Originally Posted by
3timesalady
The date on milk is a sell-by date, not a use-by date (on all the milk I've ever bought, anyway), and is good for some time after that date. How long depends on the fat content of the milk (which is what spoils) -- skim milk will keep the longest, whole milk the shortest.
I have milk in my refrigerator right now that has a 1/5 date stamp on it. Just had a bowl of cereal and tea for breakfast this morning, and it all tasted fine.
You can trust me on this one -- I am an uber-paranoid freak about expiration dates!!
I think it's a matter of personal taste. I find milk to be repulsive by the time it reaches the "sell by" date.
I freeze my meat so no worries on that, and just about everything else I ignore the exp date on. If it still tastes fine and doesn't have mold I'll eat it!