"Bluegreen Box"

[Sister Syl Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sister Syl]

Last year on the Yahoo Groups Site we had a discussion about our "bluegreen box" and when I was packing up last week to go to Fox Run Townhouses at Lake Lure I pulled out my "bluegreen box" and thought about that discussion.
For those of you that don't know about this "box", I thought it might be a good discussion on this site.

It is a box that we keep with the essentials that we usually take on our Bluegreen trips. It is so great to have those basic items all together and ready for our cooking and playing at our different resorts.

Some of the things that I do is: I keep zip loc bags with staples(flour, sugar,grits(I'm from the south)etc.); spices & salt and pepper; foil, plastic wrap,and extra zip loc bags;paper plates, cups and napkins;cooking utensils that are not usually at the resorts, such as cooking tongs and pizza cutter. We are retired and this year we will make 11 Bluegreen trips (the Lord willing) and it really helps to have this box ready to go. Of course, we always travel in our van and don't fly so that helps with taking "the box".

Let us know if you have a "box" and what you keep in it and if you don't have a "box", what would you add to one?

Happy and Safe Travels in 2009 ! and a Happy Valentines!

Sylvia

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

I have to keep things smaller and lighter as my Bluegreen bag has to fit into the suitcase. I use a lunch cooler bag that is about the size of a cooler for a six pack of pop.

I have two small fishing lure containers with each compartment having its own lid. They are almost like the Sun-Sat pill containers, but have more compartments. In these, I have my spices from the plain pepper to sea salt, spice blends, steak seasoning, corn starch, etc. I keep my tea loose in a zip lock, and another for the DWs coffee with her sweeteners, a small plastic bottle for olive oil, another for BBQ sauce, and a small ketchup bottle. I have extra zip lock bags, and a batch of tooth picks (that is my thing). When possible, I bring a small container of salad dressing. But that is about it for room.

I do a refill before the trip, and when I return, I empty or use up some of the items and put it away until the next trip.

Due to either my work vaction time, or my wife's teaching schedule, we get two trips a year. I am hoping that will change sometime soon.

[jericap Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close jericap]

I have to keep things smaller and lighter as my Bluegreen bag has to fit into the suitcase. I use a lunch cooler bag that is about the size of a cooler for a six pack of pop.

I have two small fishing lure containers with each compartment having its own lid. They are almost like the Sun-Sat pill containers, but have more compartments. In these, I have my spices from the plain pepper to sea salt, spice blends, steak seasoning, corn starch, etc.

What a great idea for spices!! I'll have to do that next trip. I usually bring salt/pepper shakers, but couldn't figure out something small for spices.
Thanks for the idea!!

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

BTW-I made little labels to stick on to the lid for each section. Makes it easier to know which bin holds which spices.

[Aashlee Member Find all posts View Profile Close Aashlee]

I have a "kit" that contains many of the things that Sister Syl mentions, along with the whole array of coffee filters and sweetener packets that Vintner mentions. It's the same one I grab for when we go camping. In the off-season, it lives in our kitchen where I continually resupply it throughout the year. When it's time to leave, I just grab and go!

The only other things that come with us as a "grab 'n' go" are a first aid kit and a "mini pharmacy" where I carry a small selection of over-the-counter medications (Benedryl, aspirin, iboprofen, Sudafed, Tums, and cough drops).

[swirg53 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close swirg53]

I have a "kit" that contains many of the things that Sister Syl mentions, along with the whole array of coffee filters and sweetener packets that Vintner mentions. It's the same one I grab for when we go camping. In the off-season, it lives in our kitchen where I continually resupply it throughout the year. When it's time to leave, I just grab and go!

The only other things that come with us as a "grab 'n' go" are a first aid kit and a "mini pharmacy" where I carry a small selection of over-the-counter medications (Benedryl, aspirin, iboprofen, Sudafed, Tums, and cough drops).

You are SOOOOOOOOOOOOO organized! What do you and Sister Syl, use for your BOX? (container)...........I have one but it just really isn't big enough to accommodate some things; maybe I need to repack some things instead yet in my HHR Wagon, it still takes up alot of room.

Vinter: your spices stay put in each little cubby? then you just use pinches? I assume you have this little bit only because you fly?

When we flew to Vegas, we just put things in zip locks and packed them in all the little empty voids in our luggage to use up those little spots that notoriously happen.........

[crwisconsin Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close crwisconsin]

I have my spices from the plain pepper to sea salt, spice blends, steak seasoning, corn starch, etc. I keep my tea loose in a zip lock,

Quite a few years ago when we returned from a flight we could tell that our bags of spices had been opened by security apparently checking for drugs. (Luggage wasn't x-rayed.) Since then we have not flown with spices.
Charles

[jericap Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close jericap]

Last time we flew, (Jan) they inspected out luggage and took one of my husband's bathing suits. We weren't carrying anything in that suitcase except my husband's clothes...so I believe they go through no matter what.

[swirg53 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close swirg53]

Last time we flew, (Jan) they inspected out luggage and took one of my husband's bathing suits. We weren't carrying anything in that suitcase except my husband's clothes...so I believe they go through no matter what.

I think it depends on airport, airline and personnel.....................and now I believe the rules about 3/1/1 (zip lock bag) are going to be eased up on by the end of this year..............guess they now think you can't blow up a plane with a bomb in several bags or in a gallon bag....................that was the theory I had heard for the 3/1/1 rule. Seems to me if you have a 1 qt zip lock with a bag in it and it blows right next to the window seat, then it's going to open up the chamber and you will be going down.........................oh well, what on earth do I know about anything besides a little about timesharing!?????

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

Vinter: your spices stay put in each little cubby? then you just use pinches? I assume you have this little bit only because you fly?

Each little container section closes pretty well. But, I do put the containers into a zip lock bag...just in case. Going off the top of my head, I think I have two of the containers, each container has either 6 or 8 sections, so I have 12-14 spices for my trip.

It is just two of us, and the trips are week long at the most. If you look at how much salt or pepper you use in a week (probably heaviest used spices), I have enough for a month. The other spices are used less often, but in some cases a little heavier. The steak seasoning is coarse so need a little more, but still have enough to season several steaks. I have poultry seasoning-enough to do more birds that I can eat in a week. Same for most of my seasonings. A little pinch here, and a little pinch there, and I have some good meals.

The links below should give an idea of something similar to what I use. If they don't work, try a pill organizer from the drug store. One or two of those will do the job pretty well.

HT Enterprises 6-Compartment Micro Tackle Boxes at FishUSA.com - America's Tackle Shop!

Plano 1040 Small Round Organizer

[VA_Traveller Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close VA_Traveller]

I bring beer.

[Aashlee Member Find all posts View Profile Close Aashlee]

[QUOTE=swirg53;303750]You are SOOOOOOOOOOOOO organized! What do you and Sister Syl, use for your BOX? (container)...........I have one but it just really isn't big enough to accommodate some things; maybe I need to repack some things instead yet in my HHR Wagon, it still takes up alot of room.

QUOTE]


Believe it or not, my kit is made up of several Ziploc bags, each with their own thing or group of related things. My Ziploc bag collection lives in a basket that sits on a shelf in my kitchen. When company comes, all I have to do is stash my basket out of sight, and so my unsightly collection is gone, too. For camping, I just throw my collection of bags in our dry goods box, which I keep exclusively for camping. For a plane trip, I just throw them all in a suitecase. For the car, they might go in either a suitcase or a tote bag. When I get home, everything that needs replenishing gets replenished, then back in the basket it goes.

It's a pretty flexible arrangement. You can add or delete product categories. The key is keeping your collection together.

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

I miss camping.

Itasca is such a great place.
So is Jay Cooke St. Park. Go into Duluth and watch the ships.

[jmc Member Find all posts View Profile Close jmc]

VA Traveller, you crack me up! I laughed so hard my kids gave me odd looks.
I bring wine, myself. We have a real harty box that holds about six bottles and it goes where we go TS. No airplane stories, sorry....
I also have a nice size box that I take with us for those kitchen items. We plan our meals out (rough ideas) and some stuff in zip lock bags or if I see small bottles of spice on sale I buy for the convenience of knowing they pack nice. My family is amazed that I even cook when we are on vacation because I do so little when we are home. Being on vacation brings out the chef in me that is for sure. Good ideas here though.
Ahhh -my airplane story....My hubby traveled to Chile for business on summer and lost a 100.00 electric shaver from his luggage but when he brought home wine in his luggage -all of it made the trip fine until the last trip, a bottle of red wine broke in his bag during the last connection of the trip. They made him clean it up.

[Aashlee Member Find all posts View Profile Close Aashlee]

Vintner, I like Itasca and Duluth, too. Going even farther up the shore to the Lutsen area is great. We camped at Temperance River State Park. The scenery there is wonderful.

I've never camped at Jay Cook, but my parents do quite often and love it.