How do you move house?? Logistically!? Moving on the 29th and not ready, please help!

[WellErrr]

I’ve never moved a whole house before, only into/out of house shares etc. Then 16 years ago moved in with my husband and now we are moving. Or rather I am, he is out of the country working (my choice to do it now and on my own. Seemed like a good idea at the time!).

I started sorting and de-cluttering 6 weeks ago when I had ‘loads of time.’

I have sorted lots of things. I have packed what I thought was lots of things. I am now wandering the house in an increasing frenzy doing lots and not doing anything.

I’m working today, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, can’t get out of it. I have movers coming 28th so I have 4(!?) days left. The movers are only taking the bulky stuff though as it was over £4k for the full move due to the distance, so my uncle is coming with his lorry on the 27th morning. So really I have two days! And 3 kids 🙈

What do I do?? How do I do this methodically?? I need a plan! Experienced movers, please help!

I would scrimp and save and pay packers to do it. It's just too much to do it on your own with children. Is your DH not home at all? Do you have relatives who can help?

It’s too late to pay packers now, they don’t have the capacity.

No help at all, that’s why I’m moving, to be nearer family and friends. Plenty help the other side, plenty help after the 28th when it’s sadly too late - everyone too busy with Christmas this week, I’m hours away from them. Selfish gits 🤣

^thats manic laughter.

Pack up each room. Label each box with what room its for and category eg plates.
Only leave out a few things you will need. Make christmas more of a picnic occasion. Don't try to cook a proper meal.
Leave two boxes out for last minute things you pack the evening before and morning of the 28th. Get kids to help if they are old enough

Have you got a vehicle for your move? Have you got big furniture items?

I don't see how you can do it completely alone if you have beds and other big things that you are taking.

The movers are taking the big stuff. I have my uncles lorry parked outside and am gradually filling it but I keep thinking ‘oh I can’t pack that we might need it’ which I think is where I’m going wrong.

If it is definitely too late to pay packers you just need to get a load is boxes and keep filling them until there is nothing left. From the sounds of it you could use some help, please ask friends - I would help a friend in this situation!

I moved last year with 2 children under 5. We had over 100 boxes and took me 2 days. Start upstairs and make your way down stairs. Do the kitchen last. If you have a garage with lots of tools like my idiot husband then pack that up now and not on the day like we did.

You won't need most stuff. Live like you're on holiday for a week.

Do you have boxes? If not first job is to go around all the supermarkets and ask them for boxes this morning. Buy a stack of newspapers to wrap things. I'm pretty sure argos sell bubble wrap, parcel tape and packing boxes too. Get some heavy duty bin liners too. Then pack some suitcases with clothes, toiletries and Christmas presents and any other bits you will need over the next few days. Then do the same for food, kettle etc.

Then just get packing.

At this stage don't mess about trying to sort it all into organised boxes. When you get to the new place nothing will go in quite the same places anyway.

Fill half the box with heavier items e.g. books then top up with lighter items. Just do each room systematically.

Clothes into bin liners but stick a massive label on the outside (A 4 paper and packing) tape to say "Clothes to keep"

Just be fast and not give a crap about what is going in each box beyond no breakables at the bottom. This is how packers do it.

I also keep thinking ‘oh I will find someone who could use those’ when actually I need to just throw it away. I had a basket full of white school polo shirts I’ve been meaning to wash and iron to give away, but I’ve just thrown them on the fire. Who wants old faded white polo shirts!? And I don’t have time!

Yep I would start your thinking the other way round and pack a few things you definitely need (loo roll... A few outfits) as if you were going to stay in a Premier Inn or small room. Just a few things literally.

Then pack everything else.

You can't "I might need that". It's only a few days you will cope without it!

Whose looking after the kids while you are working? How are you "doing" Xmas and how old are they. This is obviously the tricky bit in the plan!

Get boxes and wardrobe boxes off Amazon or I think those tool stores sell them too, or sturdy bin bags and chuck it all in. Pack yourself a bag for a few days like you would going away and live in those clothes for now.

OK so it’s in and out on the same day? No access to either property before or after moving day?
How old are the children?
How many rooms to pack? Garden? Garage?
First make sure you have enough boxes. Spend money on them if you have to. Order some from Amazon. Make sure you have a big black marker pen. Label one as your moving day box for kettle, mugs, tea and coffee. Toothbrushes etc.
Dont buy any food now. Run down your cupboards and empty the fridge and freezer. Go out for Christmas lunch if you can. Eat takeaway or sandwiches. (Assume this Christmas is a write off!)
Are the removal men disassembling and reassembling the furniture? If not take your beds apart. Sleep on mattresses.
Use those checked giant bags or IKEA bags for clothes.
Is there a local teen who can come and be a gopher on the day for £100? Or help with childcare?
If it’s a long journey do you have transport? Will you stay behind to clean and collect last bits then follow by car? If it’s a rental have you booked a clean?

Just be fast and not give a crap about what is going in each box beyond no breakables at the bottom. This is how packers do it.

Exactly this. When we moved (nearly 30 years ago) this is how the packers worked. I was faffing about thinking 'Oh that's where that was, I wonder how it got there. Maybe it was when I did such and such ... Do we really need it? I think it's too good to throw away. Somebody might find a use for it. Have I got time to go the charity shop now? I don't really. Maybe I should just pack it anyway and sort it out at the other end ...' on repeat. There isn't time for that unless you start months in advance. Pack, pack, pack. Sort out at the other end where you have willing helpers from the sound of it and you can take your time.

As long as you have enough boxes it’s doable although if you have a friend/family member or two who is organised or can take care of the kids for a couple of hours that would help. If the kids can be helpful then make a game of it, or give them some game/tv time.
Mark all boxes by the room they belong in and have a list ready for the movers. Use masking tape to label rooms in new house on the day so the movers can see where they need to put the boxes. Soft stuff can go in big sturdy bin bags.
Don’t empty the fridge, just make sure everything in it is stable and sealed, you can tape lids shut, it can be unplugged at the last minute. Same with chests of drawers, just tape a bag over the top of each drawer. Movers should have hanging racks so put the clothes hangers the same way round and cover sections of clothes with a bin bag (like dry cleaning).
Pick a ‘last to go’ bedroom. Take out all the clothes that you all need until the day after the move and put them in a suitcase in that room. Box up and label everything that needs to be accessed in the first few days and mark it as such- FIRST WEEK or IT CAN WAIT. Good luck!

Have you arranged for cleaners to come in after you move out - you don't want to leave a mess for the people moving in...

As you close each box, write the contents and which room it goes into on the box. It saves so much time at the other end being able to put boxes straight into the correct room and it only takes a few seconds to do.

Having moved house a few years ago, I don't see how this possible on your own and in this timeframe. What are the kids doing on
Christmas Day if you're working? When are you planning on having your Christmas, or are you planning to postpone it? Interested to know what job your DH does that has him working away over Christmas?

No way would I have agreed to go taking this on myself during Christmas week unless I had a really foolproof plan.

Sorry, it's not what you want to hear, but I think you need to start thinking of a plan B

How old are the kids? Could they each pack a suitcase/holdall of what they need for the next week e.g. clothes, toys, electronics. Then just pack the rest. Anything not in the cases you do without, like you would on holiday. Do similar in the kitchen - 1 pan, 4 bowls, 4 sets of cutlery etc. Then eat all your meals with that, and keep them simple again like you are camping/staying in a caravan.

Pack each room in turn, pack everything - toys, clothes, books etc with a suitcase/bag for things you and the kids will need over the next couple of days - basically do an overnight bag each. Keep the boxes piled in the room they belong to, label them with that room. Once the room is packed, hoover and clear, then close the door. When you’ve finished one room move on to the next. If possible have everyone camp in one room for a night or two so you just have one final room to sort out on the day.

In the kitchen keep out kettle, and absolute essentials eg coffee cups, toaster and crockery for meals (though honestly I’d use paper plates for a couple of days). Pack food cupboards eg tins, spices, long life stuff. Keep fresh stuff all in one place so it’s easily put in a couple of bags on the moving day. The over the door shoe rack type things are excellent for packing toiletries, a bottle of shampoo or whatever in each shoe hole, roll up and tape together. Also good for small kitchen things graters, hand whisk etc.

Keep Christmas super low key - maybe celebrate on New Year’s Day instead when your move is done.

As you’re packing have another “do I need this” think and declutter again - box for charity shop/recycling.

I’m a total 11th hour nightmare with things like this so am a dab hand at powering through as efficiently as possible, cos I have no time to do otherwise.

THANK YOU SO MUCH 💐

Mumsnet is amazing 🥲

Everything except what you’d take on holiday for a week in boxes/carrier bags/bin liners. Leave bedding/towels and a suitcase worth of clothes out to pack (into the suitcase) on the last day. Have Christmas stuff boxes ready and pack all Christmas stuff away on evening of 26th. Shopping bags ready to take any food you must take with you. Otherwise everything else goes in the bin if you haven’t packed it already. Fill the lorry before moving day so all you have left is food and suitcases in the house (plus anything the movers are taking).

I’m 44 years old and have never used movers in my life. Dh and I (with help of strong friend) have always done it all ourselves with just a van. 4 full house moves with dc. I’m cheap. 😂

The key is you have to basically live like you’re on holiday living from a suitcase, not doing much cooking for the last week so that everything is ready to go.

OK. You are moving in a week.
You frequently pack for a week away, so pack for that "holiday" now. Make sure you also add enough plates, cutlery, cups (hint: no more than 2 each), pans etc. And every piece of paperwork or ID you might need.

Then everything else can get put in the van. Do you have enough boxes? Just shove it all in, and write what room it's come from (so "my clothes", "kids shoes", "living room decor")

Agree with pp. stop overthinking everything. First thing this morning put to one side the bare minimum you need to live for the next week, clothes tea coffee, food hygiene.

Then literally have a pile of boxes and a pile of bin bags and go through the house like a frenzied mad woman. If you’re not considering every item you’ll have it done in no time.

Plenty of time to sort at the other end.

I have just completed (yet another) international move on my own while working almost non-stop for the 3 weeks running up to the move out date - I had also planned to get it all done when I had “lots of time” but alas, that didn’t happen.

Obviously it was less stuff than the house contents of 5 people, but the key really is decluttering. Be ruthless. Whatever can’t be thrown in the bin, place in large bin bags and take to the skip on the 26th evening / 27th. I had slowly donated some stuff but just on my last day I somehow produced 8 medium bin bags full of crap headed for the bin. (In all fairness I only ever do this when moving!)

Take one hour today to make everyone a “holiday” suitcase, out of which you will live between now and moving day. Again, be ruthless. You only need clean clothes, toiletries, perhaps some favourite toys for the kids, chargers and devices, things like hairdryers, toilet paper can also be left out.

Pack everything that isn’t those 5/7 clean outfits, main bathroom and kitchen. Tell kids they don’t have unlimited access to toys and books between now and the move, that’s just how things are this week.

Line up suitcases in the hallway and put everything in the rooms in boxes. Room by room, don’t be tempted to reassign contents or think “now would be a good time to also pack Charlie’s books as I’ve just finished Lucy’s so I know all books are done”. Nope, go geographically. Carrier bags are also good if you want things to feel less “finally” packed than in boxes - you’re using a van so it doesn’t matter how the smaller things are packed as long as they can be thrown in.

Do the kitchen second-to-last. Throw out all very-out of date canned food (ask me how I know), throw out all those little glass jars you’ve been keeping for the kids’ arts and crafts projects.

Bathroom is done last as you’ll need to use the loo and wash hands at the end of the move, so leave one or two hand towels out along with soap and cleaning products (+ the hoover and mop).

You can do this OP, but be very strict and get the kids involved in packing their own boxes if they’re old enough.