Long Distance Care Package Ideas: 2008

I've been getting more emails lately and more ideas from people which means people ARE reading this! SO..here's the latest suggestions:

I have a friend that is currently deployed and I’ve been steadily mailing boxes for him and his team. Here are some more ideas for you:

AIR FRESHENERS! This is a big request! Apparently the potties and the tents/barracks smell something fierce! Make sure you suggest that they put these in Zip-Lock bags!

Q-Tips

Gold Bond Powder…It’s HOT over there!

Sunflower seeds

Pumpkin Seeds

Pop Tarts

Canned fruit in the flip top cans. Makes it way easier for them to open and they can just “drink” it right out of the little cans.

Hot Sauce (maybe something other than Tabasco Sauce)

Beef Jerky. There must be 20 – 30 different varieties!

Spam (flip top cans) There are a bunch of varieties of this too

Vienna Sausages (flip top cans)

I bag almost everything in Zip-Lock bags. Because the Post Office has the “flat rate” boxes, this really is a huge cost benefit for canned goods and magazines! Don’t forget to include the local news papers…especially their “Local” sections and comics!

Pictures of what the county, township, city or villages are doing to the roads (fix-ups), bridges, trees, buildings, etc.

Pictures of the kids classrooms with pictures, signs and activities for the fathers & mothers that are deployed. They may need permission from teachers/administration before doing this.

Hope this helps.

JuliePS One more thing…encourage everyone to HAND write their notes! Typing or computer generated notes are nice but nothing says genuine and heartfelt like hand written notes!

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Postage gets EXPENSIVE!! Try alternating packages with pictures sent in a card. Have fun with it. I did a funny photo shoot and took goofy pictures of myself, printed them out and made comments on them. You can even pick up the sticker speech bubbles in the scrapbooking section to make yourself or your kids say things in the pictures or just photo shop them onto the pictures before you print. Pin It

Take each candy and attach a note with a reason why you're sending it. You can put them all in a box labeled the reason why I love you or something like that:

Nerds: You're such a nerd and always make me smile.
Smarties: You're so smart.
100 Grand: You're just so rich (joking of course).
Reese's whips: Because you're whipped.
Snickers: For the way you snicker at my jokes.
Butterfinger: Because you have a nice butt.
Sweet Tarts: Because you're so sweet.
Hot Tamales: You're so hot!
Laffy Taffy: You always makes me laugh.
Hershey's Hugs and Kisses: You always give great hugs and kisses.
Dum Dums: You love me even when I'm a dum dum.
Shockers: The way I feel about you is shocking!
Baby Ruth: I love it when you call me baby.
Lifesavers: Because you're my lifesaver.
Mints: You're worth a mint to me!
Reisen: You're my "reisen" for living.
Reese's Pieces: Because I love you to pieces.
Big Hunk: Because you're my big hunk.

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Here are some ideas for one of my LYC girls:

I bought some X-rated heart candies (you know the Valentine's conversation hearts that say stuff like "Be Mine" and stuff..yeah, these said some other things...)

I made some chocolate and vanilla "kitties" on a stick with an insinuating little note attached about him eating them. They were wrapped in pink cellophane and tied with red ribbon. It wasn't hot there at the time so it didn't melt. He thought the edible "kitties" were hilarious.

I got some underwear for him and I put on some dark lipstick and I kissed them all over...mostly in THAT area...I put them in a plastic bag with my perfume sprayed on them and a pink notecard with "Guess what I've been thinking about?" on it.

I got him a sleeve for his special alone time and some lube.

Gummy handcuffs with a dirty little story about how we'd use the real thing.

3 or 4 erotic letters in individual envelopes, each scented with my perfume.

Some private pix on CD for his computer.

Red Hots that were in a package labeled something like "Sex Pills" or something like that, can't remember...it was funny but I can't remember what the label said.

A pair of my panties in a plastic baggie.

A pillowcase with an iron on of me in a sexy pose so we could still "sleep together" even though we couldn't.

Coupons for dirty deeds he could cash in when he got home. Yes, he's cashed them ALL in by now.

Boobie cookies.

I also took some obscure, hard to identify pix of various body parts and numbered them. If he was able to identify them, he got good, recognizable pix of those parts. It was kind of like a puzzle/game/brain teaser/other part teaser thing

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I recently received an email full of birthday ideas! Enjoy!

Hello,
I’m an avid reader of spousebuzz and came across your link there. My fiancé is deployed to Iraq and I was having a hard time trying to figure out what to send him for his birthday. To help anyone else I thought I would share what I sent….

Candles- he was turning 24 so I put 24 in a plastic bag (did not include lighter) I knew his roommate had one, didn’t think you could ship lighters anyways
Balloons- he said the guys had a good time blowing them up and playing volleyball, ect. with them
Cake- betty crocker makes individual microwaveable cakes- just add water, put in microwave and tada! Comes with caramel or icing.
DVD- with me and his friends singing happy birthday to him, and left personal notes on it
Wrapped presents- this would vary
I thought about doing a “theme” sending over cups, plates, food, hats, table cloth…. but I thought it might be to much. May be good for someone else though?

Thanks for keeping your blog, what a great idea!

Jacquie

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Goldfish crackers
Salt packets
Blue Kool Aid - don't forget the sugar and pitcher!
Shark gummies
Little game with the magnetic fishing pole
Goldfish game cards (go fish or regular)
Tuna packets with crackers
Sea Monkeys you add water to and they grow
Small conk seashell so he could hear the ocean
Salt water taffy

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This would be especially cute for those that have children and have taken a trip to the zoo. Include lots of pictures of your trip and then some of these treats:

animal crackers
peanuts
peanut butter from the elephants
beef jerky from the lions
dried banana chips from the chimps
trail mix from the birds
Hostess Snowballs from the polar bears
tuna from the seals
postcards
stuffed animals
plastic zoo animals
tons of pictures!

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"Tucked inside this little bag
When your spirits are starting to sag
Are some little reminders that I care
As you fight for freedom over there."

Toothpick: To help you pick out the good in every situation you encounter.
Hugs and Kisses(Hershey's Hugs and Kisses): Because sometimes we all need a "hug and kiss"
Paper clip: to help you "keep it together" when it all seems to be hitting the fan.
Marble: To replace "the ones we all lose" from time to time.
Snickers: To remind you to "laugh" even when you feel like crying.
Rubber Band: To help you be flexible and "bounce back" in times of trouble without breaking.
Stick of Gum: To remind you to "stick" with the task at hand.
Mint: To let you know you're worth a "mint" to me.
Cotton Ball: To help "cushion" the rough times.
Lollipop: To help you "lick" the problems you encounter.
Star Burst: To let you know I'm "bursting" with pride for you.
Nut: To remind you to relax and get a little "nutty" sometimes.
Tootsie Roll: To remind you of the important "roll" you play.
Lifesaver: To signify the "lifesaving" things you do to keep our country free.

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Have you heard of the MagicJack? Supposedly, you plug this into your computer that is hooked up to high speed internet and attach a phone line to the plug and you can make unlimited phone calls to the US and Canada. The website even claims that you can use this while traveling or in our case deployments as long as internet is available. The device costs $39 from the website and that include one full year of unlimited service. If you'd like to continue service after the first year it is only $20 per YEAR.

Sounds too good to be true doesn't it? Well, that's what I'm wondering. I ran across this device on the LYC forum and then received an email today from a reader that wanted to know if anyone has used this. He has a relative deploying to Kuwait soon and wants to know if anyone has had experience with this overseas.

When I asked my soldier he thought it might use up too much bandwidth, but I'm not sure. And for $40 for the MagicJack and $10 for a cheapo phone it might just be worth a shot.

If anyone has any experience with the MagicJack please leave a comment and help us clear this up! Thanks! Pin It

Here's a cute shirt I found. This site has other cute apparel and gifts. Things for soldiers, their supporters, and children. Pin It

You Stink:

Soap
Deodorant
Socks
Laundry soap tablets
Air fresheners
Foot powder
Odor eaters
Gold Bond powder
Febreeze
Baby wipes
New undies
T-shirts
Dryer sheets
Whoopee cushion

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American A-Z:
A- Individual Apple Pies
B- Baseball: baseball
C- Chocolate chip cookies
D- Dog: picture of his dog or a little stuffed one
E- Eagle
F- Family: picture of the family
G- Grapes: grape flavored anything
H- Home: be creative and send something to remind him of home
I- Ice cream: ice cream candy or freeze dried ice cream
J- Jump rope
K- Kite
L- Laughter: make a recording of you laughing at a funny show/joke/movie
M- Maple syrup?: send a little bottle of maple syrup
N- Naked...just kidding Nature: send him leaves or something from outside that they wouldn't have in all that sand!
O- Ouch!: Send bandaids and antibiotic ointment
P- Popsicles: if he has access to a freezer send those freezie pops or Peaches: send little canned peaches
Q- Quiet: Send a peaceful book or earplugs
R- Rainbows
S- Sunshine: send sunglasses or suncreen
T- Texas: send playing cards or something with the Texas flag or Tootie rolls
U- United States
V- Vacation: send him brochures of places you'd like to go when he gets back for him to look at.
W- Wishing: if you have a wishbone send it or put some of your wishes down on paper for him to read or Water guns
X- XL: send him an XL hug or kiss
Y- Yoyo
Z- Zoo: send animal crackers

If you have any better suggestions for letters please write them in the comments! This was just what I could come up with quickly :) Pin It

Sloppy Kisses! Chocolate melts in the extreme heat over in the middle east, but send Hershey's Kisses anyway for some definite "sloppy kisses." Just be sure to put them in a bag or something to keep the chocolate off your other goodies. Pin It

Kiss paper with lipstick so your soldier can "keep your kiss in his pocket." Laminate them with contact paper.
White boxers with painted hand prints on the back.
A pair of your panties...
A pillowcase with a painted imprint of your boobs.
Stories from hoochymail.com where you can personalize sexy stories.
Sexual coupons for him to use when he gets back.

Here's a very funny idea.
Willy Washer
It's from my girls at LYC, she made it herself. :) Pin It

Breakfast on the GO

mutrigrain bars
instant oatmeal cups - peanut butter makes a great mix-in
small boxes of cereal
pop tarts
Hostess donuts
Otis Spunk Meyer muffins
cocoa
coffee
Tang

I'm Nuts About You

peanuts - looks for recipes to roast/flavor them
cashews
pistachios
peanut butter cookies
peanut M&Ms
Nutter Butter's
Peanut Lover's Chex mix

Sun Tea

Get one of those plastic 2qt jugs with the handles and the push button spout. Fill the inside of the jug with tea bags, sugars and sweet and lows and see about finding a restaurant that carries those little packets of lemon juice. Include spoons and cups! I've seen the jugs at Target and Walmart pretty cheap right now for spring/summer!

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I got some good recipes off the LYC forum. Here are some of the good ideas from the girls to send.

rice crispy treats
puppy chow
cheese straws
cake in a jar
trail mix
seasoned nuts
Special K bars
jarred homemade soups

Click on the link to go to the recipe or search Google for your own! Pin It

Phone cards can get expensive. A 100 minute phone card only lasts about 20 minutes in Kuwait. There are places and sites that donate phone cards to soldier on deployment or stationed overseas. Look into it and get a phone card for free or help someone else get one by donating.

Operation Uplink

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Surviving the Sandstorm:

Eye wash
Nasal spray
Chapstick
Bandana
goggles/sun glasses
lotion

Laundry:

Laundry detergent -sample packs work best
Fabric softener sheets
Clean socks
Undershirts
Boxers
Febreeze
Oder Eaters for boots

Staying Healthy:

nutrition/health bars (ex: Powerbar; Tigers Milk; Myoplex)
vitamins - if you don't think he'll take the pill form try sending the tasty chewables that taste kind of like candy!
Nutri-grain bars
Gatorade powders
Power bands for individual exercise
Football/frisbee/hacky sack to stay active in free time
Men's Health magazine

Bathroom in a Box:

TOILET PAPER!!! (the soft stuff)
Cleansing wipes
Razor refills or disposable ones
Foot powder
Bars of soap
Fresh, clean, soft washcloth
Travel size shampoo/conditioner
Toothpaste
Toothbrush
Nail clippers/scissors
Tweezers
Moisturizer - If you think that they'll be too embarrassed and think this is too girly then just send unscented lotion. It's DRY out there!
Pumice stone or other foot scrubber

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Every soldier needs a "starter kit" of get well/stay well goodies. With slow mail you won't be able to get him a get well package fast enough if you find out he's not feeling well, so why not send him one to start out with for just in case times?

You can put these all in a plastic box or bag for easy storage. Here are some ideas for things to put in the "starter kit":

sunscreen
aloe for sunburns
antibiotic ointment
band-aids
ibuprofen
cough drops
Tums
anti-diarrhea medicine
blister preventing pads
eye drops
Ace bandage
athletic tape
instant cold packs
tweezers
nail clippers
Benadryl
lotion
hand sanitizer

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Here are some ideas for St. Patty's Day!

Make everything green...or wrapped in green paper. Even paint the inside of the box green!
send "kiss me I'm Irish boxers"
Shamrock shaped cookies with green sprinkles
Irish Spring soap
Small boxes of Lucky Charms cereal
Green Monsters energy drink
green paper plates or bowls if you included the cereal!
Instead of using regular packing paper use shredded green paper!
Dollar Stores general have gifty things you can include to add to your theme pretty cheap!

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Want to send something more personal? Here's a list of gifts you can have photos printed on and where you can get them. I've tried to give the link to the place that is least expensive. If you have any more ideas let me know! Most of the links so go directly to the item.

Photo rubik's cube - Walmart
Travel mug - Walmart
Puzzle - Walmart
Playing cards - Walmart
Photo tin (you could pack cookies or other goodies in it - Walmart
Notebooks, these are pretty cool. You can have blank pages, lines, day planner, address book, etc. - Walmart
Photo clings - Walgreens
Boxer shorts - Walgreens
Calendars - nearly all places offered calendars
Magnets (to hang on metal racks) - Shutterfly
Pillowcase - Walgreens
Stickers (to decorate letters/packages) - Photoworks
Key chain - Photoworks

The rubik's cube is my favorite. So unexpected! Love it! Pin It

I've done a little more thinking about a great Valentine's Day care package and here are a few more ideas I've come up with:

Make a puzzle out of a picture of yourself or a love letter. You can have these made at Wal-Mart, Kinkos, etc. Or if you're creative get out the glue, cardboard, and scissors and give it a try!
Send red boxers with hearts or lips on them.
Hershey's kisses are always a good choice. Write something on the little tags if you're feeling ambitious!
Sexy love letters are great. Write one yourself or go to hoochymail.com and have them make a free one for you. They have something for everyone from romantic to x-rated!
A favorite romantic movie of his.
Mixed CD full of love songs.
Handmade Valentines
A romantic book
Personalize M&M's in pink, red, and white.
A letter of all the reason you love them.
A Victoria's Secret magazine with your face glued on all the models.
And last but not least as suggested by my soldier himself.... a pair of clean panties that smell like your laundry or perfume (or maybe a pillowcase if you're a bit shy).

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I got this idea from my future mother-in-law. She bought some of these to try after a woman she knows said she sent these to her son in Iraq during the winter. They actually taste great! They come in many flavors like hot chocolate, coffee, and cappuccino. They have the directions printed on them and you just pop a tab on the bottom, let them heat up (about 3 minutes), and drink! They get REALLY hot, so if you buy one to try be careful! I've seen these for sale at Wal-Mart.

Happy Care Packaging! Pin It

Over that last month I've done a lot of web surfing and have found some great sites for supporting servicemen and women. Here are some of my favorites:

Soldiersangels.com - You can adopt soldiers you don't know to send letters and packages. You can also submit a soldier's address to receive packages.
Americasupportsyou.mil
Bluestarmothers.org - My future mother-in-law belongs to this group. She's been able to meet a lot of other mothers in her same situation.

I'll add more later!
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Why am I here? Aren't there plenty of sites about care packages? What are you doing? Well, to answer all these questions simply, I have nothing better to do! To tell you a bit about myself, I'm young and engaged to a wonderful man who will be leaving for Iraq in a month. I'm already planning the exciting things I want to send him and I thought I'd share my ideas with other people. Not to mention writing all of this down might help me decompress a bit.

Where do I start? Jake's been gone for about a month now. He's stationed in Georgia doing his mobilization training. He's a member of Indiana's 76th with the National Guard. His spirits are up, but to be honest mine aren't the best right now. I'm feeling lonely and since he recently broke his phone my only way of contacting him is through mail. I've sent a few things already. Mostly just things he requested, like a new pair of headphones, a book, and hand sanitizer (they sometimes go nearly a week between showers, yuck). Nothing too ambitions or really thoughtful, but it was something to start with.

I'm starting my Valentine's Day package. So far it has:

A cheesy card that plays music when you open it (he'll probably hate it)
Some homemade cookies (heart shaped with sprinkles)
Some of his favorite candy (Mike n Ikes)
Bubble Yum bubble gum

He loves crossword puzzles, so I thought about making up some games from puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com. You can add in your own words to make fun puzzles and games that are personalized. The crossword I'm working on might be a little hard for him. My clues are kind of tricky (my favorite part of you: eyes). They aren't necessarily things I've mentioned before, but he's smart. I bet he can figure it out! Pin It

Pack cookies with bread to preserve freshness.
Pack cookies in old Pringles cans to keep safe.
Pack things in zipper plastic bags. They're useful for keeping things from spilling and storing things while away.
Test your box, shake it. If it rattles add more packing materials.
Double bag things that could leak!
Tape heavy items to box sides to distribute weight evenly.
Send minty gum separately or well sealed. It will make the whole package smell like gum.

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When sending packages overseas it is best to send them Priority Mail. They will get there much faster than Parcel Post because they will be flown rather than sent by ship.

By going to USPS you can get free shipping materials. They will deliver Priority Mail materials that you order at no additional cost.

As of April 2008 a new larger flat-rate box made specifically for care packages was made. The shipping is $10.95 to a military address. This is a $2 discount from the regular shipping.

Average shipping time to Iraq is around 2 weeks. Keep in mind that once the mail is on base it takes some time to distribute. Pin It

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