I hate packing! How do YOU get it done???

[Mo2]

Says it all really....
Have just finished packing for Ski Holiday tomorrow, and have realised that it is probably the thing which gets me MOST stressed of all in everyday life.... aargh!

Think the problem is that DH thinks he's 'helping' but actually causes more grief as his 'way' of packing is SO different to mine.....

I prefer to:

Sit down and make a long list of what everyone needs (by family member) + all the other stuff, and then get it all laid out on our bed, assess it, alter a few things then pack it...

Dh however...
Doesn't have a list, wanders around the kids bedrooms 'collecting things' he thinks we might want and then begins to pack them...
As a result, I have no idea what has/hasn't been packed, what's where etc...

I also tend to put a few of each family members clothes in each of the bags after an airline baggage cock-up which left us with a two year old with no clothes (and worse still no nappies!) for 48 hours.

As soon as I've finished, I just feel sooooo relieved........

How do you tackle it?

[LapsedGymJunkie]

Lay it all out on the bed and let hubby do it .

[HunkerMunker]

I HATE packing. I hate it so much. I really hate it.

I tend to write a long list of all the things we need, then wait till the very last minute to begin. Then I find several things I thought I'd lost, thus wasting valuable last minutes. Then I lose the list (it's usually 'under something'). So I fling everything I can remember from said list into a bag, leaving behind paltry and unimportant items such as wet wipes and my specs.

I hate packing.

[oatcake]

yep, LGJ, husband does it.

[milliways]

Kids lay out what they want in their rooms - I collect & put in cases (adding undies etc to DS's pile). Keep DH well away & do it myself, usually day before we go!

[janeybops]

anally retentive person that I am I have a packing list for every member of the family saved on my computer. With extra space at the bottom to add specifics for each trip. I then print out 2 copies of each list one for going and one for the return journey.

Told you didn't I VERY sad....

[Mo2]

But it's how to deal with all those 'morning things' (toothbrushes, kids favourite toys etc).

I guess I hate it so much because I feel responsible & guilty if we forget something....

Tonight DH said, "Oh yes, I've packed all DS1's stuff..."
Me: "Oh, OK, then why are his pyjamas still in the cupboard, and all his ski gear in this plastic bag here??"
DH : "Oh, well, I meant I'd packed all his regular 'daytime' clothes - you know what I mean..."

Er, no, actually I don't.....

[Aero]

I kind of do it like you Mo2, though minus the list - just a list of non-clothes things I'm likely to forget.
Am not looking forward one bit to tomorrow when I'll be doing the lion's share of the packing for us to go away over half-term. Dh is only allowed to pack his own clobber, otherwise I have no clue what's packed and what's not!

[Mo2]

Oh JaneyBops I almost do the same - computer list for Summmer Hols/ Ski hols etc!

DH thinks I'm bonkers!

[KBear]

Think alot for weeks in advance, make lots of lists that I lose.

Then leave it to the last minute and run around like blue-arsed fly collecting stuff then pack it and leave.

I work better under pressure!

[HunkerMunker]

KBear, are you me?

[Mo2]

And then, if you find you have space left, do you throw in lots of extra thinsg 'just in case' which you know you won't use in a million years....!?

[jamiesam]

Can you bring yourself to go through your packing list with dh when you think you've finished? That way, dh and I know that one of us has packed everything on the list.

Or can you give your dh his own packing list of things that you don't need, and then hide the bag under the bed when he's finished

Have a lovely holiday - skiing ?!? brrrr!

[Mo2]

Or iron things dry when you realise you MUST have them but the've just come out of the laundry...

[janeybops]

Sadly I also have a list for last minute things like toothbrushes etc.

Also have a list of bags that must be packed in car too. DH also thinks I am barmy..lol

[KBear]

Hunkermunker I think I might be!

My friend is soooo organised, typed lists etc and she never forgets anything. This takes the pressure off me completely because we always go on holiday together and if I have forgotten it, she will have it!

See, method in my madness.

[HunkerMunker]

Can I come on holiday with you next time KBear? Or will you lend me your super-organised friend?!

[Mo2]

Ha ha - like the idea of giving DH a list on 'non-items' ! But he's spot it - he's not THAT stupid...

Or maybe he is actually. Tonight I caught him with a pile of large, hardback books which the DS's had 'chosen' with him to take..... FFS! We're going by plane and have a baggage allowance to think about. His choice of toys for the kids is also hopeless too - things which they'll play with once if we're lucky, rather than the 'old favourites' (lego, cards etc)

[KBear]

And DH moans like billy-o about how much stuff we always take on holiday anyway, the car is always half an inch off the ground and that's with a roof box and and it's a large estate car. Imagine if I remembered everything... chaos.

And no row halfway up the M6 about the thing that I forgotten which turns out to be the most important thing in his world!

(but he didn't remember it either).

Ah holidays, bliss.

[Joolstoo]

I start the day before leaving the case open so nothing gets creased - I pack light until the very last millisecond and then throw about 10 more little tops in cos there's room and I might as well be 'looking at 'em instead of for 'em!

[janeybops]

Before children I prided myself on what I light packer I was. NEVER over 10 kilos when flying. Now with 2 kids in tow, it is a nightmare.

[KBear]

I'm sorry Hunkermunker, can't lend her to you she is invaluable to me as a source of great laughter and merriment. I call her "Monica" so you can picture the scene. I am more of a Rachel (and I look just like her too .

[jamiesam]

Actually, must confess to being completely hopeless on the packing the kids toys front. Am always looking for THE perfect toys to entertain them on holiday - small but endlessly entertaining...

[80sMum]

I usually make a list about a week in advance but end up leaving the packing till the last minute.

The best holiday to pack for is one to Florida. Just get a few empty suitcases and pack one inside the other, put a few essentials into your carry-on luggage - and buy everything else when you're out there from the outlet malls! Would be really cheap now with the exchange rate in our favour!