Posted: 12/8/2014 10:45:57 PM EDT
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My preps have grown so much that I have to rotate out a substantial dollar amount of items every month.
This month it is first aid and OTC medicine. Celox, Ibuprofen, cold medicine, antibiotic ointments etc ad nauseum. I made a list but it's near impossible to keep up with. Any of you have this issue and or a good solution? Jim |
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Expiration dates on most of that stuff is a joke. Yes but...I'd rather be using stuff that's 1 year past the expiration than 5 past in a SHTF. I say rotate as you can but don't throw anything away just because of a date stamped to the outside and don't put yourself in any financial hardships to rotate especially if there are other preps you're not up to speed with. YMMV. |
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There was a thread about a year ago that cited a govt study.....said that all dry formed pills were good ten to 20 years past expiration and some even longer, depending on storage temps. Ibuprofen, especially if still sealed, i would keep for a long time. Not sure about the celox...but i wouldn't toss that either.
The only issue was wet solutions and compounded items in a suspension that were only good a few years past their date. Items like triple antibiotic and other first aid supplies are usually good 5 to 10 years, depending on the item. bandages, guaze and other packing i would never get rid of. HTH......and we all feel your pain.... |
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I do rotate out my children's medicines.
Especially the liquid Tylenol and Motrin and cough/expectorants. The small cost versus peace of mind for those is a no brainer. But the adult stuff I keep. I have a box the older stuff goes into. That's the just in case if things get really bad and have to do something or they will die box. 
How much stuff do you have that really needs to be rotated? Fuel? Food? Meds? Water? Most everything else I have will last a very long time if not being used. |
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My dad and brother are both MDs and I remember my brother telling me that the efficacy of many OTC type medicines is roughly a 5% loss over a 5 year span, so 10 years beyond the expiry date, you're at 90%.
Now, not everything adheres to that general guideline, but much like food products, with 'expiration' dates, or 'use before' dates,' one can go a lot longer, on a lot of this stuff. Do what makes you feel better, but I'd start rotating stuff into normal 'household' use if possible, instead of pitching it into the trash. Chris |
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Stuff like that will be somewhat rotated. With today's obamacare especially, I would buy replacements. But I would keep old stuff. I do agree with researching things specifically and what not, but overall it should not be a big whup. Now if something is questionable, as in dangerous, I toss it. But something losing some potency just has me print what I learn and store that with it. One thing about adding stuff as you can is you don't rotate a ton of stuff out at once. Kind of like buying stocks bit by bit, you never bought at the lowest point but you added here and there as you could afford to do so. Since I rent I tend to run things out before moving, makes for less moving. Right now I still have a mess and am working on using up some stuff to make room for redoing some organizing without having to displace stuff. But meds are special. |
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Quoted: My preps have grown so much that I have to rotate out a substantial dollar amount of items every month. This month it is first aid and OTC medicine. Celox, Ibuprofen, cold medicine, antibiotic ointments etc ad nauseum. I made a list but it's near impossible to keep up with. Any of you have this issue and or a good solution? Jim we just did this. its a 2-3 year deal. or whenever i get a wild hair. most meds we toss(stored in non perfecr places(bob/ghb/fighting load outs etc). other stuff we keep. peroxide thats 3 years out was still ok to use it seemed..trip antibiotic we use..i looked atthe tube it was 4 years past lol i dont trust meds(allergy,,mixed pain meds etc)...past 1-2 yrs on the dates.. |
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OP could you donate it to a local homeless or women's shelter and right it off as a donation on your taxes, at least in a way you will be getting your money back out of it. Just like when you donate items to certain charities you can deduct from your taxes.
Might be an option... |
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^This. Agree completely with the "use by" dates being conservative to the point of ridiculous, but there still comes a time when it's best to use/replace. Donations are a good way to do this imo. Being past "the date" doesn't mean unusable; it's still perfectly good. Not to sound callous, but if it's good enough for my own family, it's good enough for charity. The whole "beggers can't be choosers" thing.
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The cost of living has forced us to slowly use our preps without replacing them. Suddenly current medications, trash bags, and food for current cosumption have left no room for luxuries like a year's worth of toothpaste or ten cartons of toilet paper. One of the most realistic reasons for having preps in the first place imo. Unexpected medical/financial/whatever situations are a lot more common than Dawn of the Dead situations. |
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I rotate my canned goods and donate the old cans to the homeless guys I know. They love it because I buy stuff we normally eat so its not all lima beans and pumpkin pie filling. canned stuff honestly doesn't go bad. it can very literally last 100's of years if properly stored. flavor and nutrition will degrade a bit though. |
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Thanks for all the replies. I'm not doing any tax deductions. too much trouble. I'll just donate it locally. I know that stuff lasts past it's date but as one poster said I don't want it to be 5 years past it's date when I need it so I rotate. It's just that the amount of stuff I have to throw out is getting big.....
Jim |