Fess up: who has a 'packing and preparing for holiday' spreadsheet?

[WilfSell]

and would like to share it with me? and [anal retentive emoticon]

[lazy emoticon]

Of the driving to France with lots of kiddy kit kind. The kind of kit I can't possibly forget otherwise we're gonna have to drive back 800 miles or spend a HUGE amount of Euros replacing pushchairs etc.

And while I'm on... Best exchange rate gamble please? Buy some Euros now? Wait a coupla weeks? Buy em in France?

Ta. Now if you could just come over and actually DO my packing I'll lick your face.

I creat a list of the things I need to take, in a simple form, such as:
clothes
dh clothes
dd clothes
dh
dd

then I make detailled list...

so under clothes:

1 x denim skirt (DP)
1 x denim skirt (next)
1 x vest top (purple, DP)

etc

Write it on as it goes in on the way out, tick it off as it goes back in the case on the way home

The only time I have not made a list I left my best trousers, a new top & a brand new pack of pills in the cupboard, along with a few of dh's shirts.

Lists. I swear by by them. I make a "things to do list" on a regular basis, and one thing somebody told me was to start it "make things to do list" so you cross something off quickly to feel positive.

Perhaps I should join anal retentive annoymous?

I can't believe this thread - I was just putting DS to bed about an hour ago and was thinking about our holiday in 2 weeks and how I need to get organised. My thinking then went along the lines of:
must write my list
ooh, wonder if my notebook has last summers list still in it somewhere
I know, I'll put them on excel and can then add bits to them
I can print out a fresh new list for each holiday
and so on......

and then I log on and see this thread - it must be a sign!

Do people really NOT have packing lists on a spreadsheet????

We have:

• Ski holiday (Early season)
• Ski holiday (Late Spring)
• UK beach holiday
• UK city break
• Hot summer holiday

I can recommend taking the baby monitors and batteries, so you don't have to worry about being far from the DC's bedrooms, and possibly sit outside with a glass of wine

Also yes, make sure you check the accommodation details for linen, 'cause we got caught without sheets, duvet covers, pillow cases, towels and tea towels as we assumed they were included

I have spreadsheets for everything. I love them. And so yes I do have one for packing....

I don't just have a spreadsheet, I have a fully costed spreadsheet.

And everything is categorised so I can use the same one for all trips (Holiday abroad, Holiday UK, weekend at in-laws, Day out etc.) and just extract the items I need for a particular trip on a pivot table.

I have a similar one for my & DS's wardrobe & the kitchen cupbaords.

You'd never guess I was an accountant would you?

We do one for camping - we go off in a tearing hurry on Friday if it is just for the weekend and it is really annoying if you forget someth;ing important like the air beds or washing up stuff.

'pivot table' WFT?

Wait. Hold on. I vaguely remember this frm 'Advanced Excel' I attended in late 1990's.

Can't remember how to use them though.

I can offer something useful though:

www.travelmoneyservices.co.uk as recommended by Martin Lewis' website for the best foreign currency rates. There is a minimum order, though, like £500 or something.

Notquitenormal - me too!
I think at their very core, all accountants are obsessed with spreadsheets and things they can tick off. I blame the whole world of debits and credits and the knowledge that everything has a home, and order, and everything should balance.

PMSL at fully costed spreadsheets! {grin}

Now that's insane.

I have 3 lists!!!
A "to do" list
A "to buy" list
and a "to pack" list.
I print the to buy list at least 3 months before i go and keep it in my purse and get a few things each wk.
But i am v v sad and obviously have much to much time on my hands

Bleedin eck!! You lot are freaking me out big style. We are going on holiday soon and I haven't even thought about what we might need let alone made a list. A spreadsheet?! That is DH's department. I will get him to read this later and leave him to get on with it. He made a spreadsheet when I was pregnant for everything we would need for the baby. It was charmingly entitled 'Up the Tub'.

heh heh heh Pandora's Box is open now isn't it.

Wow, I thought I was organised, but you lot shame my attempts to be organised!

I always start off with a list of all the lists that I will need to make. When we booked our holiday my first thought was - great, I can start making my lists. How sad am I - or it seems quite normal here!

Oh I've found my home on this thread!
I do have several types of lists on the computer and a laminated 'basics' for camping (so it can be combined with other holiday lists and of course is waterproof for when it rains)
My packing confession is that we went to Florida in April last year, dd2 was due in March so in a mega fit of organisation instead of packing away mine, dh's and dd1s clothes I actually packed our suitcases for the trip (complete with list of what was in each suitcase so I don't forget). This was in October..

Oh cool. One of my obsession! I use Excel for everything: Xmas lists, party guests, jobs to do and of course holiday.

I have a Holidays Excel workbook with multiple sheets for all different types of hols: Hotel/Rented house/abroad/camping and whether with or without children.

They're for different ages of kids too as I have a 5.8 DS1 and an 11m DS2.

All contain everything we might need from kitchen roll to piriton to food for tea the day we arrive.

If anyone wants a particular sheet, let me know and I'll email it. (tonight as at work now)

Love it!! DH will wet himself when I tell him about this thread.

BR

oh yoo hoo, bunny rabbit? Do us a favour and email please to wilfsell at gmail dot com

I promise to love you forever and keep you in baby carrots.

Yes please, Bunny Rabbit - especially camping but any spreadsheets are always welcome here.

busy mamama @ gmail dot com

Thanks!

Seems there is a chance I am not freaky-slightly-scary-type after all :-)

You see, um, I have a speadsheet to manage my spreadsheet lists . I have a macro that auto-fills columns in the correct workbook, by catergory, sub-category, date, priority and so on, all using nifty meta data tags from drop down lists that compile a multi-dimentional matrix, so pivot tables can then extract exactly what we need and when (and what it will cost, and how long it will take, and what my favourite colour is, natch). I can even view charts of timing/cost.

Bugger, clicked Post instead of Preview. Needed to add: Actually none of the above is true. The sad thing is i could if I wanted to. Not quite bored enough yet... For now, I'll stick with plain vanilla spreadsheets with a few essential categories...

Manula, I think you probably are a freaky-slightly-scary-type, just one with company so you are not alone...

I used to have a list of all my other lists so I could keep track - handwritten though, so not a par on your techie one.