Colleagues keep using my milk!

At this point I would stop being polite because That's not working. Tell them in person not to touch it. Especially the greedy bastards using it for cereal.

Yes, not sure why you don’t simply do this? Then people in the office will have to sort out obtaining their own milk.

Bring your own in in a flask or something. Fill up an empty bottle (or half fill perhaps to look genuine) with something like cornflour mixed with water to make it white and milk-like. Then add something like salt or anything else harmless but that tastes bad. Leave in the fridge and wait for the fun.

The problem is the CFs who do this think it doesn't matter because it's a tiny amount and you won't notice. They don't realise that there are multiple CFs thinking the exact same thing so ofc it goes quickly. I would not bother with notes or labels, just keep some in a flask by your desk. If someone asks to borrow it just say no as you've literally brought in just enough to see you through the day.

This used to happen where I worked. Many would label their own milk and one colleague would occasionally rub a certain part of his anatomy around the rim and then laugh at anyone he saw using his things.

Another colleague flatly refused to buy milk because he said he earned the least, but had no issue using everyone else's.

I went to just bringing in my own, and keeping it in a cool bottle in my locker.

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No, not a sticker for dates at all. But dairy used for a whole month when it's Use by is 7 days is too, too far. I'd probably be happy with 10 or 11 days from opening if within the Use by date OR a week after the Use by date, but within 7 days of opening. Lots of bugs that make you sick can't be smelt -it's an absolute fallacy to say "if it smells OK and tastes OK it is OK" It can smell OK and taste OK and still make you very, very ill.

I would put out a jar and ask ask people to put in a pound a month or whatever toward the cost of milk and then proceed as you have been but share the expense. Otherwise, I might stop buying for a while and see if someone else steps up. If that failed I would let it go.

Honestly, if you're buying a £1.35 bottle (Waitrose prices, one litre bottle) and it's lasting you a whole month, I'd just let this go.

That's the point. It ISN'T lasting a month. It was opened (not by OP!) today, and there's only 1/3 left now.

Well, I'd suggest you label the milk truthfully with Date Opened, and no one will touch it after a week. You run the risk of people chucking it away though!

Honestly, if you're buying a £1.35 bottle (Waitrose prices, one litre bottle) and it's lasting you a whole month, I'd just let this go. It's literally pennies you're talking about. Of course other people shouldn't take your milk, but it's not really worth getting worked up about for the sake of a couple of pence worth of gone off milk. Your time and headspace is worth more than that!

That's just what the label says, mine lasts much longer. But it does depend how cold the fridge is/how many times it's been opened/how much is left in the bottle etc etc. Are you one of those who throws out food that's been open longer than it says to or stick religiously to BBDs without using common sense? You can tell when milk is off. The 7 day rule won't tell you, the bloody milk will.

OP I would buy a bottle and dump some vinegar or lemon juice in it to make it curdle. Put it in the fridge. Ruin everyone's drinks/breakfast, and make it so they can't trust 'your milk' and that it's a risk to use it. AFAIK intentionally curdled milk doesn't smell like off milk so you might have to do this a couple of times if people smell it the second time and it's still curdled!

Get a chilli’s bottle - keeps cold drinks cold for 24hrs - and keep it at your desk.

I used to use a small 200ml flask for my milk when I worked somewhere without a staff fridge. It was small enough in my handbag, smaller than my brolly, and I just used to pop it into my desk drawer.

Mine was from Lakeland IIRC, but they don't seem to do it any more. Similar are in Asda (£5) and Argos (£8.50).

https://groceries.asda.com/product/bottles-flasks-travel-mugs/george-home-mini-flask/1000259397825

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/3103399

Dont message them. Get a flask and bring in your daily milk.

Someone will just throw it in the bin if the date has passed.
I love the idea of decanting into a flask to keep on desk. Then leaving a dodgy milk in the fridge to get the thieves back!
Clearly labelled "DO NOT USE" and FULL of laxatives !!!!!

When this used to happen to me, and Im sure its happened to everyone or it happens in most shared work spaces, I said ok, we keep running out of milk, I will bring the milk in - I want a milk kitty - who takes milk? 50p/£1 week please ( you need to count heads and divide and Im going back a while when milk was cheaper )

Didn't cost me anything to stop on the way into work and buy a couple of jugs

I have a small flask from Tk maxx and bring a small amount every day

This.

Or can you send round an envelope saying that since you have repeatedly been inconvenienced by having your personal milk used, you are offering to collect the funds to purchase a communal supply. Though I suppose the usual deadbeats won't contribute...

But it is normal for a company / boss to provide tea, coffee, milk and sugar at the very least. That is just basic decency.

If people use different types of milk then that is on them to provide their own but milk for tea and coffee has been the norm anywhere I have worked over the past 30 years.

Buy a fake Stanley cup from B&M and our your milk in that each day. It could sit ok your desk all day and still stay cold.
My DD has one and it was only £4 and great quality.

This should work. If it's not recognisable as milk it's less likely to be used.

They're going to use whatever milk is in the fridge. Stop buying it for yourself and set up an office kitty that everyone pays into - a quid a week should do it.

Unless it's brought by someone else then the milk preference is out the window.....but some obscure revolting milk and put it in your old bottle ....or sour some....