Is a removals service worth it?

[YesEllis]

Moving 45 mins away, 3 bed house to 4 bed house, we have lots of stuff.. been quoted £440 for removals, option £125 on top for packing service. DH insisting we can do it ourselves for £100 if we hire a van for the day, says that it isn't worth the money we could save and spend on nice new things for the house.

Surely it's worth it? We both work, we have young kids, surely it's just so much easier to pay and have it largely sorted for us?

Last time we moved we had nothing so did it ourselves, but we've got so much now (+ 2 kids we didn't have last time!) I just can't imagine the stress of trying to DIY it.

Just to add to the chorus of worth every penny.
When you think how much you spend on estate agent fees, solicitors, surveyors etc - all of whom get a lot of money to shuffle a few bits of paper around (slowly and inaccurately in my experience) - these things all felt like bad value for money, but an essential thing you have to do and yes I did begrudge every penny.

By contrast, the magic efficient packers and movers made such a huge difference to the stress of the move - they were the ones that made things easier for us (unlike the aforementioned!)

Don't hesitate, do it.

Men often don't like spending money on things they 'can do myself'. But it is a false economy and some macho pride thing.

When he sees the volume of boxes and furniture that has to get moved, always far more than one thinks, he will be relieved to not be ferrying shite back and forth in a van for days.

Definitely worth it. They’re so fast! Remember, time is money.

Just to echo everyone else - it’s so worth it! Removals are the only value for money thing in the whole business of moving house! Especially if you work and have children. I would never live without the packing service too - just amazing. Good luck!

The packing service sounds suspiciously cheap for 'lots of stuff' but in your circumstances I'd definitely pay that price, or even a little more. I certainly wouldn't expect them to build beds and wardrobes for that price.

We moved ourselves but, we are childfree, don't have lots of stuff, were only moving a couple of miles and DP and his two strong mates (and we were in the sort of friendship group where we'd helped both of them out over the years) did all the hard work in a hired box van with a tail lift and we bought them a crate of beer each and took them for a pub lunch while we were waiting to get the keys for the new house.

But in the circumstances you describe, unless money is really tight and you'd have to wait to buy essentials with the extra £££s, I'd definitely pay.

Tell your DH it’s cheaper than a divorce & get it booked.

DH & I moved ourselves once - he was lucky to make it to the end of the day! Never again

I paid £900 to pack and move 7 miles.

DH was working away and I was in the middle of getting students through exams.

I would pay that again, it was so bloody easy! No pain, no panic, and they even did the move in 2 stages so we weren't left without bed in both houses in case DH had a change in his diary.

There's a thread on here from ages ago where people give example after example of when the people they were buying houses from thought removals were too expensive and would do it themselves. None of them went well.

That's a very low quote - just do it. Remember anything they pack will be insured for breakages, anything you pack for them will not.

We're in Wales, don't know if that makes a difference to prices but we had 3 quotes from diff local companies and all were around the same price. Reviews are really good and we see their vans around loads so not concerned about that.

I didn't realise packing service included reassembly and plumbing things in. Hopefully that will help convince him! I have said I won't be helping him lift heavy things and putting my back out in the process.

Thanks all

Does the lot of stuff include many items of large furniture, or do you currently have built in wardrobes, integrated white goods etc?

That is an incredibly cheap quote, take the whole service you will not regret it.
We moved from a 4 bed last year with lots of stuff and paid £2400 including packing (London)!

Worth. Every. Last. Penny!

So worth it we moved 2 years ago and it was much less stress they did it. Sadly we have to move agai next month and this time we don't have the budget to pay for it. In the SE so a lot more expensive than your quote

Suggest he spends this afternoon making a start on the packing while you are busy with the dc. See how many boxes of his stuff he gets done before he decides it is worth paying someone.

Best money I’ve ever spent

Unless you have least one very fit and strong bloke who happy to assist then no pay for it. One of you will have to be keeping an eye on the kids for a start. Even if they are above the running out of the door stage they will be getting in the way and trying to help lift things they can’t. You do more damage trying drag washing machine or freezer out of the house and do your back in without the right lifting equipment.

I've always moved myself till last time. God, if you can afford it, do it.
So much less stressful and exhausting.

Removal and packing is totally worth the cost. It took a huge amount of stress of our shoulders knowing someone else was taking care of our things while we were running around to solicitors and dealing with all the last minute stuff.

Check what your quote includes (as that does seem very cheap!). You will probably find that you need to empty the loft into the main house and also possibly the garage and shed contents.

Then spend the time you would have been packing having a ruthless declutter and cleaning the bits of the house that you can so you have to just Hoover and wipe as the removal team empty each room.

Good luck!

Personally I’m with your DH on this one but I do like organising and packing so I’d start weeks before and actually enjoy it. I’d also use it as a great excuse to have a massive clear out. There would be a sense of achievement in doing it ourselves. I seem to be in the minority though so maybe I’m just a tight ar*e like your DH!

Absolutely worth it. And definitely take the packing service too. Just be very clear if there's anything you don't want them to pack e.g. if you want to put some essentials in the car (kettle, loo roll, bedding etc.) so you have them easily to hand.

I will need to move soon and I have shelves and shelves of dvds (like a LOT) will this packing service include packing all of this up and dismantling the shelves if asked? I’d pay whatever it takes 😂

But do remember to keep the hoover by your side otherwise it will be packed before you know it! DM had to borrow her neighbour’s hoover as hers was in the removal van (together with the doorbell, they pack everything!!)

One million perfect worth it

Percent damn it

@sociallydistained they pack everything unless marked otherwise. See my post above where they managed to pack the doorbell from DM’s house!

We're moving ourselves with a hire van but we only have a small 1 bed and we don't have kids or pets to try and manage. I wouldn't dream of doing it ourselves with a 3 bed house worth of stuff.