Pantry Storage and Inventory

I noticed recently I'm getting close to or past expiration on both store bought and home canned goods.
What methods have been found best for inventory, storage, and use?
There are a number of apps I'm looking at but none of them seem to cover it all including multiple storage places and expiration notification. The paid versions may cover this but none of them have a free trial for testing. I could also probably set up something in excel given time.
Just wanted to know if anyone found something that works well.

I know nothing about apps.

I use a rotation system where the oldest items are what comes first when I reach for an item.

Like items are stored on the shelf together.

I don't throw something away because the expiration date has expired.

I consider those "Best By" not no longer good.

I have eaten preserves that were 10 years old and I believe these preserves were as good as the day they were canned.

I just recently opened a jar of stewed tomatoes from 2016.

I write on the container what year it comes into the house. other than that,  I do like Anne, similar items together, eat the oldest ones. And I don't believe in the dates at all. The dates are the date they want you to throw it away and buy a new one, not when it goes toxic. DO CHECK things carefully if you ate eating expired stuff, throw out anything that looks even a BIT puffy, discolored, sour, etc. I have never gotten food poisoning from what I do, but I know people who have.

As for multiple locations... I wish I could figure that one out! Due to weirdness, I have things everywhere. Too many things are sorted by size of the container rather than by what they are. They stack and compress better by size, but it DOES make it a challenge sometimes.

If I were looking for a way to computerize it, I'd work in Excel, and make sections by places it's stored. You can use Cntrl F in excel to find any given item, so where it's stored might be less relevant.

That said, I gave up long ago trying to keep track of mine. I store what I eat, eat what I store, and every time I cook I get something out of storage or the freezer. It was just too much to keep track of.  

Pearl said, " DO CHECK things carefully if you ate eating expired stuff, throw out anything that looks even a BIT puffy, discolored, sour, etc. I have never gotten food poisoning from what I do, but I know people who have.

I completely agree with this.

Anything suspicious goes into the trash or better yet, the compost pile.

A trip to the emergency room is a 60 miles trip so I don't want to make one of those.

I have had very little go bad.

Like Pearl, I date everything.

No home canning, but store bought stuff gets a mark with the last 2 digits of the year of the use by date on the label. Since those are visible (and the top/bottom where the date is, isn't) that works for me. No apps and what not, just look in the pantry for what needs to be used this year. What doesn't get used (much) i either find a recipe for or just don't replace it when used.

For most items, I pretty much ignore expiration dates.

I do the permanent marker of the date in a more conspicuous place than the factory stamp. I've recently come to love the green painter's tape for labels in my workshop since it is eye-catching, so green tape might make it to the kitchen... There's something about actively doing this notation that helps in remembering.

Rotate your stock. Easier said than done, since "out-of-sight, out-of-mind" is something I struggle with... A physical system, like stocking shelves from behind and "fronting" the older stuff is a help. Some items we store in bins in the cabinet, and sorted by "use by date" so we can progress through.

Only "stock up" on staples/items you like and regularly use... Don't get enticed by sales, or multi-packs, or other aspirational purchases. The "unit price" on a rancid, half-full, family-sized jug of oil is higher than the small bottle that you will use up before the date.

"Take stock" or "Do an inventory" (physically) of what you have, maybe even save a shelf for "the next two weeks" where the aging items are "on deck" to get used up... and inform shopping lists for missing ingredients or recipes.

An app called "Any List" was recommended by a friend (an engineer). I have it on my phone, but not used it yet. It can integrate recipes, and shopping lists, and I think pantry stuff? (A quick look at their website showed a sample with "movies to watch" as a list, so seems plausible, right?)

Like with like, first in, first out. My system seems pretty much the same as everyone else's. Anything in a box (basically, that only means gluten-free pasta, here) gets put into one of those big popcorn tins(to protect from mice), with bay leaves(to repel weevils & pantry moths), and labeled. I don't tape them shut, or I'll be reluctant to open them. Grain stuffs like oats, rice, flours, nut flours, all spend at least a week in the freezer, then go into jars or cans, with bay leaves, but they'll keep a long time that way, so...

I also do a lot of dehydrating. All of that goes into jars with at least 1 bay leaf each, and a 'dried-on' date. I don't bother keeping an inventory, because that takes cooperation from everyone in the house - and when it comes to organization... well, that just doesn't happen, here. When (chef) hubby wants something, he's usually in a hurry, and doesn't think about it, then forgets, later. Honestly though? I'm just as bad. We have what we have, and that's what we use. If it's gone, oh well - maybe we will get more, next trip to the store.

The marker-and-rotation systems above are honestly hard to beat for a pantry you can see at a glance, and the "best by, not bad after" point is well taken. But since the original post asked specifically about apps and that part never got answered: the requirements listed there (multiple storage locations, expiration notifications, works across home-canned and store-bought) are almost exactly the spec I built to, so sharing in case it helps.

Disclosure first: I'm the developer. BeaglePrep (Android) assigns items to locations (basement, root cellar, camper), sends reminders before dates come up so rotation happens on schedule rather than by memory, and scans barcodes for store-bought goods while home-canned batches enter once and autocomplete after. The reminders are rotation nudges, not throw-it-out alarms; what you do at the date is your call. Fully offline, no account. Happy to answer questions here either way.

One of my methods is to not amass very much of anything.  We live in a small house with limited storage, thus we don't acquire a ton of foodstuffs, or other stuffs beyond a certain point.  I'm not perfect at this, but I try and keep in the back of my mind what we have and what needs to be used and bring it forward in my mind with meal planning with a focus on variety and getting things eaten and gone.  The 2 areas where I struggle more are the sauces in the door of the fridge and the top shelf in the cupboard which is too high for me and which  is for foods that only my husband eats, those areas can get a bit unruly, but the rest of the fridge, the freezer, snacks, cupboard shelves for both of us, bread and fruit basket, coffee grounds, etc. I feel confident about and am good at staying on top of.