I’m going to share a stupidly simple tip that could end up saving you a lot of money.

But first a little background…

Once upon a time, I went to Vegas for Roshni’s bachelorette party.  We ate, we drank, we gambled, and then we came home.  As I was unpacking, I realized that I left a brand new pair of pants, a pair of jeans, and the t-shirt we had made for the weekend in my hotel room.  Uh oh!  The jeans were found and sent back to me, but the pants and the t-shirt were gone.

You’d think I learned my lesson but no…

Fast forward to September.  I was in Chicago for the month because Vishnu was up there for his rotations.  This was also the month I had a week long work trip to London scheduled.

Anyway, as I’m sitting in my friend’s condo watching TV, it suddenly dawns on me that my passport is in the top drawer of our dresser…IN MIAMI!   To make a very long story short, my friend Rohit saved my life.  I mailed him our keys so that he could get into our apartment, get my passport, and send it back to me.  Mind you, all of this happened within days.  It was pretty crazzzzzzy!

And there have probably been a few more times since then where I’ve almost forgotten something (either when packing or repacking) and remembered at the last minute.

So recently, Vishnu stepped in and made a strong suggestion.  He asked me to make as detailed of a list as possible when packing and then duplicate that list on another piece of paper.

Note: I know what some of you may be thinking.  Making lists is not a new thing…most people already do that.  And I completely agree.  The thing is I used to make lists too, and I still forgot stuff.  But two very detailed lists?!  Now that’s something.  And it’s actually helping me remember!

I should use one list when I’m packing, and the other list should be tucked away in my suitcase/purse only to be taken out when repacking.

This, he says, should help me avoid what he calls the “oops I forgot” syndrome.  Everything I need to take with me gets packed, AND all my stuff is guaranteed to come back.

Yet another way I am helping us (and hopefully you!) save some big $$$! 🙂

Have a wonderful weekend!