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Original poster

Moved house 2 months ago, boxes still everywhere, when does it get better?

83 replies

Wozzzzzuuu · 14/11/2023 21:12

Just as the title says really. We moved 2 months ago to a house that's much bigger than our last house. I'm fairly strict on clutter/stuff so we definitely didn't have too many things, and everything had a place in the old house.

Roll on 2 months here in a bigger house, we have managed to unpack the main living area and kitchen so at least that's something. But upstairs there are still boxes everywhere belonging to the kids as well as our bedroom and the study/office.

Dh and I both work, and I'm also studying part time so by the time everyone's home in the evenings, there's no time for sorting and unpacking. Kids aren't old enough yet to do it themselves. Weekends since moving have been swallowed by parties/visitors to see the new house and also general fixing jobs around the house that are more important than unoacking. Any time I have is spent trying to keep afloat with cleaning in the rooms that are unpacked.

I remember it being a bit tricky for a while when we bought our first house but not this bad. There's just no time!! When will this get better??

OP posts:

ProvisionsOnTheDock · 14/11/2023 21:59

OMG ignore all these quick unpackers! I am exactly the same. Moved 6 weeks ago, only just finished unpacking and sorting the living room at the weekend there. Dining room, spare bedroom which will become an office and the hall cupboard are still full of boxes.
My advice is to take one room at a time and sort it as best you can. But it is hard when you have loads of other things to do. You'll get there!

Wendyspotatopeeler · 14/11/2023 22:04

We did it in a week, I was given a week off from work paid but I had an exam too. Kids at school and study for a bit and then unpack for a bit.

dontgobaconmyheart · 14/11/2023 22:05

It only gets better once you buckle up and just prioritise it. Even saying 1 box each every evening and then a huge effort on any day where anyone is at home.

It can't be much fun having visitors when things are still boxed up and nothing's sorted. Equally I wouldn't overly want to or expect to go to someone's house when they clearly had so much to do. I'd just sacrifice a weekend and get it done, it will feel so much better.

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AutumnNanny · 14/11/2023 22:07

BuffaloCauliflower · 14/11/2023 21:35

@SiennaMillar where are you finding weekend childcare?!

@BuffaloCauliflower

'm happy to work weekends. Makes no odds to me.

But lots of people have family & friends who'll have little ones for a weekend. You can separate the kids if that's easier.

or just tag team

depending on their ages, lock them under the stairs, or stick them in front of the tele with non messy snacks & drinks.

Octavia64 · 14/11/2023 22:11

If it's any consolation I moved in Sept and am still unpacking.

Not helped by the fact I've had to sell some furniture and buy some other furniture.

I have moved in the past and not unpacked the final boxes for many years (admittedly they were ExH's old computer collection)

HippeePrincess · 14/11/2023 22:18

We moved 50 weeks ago and I’ve been on maternity leave for 47 of those weeks. We still haven’t unpacked properly. In fact our wardrobe and eldests proper bed was only built 3 weeks ago. I doubt our full kitchen unpacking will happen till we get a new kitchen installed, whenever that will be.

ThisMustBeMyDream · 14/11/2023 22:36

I moved 9 weeks ago and the house is still in absolute chaos with so many boxes.
Not had any other option as we started refurbishment work within 3 weeks of moving in so there was zero point unpacking beyond essentials. We need new furniture to fit but it's coming in dribs and drabs as rooms are finished and it is sourced (second hand as budget tight!!). We won't be fully done until next year, but hoping to have 4 beds, and living area fully done and unpacked by December!

PurpleWhirple · 14/11/2023 22:42

I'm the same as you OP. We moved the first week of June a few years ago and I got the last box unpacked during the Christmas hols.

It take time, especially when your furniture doesn't fit the new house. I was so unsettled by it all for a while, as was one of my DC.

Unfortunately you do just have to suck it up and get on with it. I spent a lot of weekends doing an hour here or there, and took a few days of A/L when I could to make some progress unhindered when the kids were at school.

Don't let all these speedy unpackers make you feel like shit!

Didydani · 14/11/2023 22:44

How many boxes do you have left to unpack, op? Could you perhaps find an hour or two after you've all had dinner and each unpack a box during the evening? Maybe work it that way throughout the week? That's how I'd probably work through it all x

abbey44 · 14/11/2023 23:08

Two days to unpack everything…? That sounds….amazing!

Last time I moved it took me ages to get fully unpacked, a couple of months at least and maybe longer for the last bits. I moved from one end of the country to the other on my own, and got Pickford in to do the packing - every box was labelled with the room it was from, but they were in a rush to get back so just put everything in random rooms over a four-storey house. It took me a couple of weeks just to sort out where each box belonged. There were hundreds of boxes! Then I had to order things like wardrobes (which needed putting together) and find a handyman to put up shelves and curtain poles…bloody hell, the lists I had were endless.

In the end I found an organiser lady who came in to help for a few days and she was worth every penny, but the whole experience was just a nightmare. I’d had a massive decluttering before I’d moved as well - it didn’t seem to make any difference at all

WaWaWaWaaaaaa · 14/11/2023 23:09

Weekends since moving have been swallowed by parties/visitors to see the new house and also general fixing jobs around the house that are more important than unoacking

Fair enough doing the fixing jobs but if you are prioritizing "parties/visitors" over unpacking then you can't be too surprised it's taking so long. Presumably if you were that bothered with the unpacking then you would have done.
Having said that i think having parties is a much better idea. If your house functions ok and your main rooms are unpacked I wouldnt worry too much about the boxes being unpacked. A happy fun house is the most important thing.

I've done loads of moves with my husband and 4 kids including international moves and have the house fully unpacked within two days. The reason being that the companies we worked for always paid for a full service move and i had no issues in letting the removal men or women deciding where everything went.

SinnerBoy · 14/11/2023 23:19

We moved to a significantly larger house and threw out / gave to charity about a dozed bin liners full of stuff. We thought we had almost a month to move, so I was standing and repairing wood floors, taking carpets to the dump and other DIY.

The new people suddenly asked to take possession after ten days, so we agreed (they would have pulled out ..)

That meant we moved everything in two days and the bastards were outside the old place, moaning as our removal men finished.

It was about a month before everything was unpacked and in sensible places. We had a couple of intense days, then every day or so, we'd do a box or two each.

That's probably the way for you to do it, a bit at a time and eventually, you'll have it done. Just approach it as a relaxed, long term project.

Thursa · 15/11/2023 01:28

My husband was in the military, we moved every three years. We could unpack in two days.

OhcantthInkofaname · 15/11/2023 01:31

It will get better when you make unpacking the boxes a priority.

AgaMM · 15/11/2023 01:57

Took us 3 months to finish unpacking. We unpacked the important things, but everything else took time.

As suggested by PP, we cocked up by not taking time off from work, so had been doing it on weekends, when we were generally exhausted and also had our toddler around.

But the trigger for getting our act together was having our first guest to come and stay, so we spent a weekend focusing on the last few boxes.

user1477391263 · 15/11/2023 02:22

Can you stick a DVD or Netflix on, and just work away at the boxes while watching? Something not too demanding, plot wise, might be best!

PivotPivotmakingmargaritas · 15/11/2023 02:41

I moved 3 months ago and I have three boxes to unpack and understand the max rush period has gone and the daily grind of dishes and washing has taken over. However I’m just doing a few things from the boxes each night so that I am actually finding them a proper home not just shoving into storage… too a little at a time or get rid of the kids don’t play with those toys

lavenderdillydilly · 15/11/2023 02:59

We moved in August. We have one room (the office) that has left over boxes but all the other rooms are done and functioning. We also have our first DC who is 7 months. Most of the boxes are miscellaneous and flat pack that DH and I are slowly working through.

Ragwort · 15/11/2023 03:07

If you haven't unpacked 'boxes of toys' within two months then clearly your DC have got far too many toys. Just be ruthless & get rid (toys not the children ...!).
And why prioritise parties & visitors over unpacking?

TheWestIsTheBest · 15/11/2023 03:11

We had most stuff unpacked within a week or two. After that we did a box a night each. There are a couple of boxes of stuff still unpacked in the attic, but that's mostly sentimental old stuff that we don't use. You just need to crack on with it! I can't settle until I'm properly unpacked.

MrsSpoon79 · 15/11/2023 03:53

Well it's taken me 9/10 months. The boxes were emptied after a few weeks but the sorting and putting everything where I want it to be is taking forever.

I have children with additional needs and whilst I haven't been working during that time, I have regular admin and appointments to do for them. Also the emotional load has been high, as is the need to preserve some energy to work the SEN system

Moved to a house nearly double the size but it's taken me ages; to find the energy (was v burnt out) , to declutter, to organise furniture in the right way, buy the right new furniture....

Like others I also used a decluttering lady who helped me for two days. That was great but hard work.

I've just got a few bedroom tidying tasks, clear the landing and sort the filing and layout of the study now. Hoping to be done in 10 days or so....

I will say we had to pack up vv fast when we left our old house and then the majority of our stuff was in storage for 6 months whilst we lived temporarily with family.

I'm amazed at the people who do it in days. Good on you!

Hearmenow23 · 15/11/2023 04:52

I did it all in a few days, but it's because I was that stressed and freaked out that I couldn't sleep and I'd be downstairs at 3am doing the boxes! We did move the week before Xmas so the stress was probably justified!!!

DinosApple · 15/11/2023 06:45

We also moved the week before Christmas, but still have maybe 10 boxes we haven't unpacked yet 3 years down the line. Our loft bears the brunt of them.

Half are full of old business paperwork we need to keep for the tax man, other half probably just a load of old tut. We'll sort it before we have to move again. That one will be a downsize.

Merrow · 15/11/2023 06:47

If it makes you feel better we still have boxes and we moved in two and a half years ago...

CliffsofMohair · 15/11/2023 06:56

It’s the stuff being unloaded to you in dribs and drabs. We had same when we moved from a rental and had stuff in my parent’s home and a storage unit. Every few days a new load of boxes arrived and the whole process started again

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