To consider getting a removal company to pack for us?

[mrszimmerman]

I have friends who have considered this an absolute necessity, also, some of them have the serene expression of a Buddha and some of them are fairly loaded.

I have other friends who don't even use removal companies. They are very fit or have strong relatives and not that much stuff. They are not quite as serene as the above category but there are other factors too.

I have a two year old and an older child and a ton of stuff and I have not done very much packing yet.

Any advice either way? I partly wonder whether getting the movers to pack for me is an admission of defeat. Or whether you'd have to be super organised to get them to do it for you anyway.

All advice on this subject would be gratefully received particularly as the whole thing is making me want to hide in a cupboard and never come out.

[PattySimcox]

We've moved ourselves twice but the last time paid someone to do it. I would never ever move ourselves again - too stressful, too much hard work and by the time you have hired a van, bought lunches and pints for friends who have helped then you really don't save much money doing it yourself.

[AMumInScotland]

I've had the removals company pack for the last 3 moves, and I love it! It's not an admissions of defeat, just delegating a task to people who specialise in it.

[SnakeOnCrack]

Half and half I'd say, I'd like to pack it myself I think but then get it all moved by someone else!

[planetpotty]

I move regularly with work but when we move the removals men are paid for. I would never ever have paid for removals men before seeing them in action - it's amazing they melt the house into the truck in hours (resulted once in me moving in slippers as all shoes were packed )

If you can afford it do it and save youself and your back! if not save the money and rope lots of people in

Insurance is a must with removals though

[Alibabaandthe80nappies]

Do it, we did it before we even had kids.

[BewitchedBotheredandBewildered]

Definitely get the removals people to do it. Get a recommendation though.
Organising everything and unpacking is quite enough imo.
Good luck.

[MilicentBystander]

Yes, I never pack myself. Money exceedingly well spent ( less than a grand) compared with stamp duty, solicitors fees and EA fees.

[BikeRunSki]

A collegue of mine did this. He had a 2 yo and newborn twins.
he paid for wrapping, packing and unpacking. Said was best £1000 he ever spent. They spent their first night out of their old house in a hotel, then just walked into their new house the next day. Everything was sorted.

[teacherwith2kids]

Do it. Worth every penny.

We have moved a lot since DS was born (counts: 2 international moves + 4 moves within this country).

Since the international move, which was paid for by DH's employer and which involved being packed for, we have never packed our own stuff.

Advantages:

• You can be completely normal until 9 am on the day before you move (or even on the day you move, depending on how much stuff you have - we have been 1 day pack / 1 day move removals). No boxes in sight, nothing. Then it all gets done, moved, and you're in your new house.
  
• You have to do NOTHING in advance. They really do pack from whatever situation they find.... just take care that they don't pack your full kitchen bin (true story from international move involving 8 weeks in a shipping container.....)
  
• This is especially good with young children, who may get bothered by the whole moving thing - everything is normal until the final possible moment.
  
• If anything gets broken, they pay out on their insurance. Ad they pack better than you do, so fewer breakages.
  
• They have access to all sorts of specialist packing boxes (e.g. wardrobe boxes etc) which means that many things never get 'packed' at all - just taken out of your cupboard, put into a specialist box, and transferred straight into your new cupbooard.
  
• Much less physical stress for you. You can devote yourself to unpacking (DON'T pay for unpacking. You will end up with 'things' one deep on every surface in the sntire house. Get the big things put in place and the boxes in the right rooms and any specialist boxes like wardrobe boxes unpacked. then do the rest yourself) when you are not exhausted from weeks of putting exactly the same things into boxes.
  

If you work, then having a packing service on 1 day is likely to be cheaper than taking the days off to do the packing yourself...

[valiumredhead]

I will NEVER pack myself again EVER. It was an extra £200 on a £1,000 move so well worth it imo.

[jendot]

We have always had removal men pack for us..is AMAZING.....

They show up, the house kind of disintegrates into the lorry and re materialises at the other end. Bit like a star trek teleport!! Last time we moved we went to the pub for lunch!! I pottered back to the old house as they left to clean up... hubby went to the new house to show them where to put the furniture. Hey Presto! Moved.

It is a little harder to unpack because of course you have no idea what is in each box!

Also use a reputable company..the first time we moved we had loads of small expensive things nicked (cufflinks/ expensive perfume/ odd bits of jewellery, a camera!) and of course you don't start noticing the little things missing until weeks after you have moved as life is so chaotic! This time though apart from a broken sugar bowl..all arrived safe and sound!

[Gingefringe]

Yes, another definitely to getting the removals people to pack for you. However, do make sure that you have a good clearout of rubbish from your drawers and cupboards beforehand as they will wrap absolutely everything!!

Also, keep your essentials separate (we usually pack a small suitcase of toiletries, underwear, change of clothes, kettle, tea bags, etc). Good luck

[Greenshadow]

Another one who would recommend using removal men to pack.

DH's job has meant we've had to relocate about 3 or 4 times and each time the company pay. Not sure how much it would cost if we had to pay.

It is sooo quick and easy.

Only problem is that you don't throw out as much junk as you would if you did it all yourself.

[dilbertina]

Done it this way once because we were moving to France and the international shippers insisted on it, plus we weren't paying.

I had done a few boxes but they unpacked and repacked so I won't bother at all next time! I hung around a bit but got bored so wandered off to a friends house for coffee whilst DH hung about doing nothing. They are VERY efficient, they turn a room into boxes at incredible speed! I recommend it!

[ChunkyPickle]

Definite yes. I've moved a lot, and it is infinitely better getting them to pack for you - they descend like locusts, pack it all up beautifully and are gone in a day - vs taking a week doing it yourself.

If you're organised enough to have them unpack at the other end too, then more's the better (plus then they'll take all the packing and boxes away for you too)

[ladydeedy]

do it!! Also it means you SHOULDNT pack anything yourself as otherwise their insurance is compromised so they must pack it all. When I moved, the guys turned up and did their stuff in lightning time - I was in my new home, with everything unpacked and perfect, sitting on the sofa enjoying a glass of wine at 6pm watching television. The best money ever spent.

[eaglewings]

Another person who thinks it's the best money ever spent....

[ShoutyHamster]

Get a recommendation though, friends had a crap experience once ending up with stuff unpacked randomly, labelled boxes in wrong rooms, heavy furniture abandoned in doorways, etc. Crap company, can't remember who.

They got a recommendation the next time and it all went swimmingly.

[AnotherJaffaCake]

With two young children, we had a full packing service. Well worth the money. I've only ever done the packing myself once, and never again :).

[OneWaySystemBlues]

Do it. It's great with children, because removal men do it so much more quickly. When we moved, the removal men came when my kids were at school. By the time they got home, they'd packed everything except the beds and the stuff we'd left for overnight. Next day, kids went to school, stuff got taken to new house and by the time they kids got home from school, they went home to the new house and we could start unpacking. Would NEVER move myself again - last time we did I was packing for weeks.

[fluffy123]

I had a company pack when I moved house when my children were aged just one and two . A guy came over in the morning and the whole house was packed by that afternoon. I moved the next morning and everything was in the right place and unpacked by that tea time. I would definitely recommend it .

[midnightexpress]

Do it do it do it.

Faster, saner.

[notevenamousie]

I did one time, my mum gave me the extra money, as I had only one day off work as a working full time single mum to a 2 year old. Was so worth it if you do have the money. It removed the cupboard-hiding urges :)

[DMCWelshCakes]

Hell yes!

As a veteran house mover (20+ moves) I have paid my dues with the whole packing thing and it's horrible. They're faster, better at it & have the right boxes etc. And as you're paying so much to move anyway once you've factored in EA fees, sols fees, stamp duty, mail redirection, removal company fees it's a piffling little drop in the ocean.

Do it, do it, do it! Anything else is false economy & a sure-fire way to go mad unnecessarily.