Where is mom when you need her? A grad's guide to the kitchen on their own

You've moved into your new apartment and begun your first few weeks on the job. Maybe it took you a few weeks, or maybe you knew it already, but having take-out for every meal gets expensive. Even just eating out lunch everyday adds up to over $100 a month - if you are frugal and only spend $5 for lunch! Spend $10 instead and you've racked up a $200 a month lunch bill. This doesn't even count dinner!! So you decide to conquer the kitchen and start making some of your own lunches and dinners.

The tricky part (and this is where having mom around would be nice) is figuring out how long you can keep the food you bought at the grocery store. You can smell it, but how are you supposed to know what bad ham smells like? Here is a quick run-down of some of the basics, and how long you can keep them around before they might cause some problemos. And you don't want those in your first few weeks. :)

Eggs: 3-5 weeks, but don't store them on the door because it isn't cold enough.
Milk: 5-7 days
Potatoes: 1 month
Cheese: unopened, check date on package. Opened, 3-4 weeks.
Salsa: unopened, a year, opened, 2 weeks.
raw hamburger, ground turkey, veal, or pork: 1-2 days. If frozen, 3-4 months
opened hot dogs: 1 week. Frozen, 1-2 months
Bacon: 1 week
fresh chicken: 1-2 days. Frozen, 1 year.


Check out http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic3522.htm if you have more questions on different food items! Be safe!