There were 13 boxes in this load. We have 3 final boxes to send next week and that's it. Nothing else will be shipped to Alaska.
Curious about what we sent?
Emily, Abi and Georgia each got a no questions asked 18 gallon tote. We called it their happiness boxes. It should contain toys, books, pictures or anything that will make them feel at home in Alaska. In addition to that, I requested that they pack 12-15 hangers for their clothing. Georgia and Abi were crafty. They combined their items to get more stuff. I agreed to add the board games to my happiness/entertainment box which now has all of our movies and will get the Xbox added to it.
There are several boxes of food, several. There are food items that I know from experience that I will miss. We included a a few large flours, sugar and 10 lbs of rice. I didn't just go out shopping one day and bought everything I needed. This has been a long few months of buying items without going over my monthly budget. I refuse to spend money that I don't have and I don't touch my emergency savings. (Thank you Dave Ramsey!)
I sat at my computer and with the aid of excel, created a document full of lists. It evolved into our Alaska Planner. I had a list of food items, misc, toileteries, etc of things I wanted to buy for Alaska. It enabled me to keep a log of items that I bought and things that I needed to buy. The pictures are a screen shot of the document. This is an older example and does not include all my items.
The goal was to buy enough food items to last us the summer. The toiletries, cleaning and misc items could last us a few months to a year. I was able to catch sales and stocked up on items. It was a great experience. I will update you if this works!
I have to travel to Anchorage in August for New Hire Inservice. I plan on buying all my kids their school supplies unless the school offers a one set price box of school items. It makes shopping easier when that is done. It will also give me the opportunity to get any items that we really need before I fly back to Barrow for the school year. I will be able to check 3 bags with Alaska Airlines plus have a carry-on! I'm thinking about flying with two coolers and a large empty suitcase. I can put all my clothes in the carry on and survive quite nicely!
I can't explain enough how exciting this has been. The whole process has been like the GroundHog Day of Christmas. I keep getting excited and happy every time I get to do something for Alaska.
Still counting down!
