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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to think paying for packing service when moving is ok

136 replies

Funnyhoney · 10/09/2018 15:01

I am moving soon so getting quotes for removals. I asked for quotes and the packing service is around £200 extra (and an extra half day). Thinking this is the way forward I told DH who thought it s waste of money.
He asked his mum and brother who we saw on Saturday. They recoiled in horror, his mum open mouthed that we would even think of having this service. I couldn't quite believe this as I thought it was a no brainer and so much easier than doing it ourselves. DH even suggested moving furniture himself to which I replied I wouldn't help him and he'd have to ask his family to help him if that's what he wanted to do.
AIBU to think paying for packing is a great idea? Thoughts please as I am just shocked at negative reaction to what I thought was a very reasonable idea.

OP posts:
happymummy12345 · 10/09/2018 16:14

I would never want anyone else packing our stuff so I wouldn't ever do it.

sdaisy26 · 10/09/2018 16:15

Definitely definitely get the packers.

Ours were amazing when we moved last year. It would have taken weeks for me to do it & they took a day & then the morning of moving day.

Plus those saying things won’t be as organised as if you do it yourself - I actually think mine were better. Eg they labelled the fact that the landing box had the nightlight in too - they really thought about the things we would need that first day / night & made it easy to find.

As to how they know where to pack stuff, we talked it through before hand & I gave them labelled floor plans so they could compare. And they asked as they went (mainly when unloading in to new house).

xyzandabc · 10/09/2018 16:16

Honestly best money spent in the whole of the moving process. We've paid for packers the last 2 house moves and I would never ever consider packing ourselves again.

They just come in like a swarm of locusts and pack everything, yes everything. The'll pack the dirty tissue on the bedside table, they'll pack the small collection of rusty paperclips on the windowsill you've been meaning to chuck for ages. They literally pack everything. FAST.

They label the boxes by what room they came from and rough contents. We had one labelled 'party box - Alcohol and popcorn!
They are also very good at balancing boxes so they won't fill a whole box with books as it would be far to heavy. They'll pad it out with somethings else. As all their boxes will be the same size, it makes packing their lorry far far easier as well.

Means on moving day you can just do last minute cleaning then be out and when you get to the new house you still have some energy to start unpacking.

Instead of spending your evenings for 2 week packing a box at a time, spend that time getting rid of stuff you don't want to take with you. Otherwise you'll find it in a box!

InsuranceGirl · 10/09/2018 16:17

We did it for the last house move and it was well worth it.

I did pack personal things myself beforehand and a box was filled with very personal items but I hadn't sealed the box, unlike the others. They repacked it a lot better than me but wow I was embarrassed they saw those items.

I got them all a small bottle of whiskey and a box of chocolates each as a thank you - not just for not mentioning what they saw but the old owners took an extra 6 hours to leave (they had friends helping them move and pack and didn't have a clue) but our movers stayed and got all the furniture rebuilt (was an additional charge for them to dismantle and rebuild but we felt it was worth it too) and got the previous owners stuff out and on the drive.

BiddyPop · 10/09/2018 16:19

We moved once and packed ourselves. Pre-DC, still smashed broke and relatively newly married, and had both time to do it over a few weeks and space to put already packed boxes out of the way.

Also, in that first house, we tiled walls and floors ourselves, set out the garden from bare earth, painted all walls, and did all sorts of work to make it both habitable (from bare walls new build) and cosy.

Nowadays, we have 1 DC but with HF SNs, far busier jobs, and a far more cluttered house (almost 20 years of conjoined lives built up). We no longer do many of those larger DIY jobs ourselves either - we have been getting painters in every few years, and getting builders to do the extension projects without leaving us elements to do ourselves.

And other than our own experience, I have helped to move my DUncle on a good few occasions. He is forced to DIY the move (diocese won't pay for packers, only just about pays for movers and lots is moved by extended family in cars). And he does a LOT of pre-packing and organizing as well each time, every few years, and knowing in advance that it will happen so he tends to keep decluttering over time too. The only time he could get movers was when he was sent overseas - as it had to be container packed.

It really does make so much difference to get the movers to pack as well, if you can afford it. Especially if there are any small DCs to work around.

And if DH doesn't want to spend that money, then you can be in charge of keeping the DCs out of the way while he and his family get stuck in (and don't break anything precious, and don't forget anything important to you either!).

Brakebackcyclebot · 10/09/2018 16:19

Definitely worth it. You don't need to do anything, they turn up, pack, move you and you unpack. 100% worth every penny.

Oliack1417 · 10/09/2018 16:21

We did it for our last move - it was amazing. It took one guy half a day to pack everything up?! It would have taken me a week! It's worth every penny and takes a huge amount of stress out of the move.

TheHollowLeggedGoat · 10/09/2018 16:21

Sounds an absolute bargain to me. Would you not spend that much on packing materials anyway?

supersop60 · 10/09/2018 16:22

I wish we'd paid for packers. It was tedious and slow going.

onewayoflife · 10/09/2018 16:23

Is it really only £200 extra? Definitely go for it. We were talking about this recently and thought it would cost about £1k extra and still have agreed we would definitely pay for it. Quite pleased it won't be that much!

SunnyCoco · 10/09/2018 16:30

Best money I’ve ever spent!

StaySafe · 10/09/2018 16:31

WE did it once, well worth the extra. We spent that morning having coffee with our neighbour while they got on with the packing. No stress at all.

9GreenBottles · 10/09/2018 16:34

Once had it done when we had all relocation expenses covered and it was a doddle. If I'd known how little it cost when I moved last time, I'd have paid for it.

LyndorCake · 10/09/2018 16:37

Have literally never paid for for packing or moving service in my life. I'm way too tight fisted for that.

buttermilkwaffles · 10/09/2018 16:39

Would not have worked for me as I needed to do a major declutter and pack to put stuff into storage. So it was only really me who could decide what to pack and what to put into the sell/donate/bin pile and I might as well pack while doing that.

But if you don't need to do that then it's a no brainer - I would happily pay money to avoid doing that awful job again. Although I know from family who have used packers that sometimes the box labelling leaves a lot to be desired (a whole load of boxes simply marked kitchen or bedroom 1 with no description of the actual contents is not very helpful when it comes to unpacking) - so maybe ensure that that aspect is done properly.

PuntCuffin · 10/09/2018 16:39

As someone else said, we spent that amount on packing materials alone last time we moved.

And then they stuck labels on every box saying 'owner packed' so that if anything broke inside, their insurance wasn't liable.

Never again.

Jackiebrambles · 10/09/2018 16:40

Omg it’s the best money I ever spent when I moved. The best. Id never pack myself again when moving.

Florianna · 10/09/2018 16:42

Oh my goodness, YANBU! In the grand scheme of all the costs associated with moving, £200 is a drop in the ocean.

We moved this year, and the packing service was amazing - I could have spent a month gradually packing after work, and instead it was all completed the day before the move.

If the family try to pressure you into doing it yourself, say that THEY can do it whilst you have a lovely day at a spa!

VeryBerrySeptember · 10/09/2018 16:42

It's worth it imo.

CuntyMcFuckerson · 10/09/2018 16:43

Though a pro of packing yourself is the major clear out you do so you don't pack unnecessary stuff. I know you could clear out anyway but I bet a lot don't. I was pretty strict so only moved with what I really needed or really wanted. So no unpacking stuff you really didn't need to bring with you.

I hate unpacking so much they should have that as a service! A wee map to show you where all your stuff is when they've finished. Grin

Ignoramusgiganticus · 10/09/2018 16:43

I'd never even think about moving without this. It was so fantastic.

OftenHangry · 10/09/2018 16:47

YANBU.
I wish I had done that last time we moved. It would save so many arguments and a box of sheetsand clother hangers, which hasn't been seen since...

haggisaggis · 10/09/2018 16:48

They pack EVERYTHING - dh had swept the garage floor and put the sweepings in a plastic bucket. That got packed. AS did the empty pickle jars he left at the side of the sink (hey were lovingly wrapped in many layers of paper). But it is worth it. Just make sure you keep hold of the bedding to go onto the beds and stuff like the kettle, paperwork etc.

MoominMamaBear · 10/09/2018 16:52

When we moved house, my DH insisted that he would rent a van and do it all himself with some mates.
NEVER. AGAIN.
DS1 was 3 months old at the time, bfed, and had silent reflux. And I was in the throes of PND and major anxiety. DH used to come home from work and ask why I hadn’t got much packing done. Probably because I was feeding a screaming infant whilst googling divorce lawyers...

Rebecca36 · 10/09/2018 16:53

You're not unreasonable at all. The £200 will be well spent, your things will be packed up better and safer than if you did it and your time is freed. You'll have enough to do without worrying about your bits and pieces arriving in one piece.

What on earth is your man doing telling his mum about it? It's your business, not hers - and I'm not being nasty about his mum, I'd say the same if it was your mum or anyone else. My mum and in laws would probably have thought it was a waste of money and said I was lazy. OK for them, they never moved house.