A surprising 40% to 50% of all food waste occurs in the homes of everyday consumers. Two-thirds of this waste consists of food that spoils before we get around to eating it, but beyond using your groceries promptly, a great way to reduce food waste is to stop throwing out items that aren't actually expired.

Most consumers throw away food once it reaches the expiration date on the package, but these dates aren’t so cut-and-dry. A lot of "expiration" dates are actually the product’s sell-by date; after this date, the food may decrease in quality and not taste as fresh, but it is still safe to cook with and eat.

Sell-by dates originally weren't even shown to consumers, and were used by stores for stocking and inventory purposes; as long as you store your food properly, it should last longer than the timeframe on the package. However, you should still use a smell or taste test if you suspect that food is really and truly expired.