How To Live Without A Refrigerator

See that thing sticking out in the middle of the kitchen? That's my non-working refrigerator, and there's a story to tell. We have been without a refrigerator in this home since we moved in on March 22. The little house we are renting came with all the kitchen appliances except for one, a refrigerator. This was a dilemma. We have a sale pending on our beloved Gopher Hill home and when we signed the papers the buyers requested the inclusion of all kitchen appliances. Of course, no problem! It wasn't until I took my first walk-thru with the landlord and saw a big hole between cabinets that usually is intended for a refrigerator that I realized we now not only didn't have a fridge, we no longer owned a fridge. So immediately we started the search on Craigslist for anyone selling a fairly new, slightly used model. We found one. Our search was over. Just one problem, we had to drive 2 hours in our pickup truck to get it. We got it home, and with a call for unloading help to our landlord, got it in place. It ran fine for almost one whole day. Then, the interior started getting warmer and warmer. We called the guy we purchased it from, and he apologized and said there must be a certain part that was going out and he would get it for us and overnight it to us. Guess who is still waiting for that "overnighted" part? Look again at my photo up here. See the little, red cooler on the counter? That's my current replacement. It's a good thing it's just hubby and me for meals around here. The following 2 questions are what I ask myself everyday:

What can I make for dinner out of all non-perishable ingredients?

What can I make for dinner that won't yield any leftovers that have to be refrigerated?

Here are my answers:

1.) I found a recipe for fatfree muffins that requires no eggs or dairy. They really aren't bad.

2.) I have a lot of canned chili in my pantry, so I buy 2 potatoes at the store and bake them. Then I put half a can of chili on each potato as a main dish. I still have carrots from my garden at Gopher Hill which I store in the garage to keep cool. We eat a lot of raw carrot sticks!

3.) Top Ramen is a staple...just like back in college.

4.) We eat out often. Costco is a cheap date for dinner.

It sure will be nice when we get this issue resolved! It's a good thing that I love camping, because this feels like camping suburban-style.