I have some things that mice could easily get into, bags of dried beans for example, stored in plastic buckets, but they could get through the buckets given the chance. I really need to go to metal I suppose.

The problem right now is the expense.

That's why I'm looking for a cheap intermediary step like the Riddex Plus. Then again, cheap, if it doesn't work, is just a waste of cash.

Oh, I forgot...
The spaghetti wasn't the only thing the rat got into. It gnawed through a bunch of bottles in one of the cases of water I had stored. The bummer there is that the rat never finished the bottle it started LOL. It would gnaw through one bottle, make a hole big enough for its head, drink until it couldn't easily reach the water level, and then start on a new bottle. I guess dried pasta needs a lot of water to go with it. LOL