Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with expired

Ground Beef for dummies

sunshinesky — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:59:44 -0800

IsitstillgoodFilter: Ground Beef Edition. So normally I'm pretty brave about these things, and I understand that nothing goes bad at the stroke of midnight.... but I noticed today that my family-pack of ground beef which I bought on Monday has a 'best-before of yesterday. It has browned a little from its original bright red dye colour, and that's what squicks me out. I had initially planned on separating and freezing it into 4 bags of single pounds, but I'm afraid that I'll be pushing it if I freeze it today and then thaw for a day as needed.

Should I be worried about it? Can I mitigate my fears by just making sure I cook it extra well when I do end up using it? I don't intend to make anything too rare with it... it's for stuff like taco-night and hamburgers and pasta sauce.

Please hope me!

Expired Registration Question.. looking for advice:

sandmanwv — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:21:02 -0800

What is the likelihood for being pulled over in a faraway state for expired tags and what are typical penalties? It would be one month overdue if that changes both answers. I went out of the country for three months and in the middle of the trip realized that my car registration would be set to expire 2/3rds the way through.

I am in the midst of a move from one state to the other (IL to NC); I will be registering my car there as soon as I arrive. But I have to drive through three states (and around 10 hours of driving) to get to NC. (My car is parked in Northern Virginia.. the states would be WV, VA and NC).

I see my four options:

A)When I visit IL (with another car), pay the $100 to re-register my car for 2 weeks. This would simply require me to come with the renewal and pay and I get a sticker.

B)Register my car in VA. This would require me to retitle my car and get it inspected. Total cost ~$80, though I could get ticketed on the 1/4 mile ride to the station. When I get to NC, simply retitle and reregister car there. Would this be viewed with suspicion by NC DMV?

C)Illegal: drive car as is to NC, hopefully not get stopped; if stopped, explain situation, expect the worst, hope for a warning.

D) Other less savory options?

Really I'm analyzing my risk. $100 seems to be steep to pay for a couple weeks of registration-- but a $150 fine is worse. Impoundment is even worse. But what are those chances?

Note: let me know if this past the bounds of the forum and I apologize if so.

Car insurance coverage with expired tabs

mcstayinskool — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:30:27 -0800

Will car insurance still cover a car with expired tabs? asking this for a friend:

Am I covered by my car insurance if I drive with expired tabs? I recently moved from WA to MN. In the process my vehicle tabs expired and my vehicle title was lost. I can't re-register in WA because I don't have an address there. I can't register in MN because I haven't received the replacement title yet. I realize that by driving the vehicle I am risking a fine for tabs, but if I get in an accident will my insurance still cover me?

please help resolve my tofu troubles

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:43:59 -0800

Can I eat this expired (but frozen) tofu/tempeh/tofurky? I just moved into a new apartment and my new roommate's old roommate left behind some food in the freezer. At first I was delighted to be inheriting free food, but now that I've checked the best by dates, I'm not so sure. Details:

Tofurky: "enjoy by" 08/23/08
Yves Meatless Deli Ham: "best before" 02/13/08
White Wave Baked Tofu: 09/02/05 (date has no qualifier before it)
Sunergia Soyfoods pesto tofu: 04/22/06 (also no qualifier)
SoyBoy Tempeh: April 26 (says that it can be "sold frozen for 6 months after date" but, the date doesn't have a year after it and considering the other fake meats, I wouldn't bet on it being 2009)

I do not know for how long any of this was frozen, nor can I contact new roommate's old roommate to ask.

So...can I eat any of this? If it were anything else, I'd probably just throw it away, but I do love fancy tofu products (and very rarely buy them myself due to their fancy prices) so this would be a free food grand slam.

How do I get my vehicle situation back in order?

Anonymous — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:14:24 -0800

I have been very negligent with my car situation, and bad things have piled up. How do I get myself back to having an operational car and the legal right to drive it? I moved from Illinois to California a couple years back to be with my girlfriend (who has a car of her own). We barely ever used my car, so I didn't really keep on top of the paperwork for it. Never got my car registered here, and the Illinois registration expired, eh, probably a year and a half ago. More recently (end of last year) my Illinois driver's license expired and I haven't gotten that renewed either. Some time early this year, I started a half-hearted attempt to register my car, and got a state emissions inspection. Then, about a week later, someone broke into my car and stole the contents of my glove box, which among other things contained the little box I had in it with my insurance card and old IL registration cards. That discouraged me from getting CA registration because I knew that they'd want my old IL registration; I still haven't gotten the registration stuff replaced and I don't really know how. (I have current insurance cards though.)

Meanwhile, I haven't driven the car more than a couple blocks at a time in a year; and as of last week I hadn't driven it at all in probably a couple months. I needed to move it and discovered that (a) my battery was dead and (b) it maybe 1 gallon of gas or less in the tank. I jumped it, but didn't let it run the requisite 30 minutes due to fears of running out of gas, and sure enough the battery died again and the car won't start.

So that's where I am now: I have an expired out-of-state license and an expired out-of-state registration for a car that I'm missing important paperwork for and that won't even start. I could jump it, but I'm worried I'd get pulled over on the way to the gas station, or that the car wouldn't start after I bought gas. I don't really know how to deal with any of these problems, much less all of them at once, and I feel incredibly guilty about letting things get so bad. I really just need some advice on how to start digging my way out of this hole. Can anyone help?

Should we continue eating it?

heavenstobetsy — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:15:48 -0800

We've eaten about a half of a small box of expired cookies. Can we continue to eat them or should they be tossed? They expired November 27th 2008. They taste fine and aren't soft at all, we just don't want to eat the whole box and end up sick in 4 hours.

If it is at all relevant the ingredients are: unbleached wheat flour, butter, semi sweet chocolate chips, brown sugar, cane sugar, palm oil, eggs, pure vanilla, and kosher salt.

We are inclined to think they are fine, but some confirmation from the hive would make us feel a bit better.

Thanks!

Passport complications.

alexei — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 01:07:44 -0800

I have jumped on an opportunity to take a vacation on the sunny beaches of Australia (insert mixup of seasons joke here). I am leaving in three weeks, and staying for six. However, I have run into a problem: my American passport expires two weeks before I return (though after I leave). Now, I could pay the extra $60 + shipping for expedited service and hopefully get it back before I leave, or go for the in-person service which is presumably even more complicated and expensive. However, since I also have an EU passport, and can use it while in Australia, I only need the American passport to return home in nine weeks.

1) Will leaving the country be a problem with a soon-to-expire American passport? I know they check your passport, but it is generally perfunctory, and only checks for validity, right? Can I leave with only the EU passport, if the American one is still in the mail?
2) If I return with an expired passport, what sort of trouble am I liable to encounter? This says none, this says $100 worth, although neither source is authoritative, and most other sources are vaguely gloomy at the prospect. I know that entering on a foreign passport, even with a valid visa, is considered Very Bad.

As I see it, I can either
I) delay renewing the passport and travel anyway, dealing with expired passport issues on my return, or
II) send in my passport for renewal, running the risk of not having it at all on my departure (although it could be mailed to me later, before my return). If leaving the country is not a problem, I would skip the expedited service and have it mailed to me in Australia, especially since it seems many people report fast turnarounds, and I might get it within three weeks anyway.

3) Any Melbournians for a meetup in may?

Reference

A very boring question about renting a car.

cmonkey — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:56:29 -0800

I have a valid German drivers license which I have held for less than one year. I also have an expired US drivers license that I drove with for 8 years. How much of a hassle am I going to run into renting a car in the US? I've read that car rental companies require their customers to have a valid drivers license issued more than one year prior. I don't have that, but I do have a valid drivers license and an expired license that shows that I have been driving for more than one year. Is this going to turn into trouble at the rental car desks?

How can I find the registration info for a lapsed domain name?

Hat Maui — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:43:23 -0800

How can I get registration information for a domain name that is expired? I have a friend who is in a legal dispute with someone. If there is some way for him to conclusively prove that a particular domain name was taken out by this person, it would be helpful to him in the dispute. However, the domain is lapsed and there is no whois information. Is this information on file somewhere? The site was registered in late 2005 or early 2006 and expired a year subsequent to that.

Expiry dates and what they are intended to mean...

scarabic — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:08:44 -0800

Are "expiration" and "sell by" dates intended to communicate how long the product will last - even once opened? Or are they only meaningful in terms of shelf life before opened? A jar of peanut butter might have an expiration date 2 years off. But that's only if it remains unopened, right? It's not going to last 2 years once exposed to oxygen, etc. Right? I read these two pages and am aware that these dates are guidance only, not law, and that they are imprecise, and sometimes refer only to flavor / quality not safety. I'm just trying to understand the opened/unopened thing.

This slide film is almost as old as me, and slight more stale, do I bother?

chrisbucks — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:08:37 -0800

Kodachrome 25, expired 1988, un-used. Developing is prepaid, bother using it and sending it away? If so, what special attention should I give it? I'm a fairly 'experimental' photographer... most of my film stock in the freezer currently is expired about 6 - 7 years ago and I enjoy getting pretty creative with it, messing with emulsions, using old cameras, holgas and the like.

Was clearing out a draw and found a roll of Kodachrome 25, expired 12/1988.

Normally I'd bin it, or make it into a mantle piece type thing, but on the off chance I could get something pretentious out of it, and because the processing has been pre-paid I might as well take it for a spin right?

_{(Spoke to Kodak and they said they'd handle it for me and honour the mailer, though I presume that means send it to Dwaynes)}

It wasn't frozen/fridged, it was in a draw in the back of the house, I think the humidity and temperature are fairly constant in there... but regardless, not the best environment.

If I do bother with it, should I push it? and by how many stops? If anyone else has bothered with 20 year old unfrozen slide film and got workable results, I'd be keen to know!

_{(the alternative method of developing I've read, is to process it as b/w in a longer process, but the chemical would probably cost as much as the postage)}

Help me recover a file from my expired iDisk!

sdis — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 21:45:43 -0800

Help me recover a file from my expired iDisk! My .mac account expired without my being aware of it on August 14th. I have one document with all of my important info (bank info, everything) that I kept on my iDisk to "keep it safe" (stupid) and mostly to keep it current across my laptop & my desktop. I was using local iDisk syncing, so that there would be a copy on my laptop, my desktop and also on .mac's servers.

Well needless to say my local iDisk on my laptop ceased to exist (though not until Aug. 22nd, for whatever reason), and I dont currently have access to my desktop, but fear the worst there too.

I need this document on my (former) iDisk.

So!

1. Is there some way for me to recover this file without renewing my .mac subscription?
2. Will my iDisk be intact if I renew my .mac subscription? I would be fairly unhappy if i paid $99 just to recover this stupid file and it wasn't there anymore.

Thanks

what can I do if the eyedrops I bought are expired?

esolo — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 11:21:37 -0800

what can I do if the eyedrops I bought are expired? I bought eyedrops at Zellers (Canadian chain similar to Target), only to realize that they have expired in April. What prompted me to check the expiry date was the whitish consistency of the drops - usually they are clear. I can return the drops for full refund, which is what I plan to do.
However, I am outraged that I can buy a medicine at a large store that is expired, and thus, can be potentially harmful! I don't want to sue the store or take similarly radical courses of action. Can I request that they give me these drops for free? Any other suggestions? How should I go about it?

Is in any way dangerous or unhealthy to drink very old/expired soda?

boscord — Tue, 29 May 2007 19:46:27 -0800

Is in any way dangerous or unhealthy to drink very old/expired soda? I heard somewhere that very old soda can potentially be harmful to drink, by separating or some other method. Does the AskMeFi nation have any wisdom to shed on the topic?

Thanks in advance for all of your help!

What does "expired" mean when it comes to Claritin?

crinklebat — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 11:11:06 -0800

Can I take expired Claritin RediTabs? Will they work? I was given a huge quantity of Claritin RediTabs samples by my mom's friend (a pediatrician). At first this seemed like a huge windfall, and then I actually opened the box and saw they expired in January '07. Ah. No wonder they weren't in hot demand anymore.

Will it hurt me to take these tablets? Will they actually do anything to alleviate my allergies, or will they just melt in my mouth and evaporate into the ether? It would be really nice not to have to purchase Claritin for awhile.

Will they throw the book at me?

Cat Pie Hurts — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 12:27:17 -0800

Going to court in MA because I'm not such a smooth criminal. In mid-November 2006, I was pulled over for having an expired vehicle registration (it expired just over a month before). Unbeknownst to me, my driver's license expired the month before (I was on a 10 year renewal and had completely forgotten about it). I also had unpaid parking tickets that caused both license and registration to be suspended, My plates were taken by the police and my car towed away. The officer told me that if I took care of getting my license and registration reinstated quickly, chances are that they will just let me off.

I just received my criminal(!!) complaint notice and my arraignment date at the Waltham District Court.. I am quite terrified. I've never been charged with criminal violations before. I've never had to appear in court before. I have no idea what to expect. What should I bring with me? How should I dress? What should I plead, guilty or no contest? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Does Grenadine Expire?

Joh — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 20:51:36 -0800

Does Grenadine syrup expire? I have a small bottle of Rose's Grenadine syrup in the fridge. It has been there for at least two years, unopened. It was lounging at the back of the fridge, where I had forgotten about it. There's no expiry date anywhere on the bottle, is it still safe to use in a drink? The ingredients look pretty safe - corn syrup mostly.

"Papers please!"

Smarson — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 07:59:03 -0800

Identi-Filter: How bad is it that I'm walking around with an expired driver's license? So my Oregon driver's license expired recently and now I'm wondering how a big a deal this is. I have a friend who carries her passport around with her because her license is expired (apparently some bar bouncers won't let her in with an expired ID). I think this is a pretty big risk since getting your passport stolen is pretty much the worst thing ever. However, what kinds of risks am I running by having this, my primary piece of identification, exist in an expired state?

The facts:
*I'm not driving, so no worries there.
*I'm moving to WA in about 2 months where I will change my residency to that state
*The driver's license picture is from when I was 15 (currently 24) and was renewed once with a sticker (that is now fading, as is the signature).

-Should I look into getting a NY State ID card?
-When I apply for WA residency, how much of a head ache is it going to be to have an expired OR license?

Grabbing files from an old domain.

Brandon Blatcher — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 06:42:01 -0800

How do I download files from a webserver if the domain has changed? Had a domain, it expired, someone grabbed it before it could be renewed. That's fine.

However, the files for the domain are sititing on a personal unix server, with running under Plesk 6.0, so there is still access to the actual files, but how? I go into file manager, but there is only an upload button.

All I want to do is download the files for backup purposes.

There are three domains on this server, two of them active, one is the expired. Is there a way I can ftp in to this server and one of its different domains to download this stiff.

The server has a unique ip address.

Expired NyQuil?

PenguinBukkake — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 16:34:25 -0800

Expired NyQuil: bad for you? from Vicks' website:

Is it okay to use after the expiration date?
No. We cannot recommend using an expired product. There is an expiration date on the package. Expiration dating is based on a number of factors. After the expiration date, the integrity of the product cannot be guaranteed. We recommend discarding the expired product and replacing it.

But, you know, I have a huge box (40 liquigels), expired last summer. Seems like a waste of money. Any chemical-savvy MeFites?

Best way to jump-start an expired domain name?

inksyndicate — Sun, 20 Jun 2004 09:32:19 -0800

Best way to jump-start an expired domain name? So my fly-by-night domain company didn't tell me my site name was about to expire. Finding it full of generic travel and gambling ads, I filled out a "renewal" form last night, charged my credit card $10 and am still waiting for it to come back. The domain co doesn't provide much info.

So far I just see that it's gone from gambling ads to not resolving at all. Whois tells me that it's "locked." Do you think I have to wait until some human comes into their office Monday, or is this something that will resolve soon?

What does it mean that people are visiting my site through an old URL that no longer exists?

Shane — Tue, 16 Mar 2004 10:33:14 -0800

IDon'Unnerstand: Some visitors w/ .uk and .jp ISP addresses are googling for an old URL of mine that doesn't exist (used to be stored on Photoisland but the URL expired), and then they're entering my website by the search results. What the hell is going on? Does this mean someone linked to my image and I didn't know it, now the img URL expired and they're looking for it? This is happening with multiple different images that I used to store on PhotoIsland, but here is an example:
Expired URL: http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/May/20035102005514229083371.jpg
Actual pic (some pseudo-artsy filler for my blog from last year) can be seen here.

Was My Expired Domain (hosted by eNom) Already Bought?

o2b — Mon, 15 Mar 2004 19:43:46 -0800

I have inadvertantly let a domain name expire... Someone please tell me I'm not SOL. I've had a terrible day and this was the icing on the cake. Am I going to get screwed? If the domain already has a generic search page on it, am I already out of the running for it?

The registrar is enom, and I've tried logging in with every username and password combo I use. Not even the 'forgot password' form helps.

I fully expect I'll need to deal with them via phone in the morning, but can someone give me some hope? Tell me I'm being paranoid and someone hasn't already bought it out from under me.