ewwww... I have to agree about the small fridges here, much easier to keep things up to date. My mom doesn't keep up with food very well either and it's a battle for me to do it too, but i force myself every week before shopping to just throw stuff out.
OT: By the way - the sell by dates on some foods is too late, I have had beef and seafood go off well before their dates. I have also gotten ill b/c of this twice from asda, I will no longer buy seafood there. And I am discovering my local butcher and will continue to frequent there for fresh meat.