Post your best organizational, space saving and trip making secrets here!!

[blackforest]

Oh, I wanted to mention that those hanging sweater shelves are great on TOP of the shelf turned on their side. They make it so that things don't fall through the bars AND they make little cubbies for organizing up there too! I have one of these turned on the shelf in my kids' room.

Thanks, that is a great ides. I do the hanging shelf, but never thought of this!
I love the DIS Board!

 

[aestapa]

We are going back for the 3rd time this year right after Christmas. I went to www.mypublisher.com and created a paperback memory book of all the pictures from the previous trips. They are about $12 for the little ones and they have fun graphic pages perfect for kids. We found a coupon code for buy one get one and ordered one for each of our boys. They will go in their stockings for Christmas morning.

I can't say enough about the books we get from that site. I don't have time for scrapbooking, and this delivers a bound, professional quality memory book for very little money. We do the more expensive hard back books for grandparent gifts. We collect a years worth of pics on the computer and spend a couple of hours organizing...they love it...and we are the hit of Christmas!!

 

[Super Momma]

Not sure if this has been mentioned already, but here we go.... As we send postcards as souvenirs, I print out all the addresses on label paper and cut them out. I put them into bags according to stamp price (and of course label the price on the bag). This way I don't have to worry about writing out tons of addresses and bringing along the novel, that I call an address book. Also, the kids help out by sticking the labels on while my DH and I write out the messages.

 

[TENIA66]

Bump This Up Again!! I Love It....


Don't Know If It's An Organizational Tip Or Just A Tip But We Freeze Gel Shoe Inserts, Carry Them In Coolers And If The Feet Start Hurting Put Them In Shoes For Relief. Works Great......

 

[TENIA66]

Sorry - I didn't take time to read through the whole list. So, I hope this isn't a repeat.

Since I didn't do the shoe organizer trick, I made do by setting up the ironing board and spreading out extra toiletries and my own little pharmacy on the ironing board.

DH was impressed with my ingenuity (which is saying a lot since he's pretty creative). It was very handy. I also kept my ziplocs of receipts and memorabilia on the ironing board - they were handy when I was emptying my pockets in the evening.

Leah

LOVE THIS IDEA. I WOULD NEVER THINK OF USING THE IRONING BOARD THIS WAY, NOR WOULD I THINK OF USING IT ANY OTHER WAY EITHER.............WRINKLES ROCK!!!

 

[Beehn]

I buy those thin little wipes- I think they are called Handy-wipes or something. I cut them into smaller pieces and put dish soap on them and leave them on the counter to dry. When they dry I pack them in a ziplock. In the room, just add water and I have a little disposable dish wipe with soap to clean up a sippy cup or a refillable mug. They work great!

 

[Dcanoli]

I buy those thin little wipes- I think they are called Handy-wipes or something. I cut them into smaller pieces and put dish soap on them and leave them on the counter to dry. When they dry I pack them in a ziplock. In the room, just add water and I have a little disposable dish wipe with soap to clean up a sippy cup or a refillable mug. They work great!

Wow! That's a neat idea; I don't remember reading that one on this list before.

Thanks for sharing! These would be great for taking into the Parks too!

 

[ehstrojette]

Great Tips.

I am traveling with 15 other people and staying in a villa, we are driving and the rest flying so I am bringing the medicines
I am thinking about using a tackle box for our medicine. I saw this once while camping at a campground. The person used it for first aid stuff and for everyday medicine. They also had spots for sunscreen, bug spray ect.. and it all stayed in its individual spots and nothing spilled. use the ones with all the plastic lift up spots. not the old style with the middle that lifts out

like this http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7941712

 

[Harlie]

If you like clinique go to your store and ask for samples. They often have sample sizes of their 3 step system. I save them for travelling instead of lugging the bigger bottles. Also I find the sample bottles at hair salons bigger then the ones at wal-mart and better for longer trips. I reuse them by refilling them from bigger bottles and putting them back in the travel bag.
We also buy new toothbrushes(need to be replaced every three months anyway) and toothpaste and prepack them so we are not scrambling in the morning to get teeth brushed and then finish the packing.

For our trip we are leaving really early in the am (4 am) we plan to just put the kids in the Van in their jammies and have them get dressed later during a bathroom stop.

I also second the separate overnight bag.

We also eat Breakfast and lunch on the road to save time for bathroom breaks. I pack a cooler with yougurt and fruit and meat and cheese crackers and buns and juice , gronola bars and oatmeal cookies and individual chip bags, and ziplocked napkins and wetnaps and dry cereal in ziplock bags for each person.

If you have a mini van that has the built in tv and more then two kids take earphones for you and your spouse so you don't have to listen to sponge bob and patrick laugh over and over again and again but listen to your music or the radio.

 

[Omma]

Thank you thank you thank you! I'm preparing for our first trip and cannot tell you how helpful all of your tips are! My DH thinks I'm nuts for planning so much but I know he'll be happy (and I hope impressed!) once we are there.

 

[lwartberg]

subbing

 

[Jack'sGirl5]

I had to subscribe to this tread, what wonderful ideas!

The only thing I can think of to share that I haven't seen at the things I do to make our room smell dreamy.

I always bring a travel sized candle tin or two to light while I am getting ready in the bath in the morning. Also, a trick I learned on our Disney cruise --- even if the baths are really clean, they don't always smell great, at best they smell like cleaning products. I always bring one of those plug in air fresheners or the ones at Target that have the little fan -- voila, nice smelling bath.

Also, DD8 gets nervous when sleeping in a new place so nightlights are a must for us!

 

[karajeboo]

I know this trip I'l be using the Ziploc packing technique for DD (that way I can pack not only clothes, underwear, socks in each bag, but also hair accessories - that's our biggest battle!), and probably the shoe bag, too. What saved us last time was keeping a large garbage bag in my backpack to use to put the backpack in on Kali River Rapids, or any other wet ride - that way, everything in the backpack stayed dry! And I kept gallon size ziplocs in my backpack to keep water bottles so the condensation didn't leak all over everything, and also to put my resort mug in after I finished my coffee (I always carried it with me on the bus in the morning!). I would rinse it out in the restroom, but it was always a little wet. I also used the preprinted address labels for postcards, saved me from taking my address book (and risk losing it ). Let's see, also the Sharpie CLICK pens were great - some of the CMs with the characters actually thanked us for having those - makes it easy for the characters with big gloves to use.

 

[TENIA66]

Keep em coming I'm getting ready to start packing

 

[hockeywidow]

Subbing - great thread!

 

[tinkeramy]

LOVE the ziploc ideas - I am the reigning ziploc queen in my family, mostly used for kids outgrown clothes, but so glad to have another purpose!

Anyway, just a couple of tips - I want to second freezing juice pouches / water bottles and letting them melt in your pack during the day. Keeps your other stuff (meat sandwiches, etc) cold w/o having to carry ice packs.

Also - get a package of moleskin at any drug store. GREAT for blisters.

Finally, if you have a child who might be nervous on a dark ride, buy those glowsticks at the dollar store and let them hold it during the ride. Doesn't annoy other people like mini-flashlights might and it makes the kids feel better.

 

[wardfamily1]

Subbing - great thread!

I know, it's completely off topic but what does it mean when someone says 'subbing', I've seen this a lot on the boards.

 

[TENIA66]

subbing means subscribing

 

[Aliceacc]

I know, it's completely off topic but what does it mean when someone says 'subbing', I've seen this a lot on the boards.

It means they're subscribing to the thread. They want to keep reading as more info is added.

Instead of subscribing by adding a post, it's also possible to do so using the "thread tools" at the top of the page.

 

[wardfamily1]

subbing means subscribing

Thanks, I thought it meant they were filling in for someone and I couldn't understand why they needed to tell us they were filling in. (boy do I feel dumb).