"Brooklyn1" <Gravesend1> wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 19 Dec 2010 23:04:11 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
> > wrote:
>
>>In article >,
>> "Steve B" > wrote:
>>
>>> ending up with lots of things being thrown away. I had to make a deal
>>> with
>>> her about two years into the marriage that if she couldn't tell me the
>>> exact
>>> day on which the questionable leftover was made, I didn't have to eat
>>> it.
>>
>>> Steve
>>
>>Can you get her into the habit of slapping a piece of masking tape on
>>the cover, with the date marked? It's a pretty easy habit to get into,
>>as is marking cans and packages with the date they were purchased. I do
>>it all the time. >
> I mark the date on everything that comes into this house, even non
> food items just because I'm curious about how long a package of soap
> powder, roll of waxed paper, a box of kosher salt lasts. But I don't
> need to date foods in the fridge I cooked, I'm not so senile that I
> can't remember on Tuesday that I cooked that roast on the previous
> Sunday... that after three days it's time to eat it, turn it into
> soup/hash, or freeze it before tossing it out for the critters. I
> have one of those library date stamps and ink pad... very handy for
> when I bring in the groceries. I even mark the price paid on many
> items, I find it interesting to note the rate of rise on so many
> household staples... even actual staples have tripled in price from
> five years ago. A 2 oz bottle of Gorilla Glue has doubled in price in
> three years, now costs more than I paid for the last 4 oz bottle....
> buy the smallest size, it has a two year shelf life and then quickly
> thickens and becomes unusable.

Things do deteriorate. I was talking to a friend who lives in Australia.
His dad was elderly and he was going through the dad's home trying to get
rid of some stuff in an attempt to eventually move him in with his family.
He found toilet paper that he said had to be about 20 years old. He said it
just sort of ripped to shreds.

My dad attempted to give us a ton of old school supplies. The pencils were
all dried out and the lead crumbly. The paper was decrepit. We declined.