Care package ideas

[Olismum]

With so many of us with deployed or soon to be deployed hubbies, i thought it would be good to start up a care package thread to share ideas of what can and can't be sent. Postage is free to all deployed personnel up to 2 kilos through Australia Post when sent to an AFPO. What have you found good to send?

[sharvs]

Wet Ones
Fruit Bars
Museli Bars
Little boxes of cereal
Cashews
Pringles
Pods
New toothbrush
Deodorant sticks
Deck of cards
Super balls (the really bouncy ones - hours of fun for the bored)
Coffee
Milo Sticks
Powdered drinks
Tuna & biscuit combos
Beef Jerky
Thumb tacks so they can put up photos
Chewing gum
Magazines
Books

[sam's mum]

When BIL was in Timor we sent him tinned caramel.

[MilkOnTap]

Toothpaste (hubby seems to go through it lol)
Chocolates (mine have never melted)
Magazines
Books
Underwear
Photographs
Letters that are sealed with a lipstick kiss

Umm - will try and think of more...

[mummyof5]

All the boys in DH's section used to line up to check out his parcels, and hound him to hand on the magazines...not so much now he is a senior sailor as mess fees contribute to magazines subscriptions and stuff.
Still likes to get coffee tubes,
smoked oysters,
biscuits,
lollies (for the lolly jar in the gun magazine)
books,
taped shows (he gets the wrestling pay per views on deployment, so he can drive the other guys in the mess mad),
face cream (he's more skin care orriented than me!),
pics from the kids,
photo's,
nuts,
fairly standard stuff I think. Keep the idea's coming, it's great getting new ones.

[Queen]

I don't have a DP in the armed forces but, if I was away from my family, I would love simple things
Finger-paintings from kids
A tape/CD of the kids laughing/talking/babbling

but as for food and bits... I think you have enough ideas?? Why not just wander down the aisles of Coles etc and see what catches you eye??:D
Sorry not much help:o

[MilkOnTap]

Oh - yummy tea bags! My hubby loves his herbal teas, so I sent him a different one every fortnight. Unfortunately it didn't occur to me that he wasn't going through 50 teabags a fortnight and he wound up with a locker FULL of teabags! :laughing:

[mummyof5]

Oh - yummy tea bags! My hubby loves his herbal teas, so I sent him a different one every fortnight. Unfortunately it didn't occur to me that he wasn't going through 50 teabags a fortnight and he wound up with a locker FULL of teabags! :laughing:

Maybe you need to just buy the 10 packs, Ally!!:yes: :laughing:

[here_we_go]

Hmm.........well lollies, biscuits, all the usuals are listed.

From my DD I will send pictures and paintings, handmade cards, we also get pics in those stupid little pic things near cinemas, you know where you sit and pull silly faces and get sheet of tiny pics.

Also powdered drink satchets, glucozade powder. I also sent things like little first aid packs, ie so he always has band aids handy. Face creams and toothpaste, floss, mens shampoo, the sunsilk one.

From the newsagency I used to send little bookmarks and thumbtacks, little stuffed toy now and then from DD.

Also found he loved his mints and chewing gum whilst away.

I always do up a list to of what price bread, milk, petrol is when he leaves and then how much they are the next month; he gets a chuckle and can keep up with fuel prices lol.

dont know if that really helped much. Oh and electronic suduko and little hand held games, slide shows of photos on CDs too.

[DB&O]

This is a fantastic thread, DH goes away for 6 months this year & I was wondering what I should put in his care parcels, now thanks to you girls I have lots of great ideas :yes: I wouldn't want to make a faux pas, now would I :o
Quick Q, DH is going to the do you have to observe the rules of the country they are in, like not sending meat products such as those little twiggy stick things or beef jerky during religous innapropriate times? Just curious what is the correct thing to do? Any help is greatly appreciated, I really don't want to do the wrong thing & get DH in trouble:o

Cheers,
Brooke.
xxxx.

[MilkOnTap]

Quick Q, DH is going to the do you have to observe the rules of the country they are in, like not sending meat products such as those little twiggy stick things or beef jerky during religous innapropriate times? Just curious what is the correct thing to do? Any help is greatly appreciated, I really don't want to do the wrong thing & get DH in trouble.
I've never really thought about it to be honest! lol - but from experience I have sent hubby loads of different kinds of foods (yogurt covered berries; beef jerky; tea bags, tupperware containers of homemade biscuits) that would have a lot of natural raw materials in it as well as preservative and it has never been an issue. There is a big 'No Alcohol' policy - so dont even try to send him one of those cute little bottles of whiskey or anything - but apart from that I think they're pretty good.

If your having second thoughts about a particular item, just go with your gut feeling - but otherwise I cant see how any food would be a problem.

[candiee]

My huband has just left the army, but he was deployed in east timor for 8months, i sent photos, magazines, chocies, deodarant, chewy, chips.
i even sent him a yoyo coz he said he was getting bored, i sent him one with a book on how to do tricks and stuff then i got a email asking to send 5 more for his mates, they would sit there for hours trying to all learn tricks, he came home a pro.