The horrors of moving house - it’s not just me, is it?

[Notcontent]

It’s incredibly hot and I am feeling rather sorry for myself. I moved house a few days ago and it’s been incredibly hard work and very stressful. I am a lone parent so had to do it all myself. Last time I moved house, a number of years ago, I had my parents to help me with unpacking and organising, as well as my lovely cleaner and her friend. This time, because of Covid and other complications, it was just me.

I did use a removal company but did a bit of packing myself and then of course all the unpacking, finding a place for everything, etc. I tried to declutter massively to make it easier but still had a lot of stuff - like most people with children I guess.

On top of this, I have also been organising for a renovation of the house we have just moved out of, so it’s all been a bit much.

Has anyone else moved recently and found it so stressful?

Hi OP, I'm the same boat as you, however, I've been able to do bit by bit as my old flat is nearby and there's an overlap. Think I would have had a breakdown if I had to pack, move and clean etc all on the same day.

No furniture so lying on the floor in the living room eating a take away with my 4 year old as no food either !!

We've moved a lot recently, 4 months ago and then a year before that, and just been told my landlord is selling my house so yet another move coming up.
Its horrendous, no matter what you do its a massive ballache and exhausting.

Thanks. I am feeling better today but yesterday felt very sorry for myself as it all felt really overwhelming.

Ive got to sell my house next year....ive been in it 16 years and im a single parent with 3 kids....im absolutely dreading it...

Not just you, OP. I've moved more times than I care to remember and done a lot of building work.

It's shit.

But as someone I work with said, in a year's time all of this will be an anecdote.

I just moved a few weeks ago - just myself and 2 children (too young to help, just to be underfoot!) luckily I had an overlap, and I was able to leave the children at home and just run car fulls of boxes back and forth. It was stressful, but it was also post separation so I was very excited to make the move!
Good luck!

@DMCWelshcakes

Not just you, OP. I've moved more times than I care to remember and done a lot of building work.

It's shit.

But as someone I work with said, in a year's time all of this will be an anecdote.

The fact that this is momentary is the only thing that has kept me going!!

It's so awful moving house I've done it twice in 20 years. I plan to stay here a very long time too. I moved a lot when younger but I had almost nothing to actually move so it was easy. My last move fairly recent was horrendous. All the stuff I got rid of pre move and still had loads to take with me. It would have to be a special house for me to move again any time soon.

House moving is all kinds of hell. I've done many. Between countries, between cities, within cities... As a singleton, as a couple, while pregnant, with a toddler and a newborn, with two preschoolers, with two primary school aged kids...

I'm very organised, but also a hoarder, and each move is packed with guilt when I see the sheer amount of stuff I've accumulated over the years, and just can't let go...
I blame my parents (post-war generation, grew up with rationing, passed that habit down to their kids... Am hoping to break the cycle, but with the current pandemic, hoarding seems vaguely sensible again...)

We're a military family, have moved 7 times in the last 6 years! We have it down to an art form now, can pack, scrub the house within an inch of its life all whilst organising a career move for dh, new schools for the dc and arguing with the housing allocation. 2 of the moves have been across oceans 😂

The very thought is horrific. The idea of having to pack up all my stuff is crazy. My cousin bought a forever house a few years back. He dh says he’d rather move every few years than stay where they are. I can’t understand him! The place is fabulous, fortunes have been spent, major renovations/building/extensions have been done, why on earth would they move?

I moved last year OP after ten years in our old house. It was the first time we moved since having the kids and I found it much more stressful than any previous moves. I moved quite a bit in my 20s with being at uni and then had two houses in five years with DH.