Look in your fridge. Right now. Wedged between the half-empty jar of jalapeno gherkins and the 24-pack of longnecks, there is a plate of something with plastic wrap over it. $5 says that you can't remember what the hell it is. $50 says you have no idea when the hell it got there. And double or nothing you toss it out rather then risk an intestinal mutiny for eating it. (Note to readers: This wager is purely for illustration purposes. Do not email me telling me it's a piece of blackened grouper you put in there last Thursday and where-the-hell-is-my-fifty-five-dollars.)

Sure, you could be proactive and write the date it entered your fridge on the plastic wrap with a black Sharpie. But who does that? I only knew one person who was anal enough to do it regularly, and I'm pretty sure it was one of the reasons I broke up with her.

Solution: Timestrip Smart Labels. Peel the backing off this single-use strip, squeeze the bubble on the back, and stick it on your leftovers. (The packaging, not the actual food.) A red line in the time window will let you know how long the food's been in your possession. When the window is full of red, time to toss it.

The strips come in a variety of timelines, from 7 days up to 12 months. And they're perfect for other items like medications, eye drops, wine, whatever. Just slap one on and you'll never have to guess when it's time for it to go. Now if we can just get them to do the same for boy-bands.

www.timestrip.com