In tough times, it’s difficult to justify throwing away food that might still be worth eating—despite the “best before” date on the package.

Raw chicken that’s expired is one thing, but that jar of mayonnaise that’s a week past due, would you take a chance on it?

The good news is that many products can be consumed safely even after their expiry date. Plus, packaged goods such as cereal, potato chips, soft drinks and granola bars are durable and quite edible past their shelf-life dates.

That jar of store-bought mayonnaise often gets lost for months in the back of your fridge. As long as it’s been stored according to the temperature instructions, it should be good 3 to 4 months after the expiry date.

Take cheddar cheese for instance. You might buy it for a party only to realize you won’t finish it all before the best before date, and even if it’s been opened, it should be safe to consume for up to 4 weeks.

Other than losing their crispiness, potato chips are highly processed so you can safely consume them months following expiry.

As long as you cook that beef thoroughly when you use it, you can stretch the best before date for up to 5 days.

The same goes for pork roasts that are cooked completely. They are safe to eat up to three days past the best before date.

Dairy products, like butter, are also difficult to consume entirely before the due date. However, you can store butter in the freezer and thaw it when you need to use it for a few additional months.

Most boxed cereals will just get stale if you leave them open to air and consume past the due date. However, if you store them properly, even if opened, you can safely consume for months after they expire.

Although we wouldn’t recommend eating chicken more than a few days past the best before date, you can safely freeze a package of chicken breasts, thaw and cook thoroughly, up to a year.

Diet soda lasts up to 4 months past its due date before the artificial sweeteners break down—while regular soda can safely last up to 9 months.

Bottled mustard has an extremely lengthy shelf life. Even when opened and stored in the refrigerator, it can last up to 1 year.