just spent a small fortune on nothing much

[jacs1234]

You know how it is. It's nice to have new EVERYTHING before you go away.

There are 6 of us (4kids) leaving in 5 weeks (less than 5 weeks now actually )

So off I go to Kmart and Big W to stock up on new socks, undies, hairbrushes, toothbrushes, deodorant, razor blades, toothpaste, thongs for the kiddies for the swimming pool and I have no idea what else but it must have been a lot more cause it cost me about $400. Oh I got a $40 bag to put all the said shampoo, hairbrushes in, as well as toothbrush cases.

Still have to buy deodorant for dh, new clothes for the plane for everyone, new shoes for everyone and dh desperately needs new clothes too.

I was meant to lose 5kg but have not so I really don't need new clothes.

 

[lovintheland]

You poor thing Jacs. That always amazes me how before you go anywhere on holidays it costs a fortune just for those types of things. I've often thought "right next holiday I'm not buying new anything to take, I'm just packing with what he have at home because if we can survive at home just fine why do we really need to buy anything" but it never happens. I have already started putting new little bits and pieces together for a Hawaii holiday only booked four days ago in January and have already planned departure outfits to buy for everyone (well not everyone but DD's and myself)

 

[Marlea98]

hi. we leave for l.a at the end of november and do a disney cruise (mexican riviera) 11th december. when and where will you be going? it's my first trip to the u.s and the kids', but hubby's second. our second cruise but first on disney. i'm very excited.

 

[australiankaren]

hey there.....

you spend a fortune even before you get to the airport.......we all feel your pain

I always take half empty toiletries...can throw them before coming back.... another good tip is getting people to give you "gift" packs of stuff you need for birthdays/xmas if you organise it early enough.... saves a small fortune..and the kids appreciate it as its "for disney"...

So my family know to give me $20 in ie: new thongs and sunscreen that I will use rather than a candle holder that will be re-gifted

 

[hjd0411]

Sounds like we all do similar things before we go away!! I have a drawer that holds all the "travel" things - it fills up very quickly, and overflows into other spaces!!!
Like Karen, before I go away I arrange for birthday/Christmas presents to be useful for travel!

Enjoy your holiday!

 

[jacs1234]

Oh that's what else I bought, sunscreens, a big bottle to splosh on before we leave and two little roll on bottles, as well as pawpaw ointment and 4 chapsticks. Sunscreen is not cheap.

Hi Marlea, so gladded you popped in. We leave on the 25th of November and will be there till the 7th of December. We're staying at the Grand and at the Disneyland hotel.

We've been a few times now and I must warn you, that place is addictive.

Many of us here once decided to do our "one and only" trip to Disneyland and have now been repeatedly. Once you start you just can't stop. where are you staying?

 

[aussietravellers]

Oh boy do I know what you are talking about! It makes me when I see how much I spend preholiday. I'm like you, new shampoos, deodorants, cleansers, sunscreen, razors, toothbrushes and pastes, medications, the list goes on!

Yes, then the new plane outfit! Only I don't get one for DS, I love the shopping in the US so much I try not to pack too much so that I can shop shop shop over there.

Glad to hear somebody else does the big shop before the trip like I do

 

[Marlea98]

Oh that's what else I bought, sunscreens, a big bottle to splosh on before we leave and two little roll on bottles, as well as pawpaw ointment and 4 chapsticks. Sunscreen is not cheap.

Hi Marlea, so gladded you popped in. We leave on the 25th of November and will be there till the 7th of December. We're staying at the Grand and at the Disneyland hotel.

We've been a few times now and I must warn you, that place is addictive.

Many of us here once decided to do our "one and only" trip to Disneyland and have now been repeatedly. Once you start you just can't stop. where are you staying?

Hi. We're staying at Buena Park (arrive in L.A 30th November) and will be shuttling (?) each day. I think it's the Radisson we're staying at, across from Knotts. We'll be there for 7 nights and have a 4 day hopper pass and will do Legoland, Knotts Berry farm and whatever else we think of during that time. We then have 4 nights where we have nothing booked or planned before we leave on the Disney cruise on the 11th.

I've been buying little carry-on sizes of toiletries, but for the whole trip itself, I've packed a mix of sample sized stuff we've collected from hotels and I've specially bought deodorant, sunscreen, those little face washers that expand in water for emergency uses (50c on sale at Anaconda). I've also got heaps of sinus tablets and nurofen and paw paw ointment in a tube. I've been saving the free samples of washing powder sachets from magazines over the past year to use, too. We're travelling for almost 2 months so we have to be restricted to basically one large suitcase that will cover us for quite a few temperature variations so I've got to really think about what I pack so will probably have to wash a lot. Mexico to skiing near the Canadian border is on the itinerary for us.

Hubby doesn't know it yet, but I've even started packing our suitcases! I've been adding some of our winter stuff to it before putting it away in storage for the year. I'm sure every couple of weeks now until we leave I'll be adding/removing things as I think of it.

 

[Anne_Aus]

I have been trying to buy one or 2 things every week for a while now so its not a huge cost just before I go... but I am sure there still will be.

I officially had to put a stop to buying new clothes and saying but they are for the US

 

[BigDisneyOE]

I must be in a minority on the board. Nobody gets anything new, like AustalianKaren I take half empty things with me. Then I spend up large on new stuff when I get to a destination - last two years we've outfitted the kids in Aussie for the two following years. I've bought a couple of things for next year's trip for me secondhand off TradeMe for the formal night on the Wonder but I'm squirrelling USD hard at the moment to drain the SoCal shops. Each holiday I make a list of what to buy and we get everything while overseas at a fraction of what I'd pay for it here - the kids are swimming in $2 togs from the end of summer sales in Aussie for instance.

 

[craftymama71]

I don't pack many toiletries to go, I love shopping over there and trying new things. Coming home is a different story because I end up buying so many new things.

 

[PrincessInOz]

You know how it is. It's nice to have new EVERYTHING before you go away.

There are 6 of us (4kids) leaving in 5 weeks (less than 5 weeks now actually )

So off I go to Kmart and Big W to stock up on new socks, undies, hairbrushes, toothbrushes, deodorant, razor blades, toothpaste, thongs for the kiddies for the swimming pool and I have no idea what else but it must have been a lot more cause it cost me about $400. Oh I got a $40 bag to put all the said shampoo, hairbrushes in, as well as toothbrush cases.

Still have to buy deodorant for dh, new clothes for the plane for everyone, new shoes for everyone and dh desperately needs new clothes too.

I was meant to lose 5kg but have not so I really don't need new clothes.

Ouch. Sorry it was a costly exercise.

Have you considered wearing old things on the plane and buy new clothes in the US? It'll be cheaper. You can certainly wear your new things coming back!

hi. we leave for l.a at the end of november and do a disney cruise (mexican riviera) 11th december. when and where will you be going? it's my first trip to the u.s and the kids', but hubby's second. our second cruise but first on disney. i'm very excited.

Welcome to the Dis! Hope you have a great trip. Are you just going to Disneyland or heading across to Orlando as well?

 

[Toy Story]

I've been saving the free samples of washing powder sachets from magazines over the past year to use, too.

Great idea - thanks for the tip.

I don't pack many toiletries to go, I love shopping over there and trying new things. Coming home is a different story because I end up buying so many new things.

We are the same, we take a sample size to last the first day and then buy up at the "Drug Store". We like to try different items - last year we ended up buying a lot of toothpaste to bring home because we all liked it so much.

 

[becpee]

I do that at Big W every time, can't help it
I think "What if I can't find anything I like in the USA?" As if....Hasn't happened yet LOL

 

[aussiegirls]

Ummmmm, am I missing something? What is with new airplane clothes? Perhaps I live a sheltered life but I have never heard of such a thing. Why do you buy new clothes for the plane, and are they just normal clothes, or do you have some sort of special kind of clothing you like to wear on the plane?

Wow, you really do learn something new everyday

xxx

 

[zaccy]

I'm in the minority too!! I pack all the old, soon to be out grown, just a tiny stain or hole clothes and none of it comes home

This leaves plenty of room (and excuses) to buy new things

We especially don't wear anything new on the plane - planes are filthy places and my kids always end up getting off looking slightly worse for wear and I know I just can't wait for a shower so I can feel clean again

 

[ame]

I must be in a minority on the board. Nobody gets anything new, like AustalianKaren I take half empty things with me. Then I spend up large on new stuff when I get to a destination - last two years we've outfitted the kids in Aussie for the two following years. I've bought a couple of things for next year's trip for me secondhand off TradeMe for the formal night on the Wonder but I'm squirrelling USD hard at the moment to drain the SoCal shops. Each holiday I make a list of what to buy and we get everything while overseas at a fraction of what I'd pay for it here - the kids are swimming in $2 togs from the end of summer sales in Aussie for instance.

This exactly what I do. I have lists of all the things to buy, toiletries, clothes, food etc..

Also, I buy the small toiletries over there in Target/Walmart for 99c and bring them unopened in my suitcase ready for the next trip.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

You know how it is. It's nice to have new EVERYTHING before you go away.

There are 6 of us (4kids) leaving in 5 weeks (less than 5 weeks now actually )

So off I go to Kmart and Big W to stock up on new socks, undies, hairbrushes, toothbrushes, deodorant, razor blades, toothpaste, thongs for the kiddies for the swimming pool and I have no idea what else but it must have been a lot more cause it cost me about $400. Oh I got a $40 bag to put all the said shampoo, hairbrushes in, as well as toothbrush cases.

Still have to buy deodorant for dh, new clothes for the plane for everyone, new shoes for everyone and dh desperately needs new clothes too.

I was meant to lose 5kg but have not so I really don't need new clothes.

that must hurt to spend that much before you go away but we are also in the minority our kids wont let us buy them anything new before we go away they hang out to be able to buy in the USA. We take toothbrushes and toothpaste 1 deodorant and buy everything else when we arrive we just use the hotel supplied shampoo for the first night.

Hi. We're staying at Buena Park (arrive in L.A 30th November) and will be shuttling (?) each day. I think it's the Radisson we're staying at, across from Knotts. We'll be there for 7 nights and have a 4 day hopper pass and will do Legoland, Knotts Berry farm and whatever else we think of during that time. We then have 4 nights where we have nothing booked or planned before we leave on the Disney cruise on the 11th.

I've been buying little carry-on sizes of toiletries, but for the whole trip itself, I've packed a mix of sample sized stuff we've collected from hotels and I've specially bought deodorant, sunscreen, those little face washers that expand in water for emergency uses (50c on sale at Anaconda). I've also got heaps of sinus tablets and nurofen and paw paw ointment in a tube. I've been saving the free samples of washing powder sachets from magazines over the past year to use, too. We're travelling for almost 2 months so we have to be restricted to basically one large suitcase that will cover us for quite a few temperature variations so I've got to really think about what I pack so will probably have to wash a lot. Mexico to skiing near the Canadian border is on the itinerary for us.

Hubby doesn't know it yet, but I've even started packing our suitcases! I've been adding some of our winter stuff to it before putting it away in storage for the year. I'm sure every couple of weeks now until we leave I'll be adding/removing things as I think of it.

I just wanted to let you know that if it is the Raddison your staying at it is a great hotel but we stayed there year and had a few issues with things going missing our breakfast tickets disappeared and some other speedway tickets the hotel were not good about this saying it was not housekeeping even though they were the only people who had come in the room.
Getawaytoday who we were booked through tried to get us another hotel but couldn't without putting us in 2 rooms because there were 6 of us and it was July and there was a basketball tournament on so they got them to give us more breakfast tickets and we had no housekeeping for the rest of the week without any further issues. My advice would be lock everything up or don't have house keeping for your stay.

 

[Jade+3]

Also, I buy the small toiletries over there in Target/Walmart for 99c and bring them unopened in my suitcase ready for the next trip.

I like this idea! I spent $300 at the chemist before our trip. I am sure we have enough medication to last us 2 years.

:
I just wanted to let you know that if it is the Raddison your staying at it is a great hotel but we stayed there year and had a few issues with things going missing our breakfast tickets disappeared and some other speedway tickets the hotel were not good about this saying it was not housekeeping even though they were the only people who had come in the room.
Getawaytoday who we were booked through tried to get us another hotel but couldn't without putting us in 2 rooms because there were 6 of us and it was July and there was a basketball tournament on so they got them to give us more breakfast tickets and we had no housekeeping for the rest of the week without any further issues. My advice would be lock everything up or don't have house keeping for your stay.

We stayed there too. We were only there one night, so did not have housekeeping. However, we did have the maintenance guy let himself into our room which I was not impressed about.

 

[Marlea98]

Welcome to the Dis! Hope you have a great trip. Are you just going to Disneyland or heading across to Orlando as well?

No, we are just doing the West Coast and Montana and Vegas, as well as the MR cruise. I'm very excited and even though we started booking all of this in November 2010 I can't believe how quickly it's getting close.