We bought one last year at Sam's Club to put downstairs on our bar. When we have friends over and know we will be making a lot of extra drinks, we start the ice maker up. I believe it only makes about 20 cubes at a time but it only takes about 20 minutes to make them. I just dump them in Ziploc freezer bags and accumulate until I have more than enough. I leave leftovers in the freezer for next time. The last time I had overnight company, I had to run downstairs and get a couple of my leftover bags to use in the kitchen. I guess you can do the same thing with your own ice maker in the kitchen or with ice cube trays. Make extra and store them for when you want them.