To think 2 weeks is loads of time to pack?

[BumpyGrindy]

Am I? DH is having a freak out. We;re moving in two weeks....I've sorted out the office and toys....gone through a lot of books but nothing is packed...

[BumpyGrindy]

Creamy Oh I'm sure they DO make it easier....it's a "Shame" not everyone has a spare 300 quid floating about!

[Alliwantisaroomsomewhere]

It will take longer than you think, so start before you reckon you need to.

[GingerMaman]

Two weeks should be enough.

[DomesticDisgrace]

Loooads of time!

[silverstreak]

Am in the same situation - moving 2 wks tomorrow and OH has already started mildly panicking and trying to chivvy me along (he works full time, I'm a sahm with a 1yr old) but I'm totally chilled about it..... Last time we moved I think it took about 2 days to pack, plus about a day & a half cleaning (but with loads of coffee breaks!) And although I'm thinking we should possibly double it now to account for time allowed to entertain wee one between boxes, this still means that in my mind you're totally cool, provided nothing else is going on in between times! That said, today I have started to slowly slowly sort stuff, specifically stuff to chuck (& in being a tad ruthless this time), but ties is more to do with it being bin day tomorrow than anything else! :) good luck, you'll be coooool!

[wobblyweebles]

I had packers come in and pack when we emigrated. It was fantastic. They allowed two days for the process.

I had spent the previous few weeks selling a lot of stuff, giving away a load more, and I hired a skip for all the rubbish afterwards.

[Creamycoolerwithcream]

It's a shame you don't want packers as they make the whole process so much easier. Last summer I moved from a five bedroom house that i had lived in for 12 years and packers came the afternoon before and packed the whole house in 2 and a half hours for 250. I was absolutely amazed. We kept a suitcase for personal stuff but to be honest we didn't even need to do that.

[NearTheWindymill]

We moved in November after 21 years in the same house.

It took me three weeks to sort out and clear out and I didn't finish. The movers packed in a day but had only to move about half the stuff to the new house. It would not have been possible if the old house had been changing hands at the same time.

Once we were settled in I made several more trips to the dump and had the rest either put into storage or cleared.

Biggish house and a lot of clutter admittedly.

When we did our last but one house to the last house there wasn't much clutter, there were no children (2.5 bedrooms), and I reckon the clearing took two weeks; the packers took about 6-7 hours into two small vans and we moved into the new house the following day. When we left after 21 years I still had two unpacked boxes from the last time

[uselessidiot]

Depends on how much stuff you have, how organised you are already and more importantly how many hours you need to work over the same two weeks. We moved in less than 2 weeks, were told on Wednesday and gad to be out a week on the Friday. The exhaustion I felt was awful.

[cardamomginger]

I also packed all my own underwear. And was VERY glad I did when I saw that the packers were all young men .

[cardamomginger]

Depends. How much stuff, how organised it all is, how much sorting you need to do, how many hours you can devote to it per day, and how much space you have in which to pack and in which to store the packed boxes.

We've just moved and used packers - we were moving from an extremely cramped and very small flat and there was absolutely nowhere where I could have stored packed boxes. My preference would be not to use packers in the future. Some stuff was packed very nicely. Some stuff was just shoved into boxes with no care or thought at all. Anything that you really care about, pack yourself.

Don't underestimate how long it can take. Start as early as you can!

[BumpyGrindy]

We're not in the market for packers! NO way would I or DH pay someone 300 to go through our stuff! They'd bloody refuse anyway...it's a mess!

[SometimesLonely]

We had to empty my mother's house. We hadn't the time or physical ability to do it ourselves so got Pickfords a removal company to pack it all and deliver it to her sheltered accommodation. You don't have to do it yourself. We sorted stuff into 'rooms' and it worked out splendidly.

I now need new carpet in my own house throughout. I'm daunted by the thought of doing it all because there is sooo much here and have decided that, if I do do it, Pickfords a removal company will store all the furniture and small items and bring it all back a week later. The most daunting thing will be to put all the small things back where they were before...

The trouble is that the longer you have had things, the harder it is to get rid of them. I want to keep everything I have - but at least I'm not moving house. I wish BumpyGrindy the best of luck with her move and future happiness.

[hifi]

having just moved my motto is "you can never start packing too early". get packers if you can.

[dammitsue]

I started sorting and packing as soon as our offer was accepted. I gradually reduced our stuff, dumping/selling/giving away and packed up all non essential stuff. We were on just a mattress and eating take outs by the last day. This was pre DC though.

[creamteas]

If just packing (as opposed to sorting) most houses can be done in a day.

I usually start sorting 2/3 weeks earlier, but the actual packing comes much later.

[DrCoconut]

Would take us that long to dig our way through the contents of the attic

[MuttonCadet]

The one time we did move ourselves I packed a kettle full of water, so for us it definitely makes sense to pay someone else to do it.

Now if only we'd paid for the unpacking at this end we wouldn't still have things in boxes almost a year down the line.

[HauntedNoddyCar]

Yy to packers. Totally worth it. You can live normally until they start. They have the right materials and plenty of boxes and insurance.

[dancingnancy]

We don't pack. Last time we moved we went for lunch in the country and rocked up at the new house as the truck arrived to unload. Thank god for professional packing services!

[SirChenjin]

2 weeks would be nowhere near enough here, but we both work and have accumulated loads of 'stuff' as a family of 5.

Get in the packers - best £300 we ever spent.

[GreenLandsOfHome]

I'd probably start a couple of weeks before, decluttering. Go through all wardrobes/drawers/cupboard/attic and bin the junk, get rid of old clothes and have a sort out.

Actual packing though...if your house is organised, I can't imagine it would take more than a couple of days.

[BumpyGrindy]

We have a lot of "stuff" but not a lot of furniture. I can have a room a day done I reckon...and then leave out the essentials. I am packing books now....I've chucked loads for charity...I am still chilled.