Thrifty or Cheap?

I'm the same way. But it is neither cheap nor thrifty. In an extended way, it is an efficient use of resources.

I go through all my spices every year before Thanksgiving and throw out anything expired or near expiration and then re-stock with the holiday sales.

I go through my condiments regularly and toss expired.

I won't consume anything that contains dairy that has expired. I don't care how it smells. I don't enjoy diarrhea.

Spices and dried herbs definitely have a shelf life and are easily affected by heat and light. I do an annual purge as R2 does.

Some condiments are good for ages (as OP describes), others not. I have a small refrigerator so I keep track of these things, often ditching jars when they are close to empty but still within 'use by' dates. If they look off in consistency or color, for instance, out they go. Most long-lasting condiments are really long-lasting, so they expire I chuck them.

Cheese I ditch if it starts to mold. A couple of times I have salvaged it for one last use, throwing away any moldy area and using it only for cooking.

Meats and produce I am fastidious about. If they were stored well within the coldest art of the refrigerator I might squeeze by by scrutinizing i carefully and using of the day of or one day after expiry, but only if all signs are that it's perfectly fine. Any doubt and out it goes. I do grocery shopping daily (with rare exception) so I'm attentive to expiry dates and freshness and can avoid loading the kitchen with things that I will go off in short order.

Two or three times a year I go through everything in the pantry to see if any grains or pastas or packaged or canned goods are coming due to use.

Mostly I try not to overload the kitchen with things with expiry dates that require too much attention. Buying a few groceries avery day or two makes it easy not to have too many things to track.