Warning: War and Peace was shorter.

Only 3/4ths of our family attended our most recent reunion vacation and yet, that still meant meals for 24 every day. For dinner each family took a night and provided a meal for all of us, but breakfast was the domain of the hubby, since he loves to cook and is an early morning riser. Upon arriving in Denver, we spent an hour getting a rental car (Yes, we were ticked, too.) and then traveled to the Wal-mart in Loveland. It only took 3 full carts of food and 4 family members to check out. The cashier said we were her highest amount tallied for her register…ever. Here’s how that happened–the register tape listed the stuff below:

5 packages of real bacon bits

3 packages of honey ham

7 packages of sausage

2 packages of cocktail weiners

2 large packages of bacon

2 packages of sausage links

126 eggs

4 large containers of Greek yogurt

3 containers of cream cheese

2 cartons of half & half

2 cans of whipped cream

3 gallons of milk

6 blocks of cheese

2 lbs. of butter

3 cartons of heavy whipping cream

3 bags of shredded cheese

1 bottle of strawberry jam

1 bottle of grape jelly

1 large jar of peanut butter

2 cans of frozen apple juice

1 gallon of orange juice

108 K-cups

2 gallons of distilled water

1 large box of granola bars

4 bags of tomatoes

2 jars of salsa

8 lbs. of jalapenos

6 bell peppers

8 lbs. of grapes

2 large containers of mushrooms

2 large containers of strawberries

6 lbs. of bananas

1 lb. of onions

2 small watermelons

2 honeydew melons

2 cantaloupes

4 lbs. of cherries

2 containers of blueberries

2 containers of blackberries

1 container of raspberries

2 large cans of tomato paste

1 bag of flour

3 large bags of flour tortillas

3 boxes of Bisquick

1 bag of corn tortillas

2 cans of cinnamon rolls

6 cans of crescent rolls

2 cans of orange danish rolls

1 large package of wheat bread

4 loaves of cinnamon swirl bread

1 large box of toaster waffles

2 boxes of instant oatmeal

4 boxes of cold cereal

5 boxes of muffin mix

3 bags of bagels

1 large bottle of syrup

1 bag of sugar

1 large package of pecan chips

2 large packages of chocolate chips

2 sets of salt and paper shakers

1 pepper grinder

1 can of Pam cooking spray

In addition we also purchased the fixings for a dinner meal and some lunch and snack items. Here’s what it took to do that:

72 bottles of water

8 bottles of Mio

2 rolls of summer sausage

1 large container of minced garlic

1 bottle of zesty Italian dressing

1 bottle of Ranch dressing

5 cartons of soft drinks

2 large packages of boneless chicken breasts

1 bag of tostitos

1 fajita kit

1 large box of rice

2 packages of lettuce

In addition, we bought a few items just to make life a little more bearable around our vacation home:

1 large container of wet wipes

3 boxes of tissue

1 bottle of sunscreen

1 large carton of goldfish crackers

3 rolls of paper towels

600 paper napkins

1 box of gallon ziploc bags

3 boxes of quart ziploc bags

3 rolls of aluminum foil

1 partridge in a pear tree

1 large bag of bird seed

1 kitchen sink

Some of these items were also later restocked as the week went by! And, other families brought items as well. There wasn’t all that much left over by the end of the week. Let’s just say no one went hungry and no one lost weight last week.

Lest you think we footed the bill entirely for this, let me be honest. The cost of the breakfast items were part of what each family contributed towards the cost of the vacation homes. Would you like to guess the total of the above (minus the last 3 items)? Submit the answer below in a comment box. I will put a final comment down below to tell which guesses were the most accurate!

Friday’s Post: Lessons Learned from a Colorado Family Reunion Vacation…

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