Moving house tips please?

[hotchocolate86]

It’s likely I will be moving house in the next month or two. Can I ask for your top tips to make it as easy and painless as possible?

Start packing things you don't need now, and get rid of any clutter, don't pay to move it.
Use a removal company that does the packing.
Keep back a box of emergency supplies like the kettle, some mugs and tea things, some plates and cutlery, and take them with you.

Get the movers to do the packing

Put pets into boarding for a few days (or see if family or friends can have them) if they're likely to be underfoot or upset by the disruption.

Pack an overnight bag. Have things like necessary papers, tea/coffee making things easily accessible.

Make a list of utilities you need to change. Take photos of meters at old and new house on departure and arrival.

Redirect mail for a couple of months whilst you update everyone. Make a note of what gets redirected so you can make a note to update them.

If you are moving cats take them to the new house and lock them in the bathroom with food water etc. Assuming there's a separate toilet you won't then need people in and out and they can be kept apart from the chaos. Whatever you do don't put them in a room with an open fire place they can disappear up chimneys!!

Get packers if you can afford it! So much less hassle! We moved last year and they came and packed the day before, and moved everything for us on the day. We (me and DH) have two young kids and were both working full time up the time we moved, so it was invaluable!

Do however pack up an overnight bag for your first night or two with essentials clothes etc in for your first night, and put aside a box of moving essentials so they don't get packed (mugs, teabags, teasponns, biscuits, marker pens, tape etc). Also always worth taking a tape measure with you on the day.

Oh and write a list of who you need to notify of your new address.

Box of essentials
Scissors tape cups teabags screwdrivers phone book takeaway menus biscuits pen paper for meters cat food! Phone numbers for solicitors etc spare money kettle cleaning clothes spray
Suitcase for overnight pjs toothbrushes knickers clothes for the next day
Wash bedding on the days before - put each bed in a bin bag so it’s ready to go on in the new house

Pay the movers to pack. I think I paid about £400 for a 2 bed in London, but I had a lot of stuff. I’d have paid double, it was amazing. They turned up at 9am and it didn’t look like I was moving. By 4pm everything was packed.

Go through your stuff and get rid of anything you don’t need. Don’t pay to move it. So much can be packed now, books, dvds, summer clothes, ornaments, all the cooking stuff you don’t need every day.
I got boxes from my local John Lewis. I asked at customer services and they saved them for me.

Thank you so much for the tips so far. Unfortunately I can’t afford packers but I will definitely take the advice to do an overnight bag and essentials box. That’s excellent advice.
I’ve got some boxes to begin packing things we don’t use much and can manage without.
Hopefully I can manage getting a few days overlap between this property and the new one to move so I have time to move and do a thorough clean.

Ask any local shops for boxes though. They have to pay to get them taken away so they’d sooner give them to you. Also check Facebook selling or gumtree. I gave away my moving boxes on gumtree.

Pack as much kitchen stuff as you can,it's frightening how much is in a even a small kitchen as a lot of it needs wrapping.
Label which rooms you want things to go in.As above have an essential box and an essential kitchen box with kettle,cups,wine and corkscrew in.

Write a list of all the places you need to inform a change of address, get changing them as soon as possible and get a postal redirection service in necessary.

Also, don't forget to take a photo of your electric meter and gas (if you have it) readings before you leave for the last time.

You're not having packers but are you having professional movers?

www.iammoving.com/

I found the above website really useful last time we moved.

I found it helpful to write on the boxes the exact location they needed to go, kitchen, bedroom etc. And also a quick synopsis of what box contained.

It saved time as all boxes were immediately put into appropriate room and I could then just tell at a glance what was in them and could prioritise the unpacking.

I’m looking into movers. If I can afford them I will get them. If not I plan to at least get someone with a van who can help out with the big things.

Thank you for that website link needcoffee. I will have a good look through it when the kids give me a minute later.
That’s an excellent tip about writing what’s in the box when packing as well nocanoe. It will save me searching 6 kitchen boxes to try and find the toaster or something.

Pack one box a day between now and moving day, you’ll be surprised how many things you can manage without. Just keep out the bare minimum of plates and pots and pans you need for example. It would be worth going to your local moving supply company (uhaul here in USA not sure what the equivalent there would be) and buying boxes and packing material, bubble wrap, paper, tape etc from them, they have dedicated boxes for everything and will often buy back unused ones. Ones we found useful from them were wardrobe boxes, they have a hanging rail so you just transfer all your clothes still on their hangers into the box, and a dish ‘barrel’ which has cardboard dividers for cups, glasses, plates etc.

Oh and label the boxes, it makes life so much easier to know which ones are for bedroom, living room, kitchen when you get to the other house.

Sorry, crosspost, someone beat me to it!

If packing yourself wrap plates in paper and pack standing on their edge, not flat in the box, much less likely to break that way.
Never fill a box with books, half fill with books then other half with lightweight stuff like pillows, cushions etc.
If you have young children put their old curtains up in new room (even if they don't fit) as the first thing they will see in the morning is light shining behind old curtains (so safe and familiar).
Enjoy your new home!

Thank you for the plates tip redredrobins. I will certainly bear that in mind. Hopefully I’ll hear next week if I’ve got the house I’m trying for and can really get cracking on the packing.

as well as the other tips that you have had i find that with clothes hanging in wardrobes what i have done in the past is make sure all the hangers are the same way round and then scoop say 5/6 items together on the bed put a bin bag over them with the hooks hanging out, then back in wardrobe till you move then on moving day all you have to do is scoop up the individual parcels and the clothes can be laiud flat on top of things and when you get to the new place. bin bag off clothes straight back into the wardrobe the other end

If you need to clean I would get cleaners to do that and save money on packing . It's really not that hard , hits do a box every night from now on . I've packed up 3 houses myself as dh always seems to be away with work before any move . Start early and get rid of anything you don't need as you go along.

Check that your home contents insurance covers you for the move and if not, ask if it can be added. If not, the removal company should offer you transit insurance as an add on. You will find in the small print of your removal contract that anything damaged or lost, even if by the removal company has a very limited liability. Generally up to £40.

Ditto pack things like books, ornaments into boxes and label them but be prepared for helpers asking, 'where does this go?' instead of actually reading them.

Don't pack all unseasonal clothes away just in case the move takes longer than it should or you'll have to unpack some again.

Rely upon yourself to go round the place you're leaving to ensure nothing has been left behind. Get into the van and check that everything really has been taken out - if there's an old blanket or some such - pick it up and make sure it's not hiding anything.

Best of luck and keep calm.

Definitely pay for packers. If you don't want them to do everything, just get them to do all breakables as this includes all china, crockery, lamps, mirrors and a few pieces of furniture that I needed protective wrapping on. .

Tape the remote control to the back of the tv.

Group hangers together with an elastic band and cover with bin bags or dry cleaning plastic bags. It makes loading them into wardrobe boxes easier and quicker.

Moving house is definitely something that's easier if professionals are doing it for you. It's money well spent!