Food Storage: Bug-out Buckets, Specialty Buckets, and Transition Buckets

Buckets are often used for food storage, but they can also be handy as bug-out buckets, 'specialty' buckets, and 'transition' buckets. Bug-out buckets are what they sound like. They're packed with the things you would need if you had to bug out of your home in a hurry.
'Specialty' buckets, so named because I couldn't think of anything better, are buckets you pack with things that would be a treat several years after a major SHTF event. It could include things like coffee, white sugar, store-bought candies, and non-food sundries like matches, lighters, toothpaste, and fingernail clippers. Imagine brewing up some coffee a few years after your family ran out of stored coffee!
'Transition' buckets are mainly for children, from toddlers to teens, so they have some of their own comfort things in their own bucket. They can pack, or help pack, these themselves, choosing books, toys, small games, or whatever they like, plus a few special snacks.
I've included suggestions and tips, as well as things that do and don't work, and some how-to's for storing or caching buckets. Even if you don't choose to use a bucket to store or carry these items, there are many good ideas for keeping yourself and the people you care about safe and comfortable, whether you're preparing for natural disasters or Armageddon, or anything in between.