Help me pack our house up whilst not moving..

[fattygettingthin]

So I had emergency surgery last week and I've been told I can't lift anything more than a kettle. I have parents, in laws and DH here to pack the house up. And I'm bumbling around with boxes and a pen.

Please help me work out how to pack the house up in the most efficient way so we don't lose stuff at the other end! What room do we start in? If I can write what goes in what box and what room it needs to go in that will help.

Aibu to not know how to move house 🤦‍♀️

things I learnt;

write on both top and one side of the box, that way you can always see the label.
don't overfill book boxes. Too heavy.
I hope you have loads of packing material!

leave bathroom and kitchen to last. pack a case with clothes for a night or two.

make an 'important stuff' pile; documents, keys, wallets, phones and chargers, medication, kettle, teabags etc, a small set of mugs plates etc, bedding for the first night. Keep all that handy and take it in your car.

And find takeaway places for your new location so you can eat without cooking.

Start a box for all your important documents to go in (birth certs, marriage certs, bank and insurance details, driving licences etc etc) and make sure this box goes into a car and never leaves your sight. next, have a think about the things you will need straight away in the new house - kettle, tea, coffee, gadget chargers, wine, glasses, cups. Keep all of these things in one place and make sure that they don't get packed in a removal van. Make a list of other things that you will need on the first night (bed, TV, nightclothes) and make sure that they go in the van last so that they are first out and can be set up straight away. Keep a bag of basic tools (allen keys, screwdrivers and hammer) which also go with you in the car and don't end up behind a wall of cardboard boxes. Good luck!

Do you have young children? If so, do they have any special things (cuddly toys etc) that they can't live without? If so, these should go in your car with the important documents. We moved when I was four and my favourite teddy went missing and didn't turn up for weeks. Turned out I'd put him in a box with the posh wine glasses my parents never used and forgotten all about it.

Pack the stuff you dont use much 1st , ie stuff that,s in the bottom draw the cupboard that everything falls out of when you open it. use this opportunity to be ruthless and chuck / donate stuff .
Bedding winter clothes etc.
Vacuum pack bags are a god send with bulky soft stuff .

Dont overload boxes , if you are moveing to / from a house with a drive or restricted parking consider hiring a porters trolley , it will save your back and legs.

Put the things you will need close to hand in one box ( photo copy all important paper work )
Kettle tea coffee soft drinks a quick easy snack ( pot noodles are good for this ) one or two teaspoons a fork each kitchen roll etc .

I find colour coded stickers better than writing on the box , its quicker to attach than writing . pot stickers on the top and at least one side of the box and make sure they go into the truck with sticker facing you so as soon as you open the back you can see exacty where they should go .
If anyone is helping with this make sure the have a key / reference of the colours , tyr to make them logical colours too ,

IE Blue stickers for boys bed room
pink for girls ,
green for kitchen
if you can match the colour to the room they cam out of so if your living room is yellow then use yellow sticker .

Dont for get to let gas/ elecy / phone / water/ tv licence / sky / insurance / etc know that you are moving .

If the DC are old enough to help give them some things to pack /unpack or ship them of to a friend / family member .
Dont bother trying to cook a evening meal use the local takeaway , less stressful and no pots to wash after .

It will be hard work so pace yourself don't expect to much of yourself and others.
Good Luck

specialsubject
we cross posted , great minds think alike

Pack up ornamental things, "good" china and glass, winter clothes, Christmas decorations, entertainment collections (books, CDs, DVDs, less used gaming systems etc) early on. Keep things in more daily use until later in the process.

LABEL boxes, as someone said, TOP and at LEAST 1 side (I generally aim for 2 if possible). A room (for destination in new house) and an idea of contents (single word).

At the top of each box, just before you close the lid, put in a list of everything in that box. It means, when you are opening boxes again for "the corkscrew" or "my favourite turquoise jumper", you can see if it's in that box without taking everything out. But if you DO take something out, cross it off the list!

If possible, especially if you are relegated to no lifting, do that list twice and keep a copy in a folder to refer to, and number each list to a box number.

Thick black markers are your friend!! Buy at least 4!! To label, and also to indicate which way up if necessary on some boxes.
Buy at least 2 RED markers as well, to mark any FRAGILE boxes (and ONLY use those on Fragile).

Buy a tape dispenser and a few rolls of brown packing tape. Let no one have it except the person doing the master lists and sealing the boxes.

Box for first opening in new house:
Kettle, mugs, teabags, jar coffee, sugar, 2 packets of biscuits, roll of bin liners, couple of glasses (for water etc), plates and cutlery for 1st night's takeaway dinner, (corkscrew/bottle opener?, tin opener?) packet of Jcloths or similar, scouring pad, cleaning materials (windowlene, spray for cleaning surfaces, spray for bathrooms, bleach, washing up liquid etc), couple of pairs of rubber gloves, roll of kitchen towel, at least 2 toilet rolls, hand towel each for kitchen and any bathrooms, couple of tea towels. Possibly some plastic glasses and cutlery, paper plates etc if it makes it easier on night 1.
Also the tools someone mentioned above should be easily accessible.

Methodically work through rooms, starting with least used. Go through cupboards, and be ruthless on throwing out or going to charity shop as you pack, not afterwards.

Bags for dumping go straight away to bin or organize in shed for a dump run.
Bags for charity shop should be taken regularly and not allowed to build up (they will only take so much in a drop anyway) - so every day or 2 send someone off to deliver those.

These are brilliant thank you! Is it possible to have too many boxes? I feel like our house is overrun with the bloody things!

To be honest I would get my/kids crucial stuff and then get out and leave the husband to organise, less frustrating for everyone?

My DM is moving this week and we are getting packers in, couldn't face doing it ourselves!!

Everything everyone else has said plus the following

If you're not moving far hire or borrow hanging rails for clothes from wardrobes, literally just lift out and hang on the rail, put in the back of van and back into wardrobe when at new house. Also, remove draws from chests with all clothing intact and then put straight back into the chests in the van for actual removal.

See if you can get hold of some bread trays for moving day, empty everyday crockery into the tray (they have flip over bits so they can be easily stacked without damaging stuff in the tray, they unload straight back out into new kitchen. Saves wrapping up all the crockery etc.

My mums top tip (we moved loads) on moving day fold duvet and pillows from each bed and tie up with the sheet. Shove them in labeled bin bags. When you get to the other end get beds reassembled first and then the bed can be remade really quickly.

Kids can help with loads too. Get them to pack their own toys (you can supervise) and give them individual stickers to identify their own boxes.

If you are moving over a weekend and the kids are in school (and not moving far) send your washing to either a family member who will do it for you or a launderette so that you have clean uniforms work clothes etc ready for the new week.