Several years ago before one of our first big vacations I got Steve a large red monogramed duffle bag from LLBean for Christmas. I was so excited to finally get it and take an up close look at it hoping that it would be big enough to pack clothes for the four of us. When it finally arrived and I got to open it up boy, was I surprised. It was big alright but that was it. It had a zipper across the top and then opened up into a big black hole or, so it seemed. There were no organization pockets and separations inside to pack things into. I envisioned that once packed and after being shoved onto a planes cargo area and, then thrown onto a luggage ramp, by the time I arrived at my destination I would unzip the bag to find clothes soup, just one big mess. 
So, I began looking into finding some solutions. I loved these packing cubes (also sold at LLBean can you sense a marketing ploy) and thought they would be the perfect answer to my dilemma. I just could not simply afford to buy enough of them.
My grandmother had been teaching me how to sew and one of the first things she taught me was how to make a rolled duffle zipper bag. I gathered my scraps of material and went to work making several of them for everyone in our family. They are the perfect size to pack underwear and pajamas in. I made each of us two different sizes small and large.
Every once in a while I add to my packing cube collection by making a new bag. Recently I experimented with making a square Velcro packing cube by using the dimensions of one of the store bought ones I had. I am very pleased with how it turned out. I can fit 6 T-Shirts rolled up into it or about 5 pairs of pants/shorts. It also makes a great pillow. I added a couple of small skinny bags to keep my unmentionables in.
I found a great box bag tutorial that I just had to try. So, Stuart and Leah got new packing cubes for all of their electronic equipment such as cameras, DS’s, and IPods.
Finally my last brilliant idea to save money on packing cubes came from under my bed. For years I had been saving those old plastic packages that bedding sheets come in. They finally found their calling and are now among my packing supplies.
Once we arrive at our hotel or ship’s cabin the cubes making unpacking a breeze since all I do is pull them out of the bag and place them into the drawers. Everything still stays in the cube until it gets worn. The kids can easily find their own stuff and help keep themselves somewhat organized.
So, there you go my perfect solution to finding packing cubes on a dime.
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