18 months |
| Honey |
indefinitely |
| Marshmallows |
3-4 months |
| Milk, condensed |
12 months |
| Milk, evaporated |
12 months |
| Milk, non-fat dry |
6 months |
| Molasses |
24 months |
| Oil, canola/vegetable |
18-24 months |
| Oil, olive |
24 months |
| Pudding mix |
12 months |
| Salt |
indefinitely |
| Shortening |
18 months |
| Sugar, brown |
4-6 months |
| Sugar, powdered |
18 months |
| Sugar, white granulated |
24 months + |
| Vanilla extract |
24 months |
| Yeast, active dry |
Exp date on pkg |
8. Breakfast
| Cereal |
12 months |
| Fruit snacks |
9 months |
| Granola bars |
6-8 months |
| Oats, old fashioned or quick |
12 months |
| Pancake mix |
6-9 months |
| Pop Tarts |
3-6 months |
| Syrup, pancake |
12 months |
9. Prepared Sides & Rices
| Bread crumbs, dried |
6 months |
| Rice, brown |
6 months |
| Rice, minute |
18 months |
| Rice or pasta, herb/seasoned |
6 months |
| Rice, white |
24 months+ |
| Instant potatoes |
12 months |
| Stuffing mix |
6-12 months |
10. Condiments & Toppings
| Ketchup |
12 months |
| Mayonnaise |
4-10 months |
| Mustard |
24 months |
| Parmesan cheese, grated |
10-12 months |
| Salad dressing |
10-12 months |
| Salsa |
12-18 months |
| Soy sauce |
24 months |
| Steak sauce |
24 months |
| Syrup, chocolate |
12 months |
| Vinegar |
24 months + |
11. Drinks
| Coffee, ground |
12 – 24 months |
| Coffee, instant |
12 months |
| Creamer powder |
18 – 24 months |
| Drink mix, powdered |
18 – 24 months |
| Hot cocoa mix |
8 months |
| Juice, bottled |
12 months |
| Soda pop |
3 – 9 months |
| Sport drinks |
9 months |
| Tea, bags |
18 months |
| Water, bottled |
12 – 24 months |
12. Baby
| Infant formula |
Exp. date on can |
| Jarred baby food |
12 – 24 months |
| Rice cereal |
12 months |
13. Meat
| Chicken, canned |
12 – 36 months |
| Tuna, canned |
24 – 48 months |
Shelf lives listed are for unopened products stored in a cool, dry environment and are commercially canned, bottled or packaged. Dates are approximate and may vary by brand. Always look at the product’s “Best By” or “Use By” date and discard any food that exhibits a change in odor, color or taste. Once products are opened, shelf life decreases substantially.
