I could have used one of these TimeStrip gadgets in my student days when I often kept things in containers in my fridge that I wasn’t sure were past their use-by date or not. These inexpensive time indicators take away all the guesswork, and your pet cat will thank you too. 

Usually once you’ve opened a jar or carton, you only have a limited number of days before it’s past its best, or even not safe to eat. These ingenious TimeStrip smart labels have a coloured liquid that moves along a thin, capillary tube at a constant rate of so many millimetres a day.

The red liquid gives a reading on a scale that can be used to indicate how many days the food has been opened. There are different time labels available, which can count days, weeks, and months.

When I was a student I developed a solution whereby if I wasn’t sure if something was past its best, I would offer a sample to my cat, Hesketh. If Hesketh sniffed a couple of times and moved forward to investigate, then it was probably ok. If he sniffed and pulled away, then it had to go in the bin.

These TimeStrip indicators are not only pet-friendly, but they can also be used for long-term monitoring of items in the freezer, medicines, or even toothbrushes.

The TimeStrips are available in packs of 50 costing £5.

Found via rootware and Pop Gadget.