Prone to overpacking

I started packing last night, just clothing.

I'm packing only non-wrinkle-prone clothing, so it's ok that it will be in a suitcase for a while.

Every time we go away, I think my clothing will take up less space than it actually does. And then I'm always taken aback when I can't fit everything that I expected into a rollaboard. Maybe rollaboards are too small? Or maybe I'm still packing too much. Temps will range from the 30s to the 70s--it's difficult to pack lightly for such variation.

Here's my clothing list:
Wearing: Long-sleeved shirt, turtleneck, sweater, pants.
Packing: 2 long-sleeved zippies, 3 short-sleeved shirts, 2 tank tops, 2 pairs pants.

And pajamas. But the pajamas that I'm packing won't be returning home with us, so there will be some extra space for the return trip (or rather, there would be, if it weren't taken up by souvenirs).

And then there are lots of little things that collectively take up a lot of space. Two small umbrellas, a luggage scale (worth its size in gold, considering how much money it could save us in overweight luggage fees), camera plugs, books, tissues, medicines, Lactaid pills, cosmetics, toiletries, hangers (there are never enough in any hotel room, no matter how little you pack)... There's a big list. The items are listed in a spreadsheet and organized according to the bag that they'll travel in. I just hope we have enough space among our 3 bags (1 small rollaboard, 1 larger-sized-but-still-carryonable rollaboard, and 1 checked bag) to fit everything.

In other news, has anyone been tracking the progress of the euro lately? It's up--way up. Then again, what would a European vacation be for us without spiking euro rates just before we leave?

And I'm starting to wonder what financial debacle will occur while we're away this time. While we were in Italy, Lehman Bros and Bear Stearns suddenly no longer existed. While we were in Germany, Bernie Madoff's scheme became public knowledge. Here's hoping for some good financial news while we're away.