You have all made me giggle SO MUCH reading your posts- thank you for brightening my day!!!
I am also suffering from over-packing syndrome! I think it comes from all of my training as a Girl Scout and Girl Scout Leader. The GS motto is "Be Prepared" and I have always made it a point to be prepared for anything!
I keep a change clothes, granola bars, and bottled water in my car just in case we ever break down in the middle of nowhere. I also have a road side emergency kit with flares and a first aid kit. YES- I am THAT neurotic about being prepared!
So when packing for Disney, I find it REALLY hard to NOT "be prepared" for anything and everything!
We live in Virginia and almost always go to WDW by plane so we don't have access to a car in case we need to run out to the store. The first few times we went with 3 young kids in tow, I swear I packed everything but the kitchen sink!
Since then, I have found a few tricks that REALLY help. Here they are:
-Put your packing list on your computer. Put everything you are even considering packing onto that list. First, go through and look for things that are very similar or things that can serve 2 purposes. Next, look for anything that you can find in miniature. I bring little coloring books instead of full-size ones, got travel size toiletries, etc.
-In your computer packing list, write down how MANY of each item you packed. When you return from your trip, make notes for next time like "Too many pants" and "not enough shorts." Also delete anything that you really didn't need afterall- or write yourself a note about it so you are not tempted to bring it the next time you travel.
-If you don't have to carry it in your suitcase, DON'T. When my kids were really little, we used to go online and order diapers, wipes, baby formula, etc. and have them delivered right to the resort so they would be waiting for us when we arrived. Then I could just carry a 24 hour supply in my carry on.
These days, the kids are bigger but we always need snacks, bottled waters, etc. so we order from Garden Grocer which is a delivery service in Orlando that will shop for you and deliver right to your hotel. The nice thing is that they can even bring you fresh foods and refrigerated foods as well as baby supplies, snacks, and such.
-I never pack heavy coats even though it can get quite cold at WDW at night during the winter. Instead, I bring solid colored long-sleeve shirts that can go under our fun Disney T-shirts if it's cold. I also bring hoodies for everyone, plus gloves & scarves. Then, I have a few smaller fleece blankets that I can roll up and shove into a bag. They can be wrapped around a person to stay warm but they can also be used to lay out on a hard/cold/damp bench or to drape over the stroller and provide shade.
-AND remember that there are no fashion police at Disney. Nobody is going to care if you wear the same jeans for 2 days or the same hoodie over your T-shirt every morning. No body expects you to change to dressy clothes for every dinner (unless you are at one of the signature restaurants). Of course, I still can't trust my kids to stay clean for more than 12 hours so I have to pack more clothes for them than I do for the grownups, but this philosophy has certainly helped me to cut down.
I look forward to reading some hints from the rest of you!
See you there!
went off that hey I really don't need to take an additional 10 outfits for everyone. Mine included the shoes and pocket book to match every outfit.
My DH used to argue with me to no avail.
However, I would rather have had it all than not have had it and needed it. On that trip, I ended up getting sick and needed cough medicine which is one thing I did not have and had to buy it in the store for $15. I think I am going to make sure we have more medicines we might need next time.
