bakermom

paprika is bad for bugs, too. I keep it in the freezer

Garden Gnome

Oh oh, I think my chili powder is clumped up...something I recently used had little clumps. Now what was it???

I would think that the cheaper the spice is, the longer it has been sitting around the warehouse. And vise-versa. I know the last chili powder and cumin I bought from Dollar General was pretty tasteless.

Tothill

My son loves Taco seasoning, so I buy the big container at Costco for that, otherwise grow my own (herbs and chilies) or buy bulk from my local organic grocer.

My one exception is a bag of Italian seasoning that I keep in the freezer. I originally had a gallon zip lock of it, am down to less than 1/2 now. We use it in Pizza (every week) and spaghetti sauce.

Baking spices, cloves, all spice, cinnamon nutmeg, get rotated every 2 years or so. I buy whole and grind to get a bit more life from them.

Indian spices are kept whole, then toasted and ground. But sometimes I buy prepared garam masala.

Baking powder and soda are used up quickly, generally within 6 months of purchase.

I keep gingerroot in the freezer and grate it from frozen into whatever I am preparing.