What's Working Wednesday: Master Packing List

Summer is here. That often means summer vacation which, of course, means packing and hoping that you didn't forget something. Several years ago I got tired of sitting down every time we were going to go on a trip to make a packing list only to include things that I had included on the list that I sat down to write when we had our over night trip last month or our camping vacation last year. I decided to type up a list that I could just print out anytime we are going to be away from home so I didn't have to think, "What do we need to bring?" This list has made my life so much easier! I've emailed it to several friends over the years who have complained on facebook about not being sure what to pack and it has been a help to them as well.

Now, when we are getting ready to leave home for a weekend or a longer trip, I just print out my list. Then it's as easy as 1,2,3

1. Quickly draw a line through everything I won't need for this particular trip (page 2 only gets printed when we go camping because it has cooking stuff and basic camping meal ideas so I have somewhere to start with for food ideas).
2. Write numbers next to the clothes items at the bottom to indicate how many of each are needed.
3. Start packing.
 
No thinking involved. This list is helpful for the kids too because it is easy for them to see what they need to pack (it's NOT just Legos and coloring books!). Now that they are 6,8,9&11, I can even cut off their individual lists and they can pack all their own clothes themselves. (No, my 6 year old does not still wear diapers. This list was made when she did though and we always joke as we draw a line through that and write "underwear.") We just have them check with us quick before their clothes go in bags in the car. (It is always safest to check to make sure that they packed what they were supposed to and that they chose clothing that is actually appropriate for the trip that we are taking. Trust me. We have all learned this the hard way.)

I'm going to have to print off one of these for a weekend coming up soon so I thought I'd link it to my blog as it might be a help to others as well in the coming months.


Click here to download the Master Packing List



Hope this is a help to you vacationers this summer. 

Is there anything that you always pack that I missed? 

NOTE: This is my first attempt at linking a PDF that I made to my blog. If it doesn't work for you or if you'd like it emailed to you in .doc so you can personalize it yourself let me know.