To ask for your best moving tips

[DressingGown]

DP had a heart attack last week. He’s out of hospital now, but not to lift anything or leave the house. We move house in 3 weeks. Kids are 6 and 18 months, at school and nursery. I work full time (although not looking a lot like full time recently). I have taken the week of the move off (we move on the Friday). We’re moving across town, not the other side of the world. So far I’ve organised nothing. Still haven’t managed to sort school/ nursery out (although getting there with the new school). I need everyone’s best tips please. People have offered to help. I’m inclined to pay removers to pack. I think it’s mainly the list of admin jobs that I just don’t have time to get to that’s worrying me. I feel a bit overwhelmed and sick. Suspect it’s the stress/ shock of the last week. Am I worrying needlessly?

I would pay someone to do it if I could afford to in these circumstances or get as much volunteer help from friends and family as was offered.
I would pack a "our first night" box which had tea/coffee stuff, toaster (or whatever) change of clothes and personal hygiene things etc. Make sure you know where the TV is (if that's your thing) and somewhere to sit. Also bedding for everyone. Have 24 hours of meals sussed out. Chiller bag for milk. Or whatever "first night" things work for you.
Work around that basic and go easy on yourself. Ask for and accept practical help.

Note down all your utilities and contact numbers so you can notify them one by one. Use your bank statement as a list to remind you who needs notifying.
Pay the removers to pack- it’s one big hassle off your mind.

Wishing your DH a speedy recovery.

Have you got the money to get people to pack for you as well as move you? If so I’d do that; if not definitely get movers. We got a man with a van (2 men actually) for a couple of hundred and even that was much better than doing it ourselves.
I’d also highly recommend cardboard wardrobes; it’s makes it so much easier to move all your hanging items.
Pack your essentials like a mini suitcase of clothes for a couple of nights and a couple of boxes of your essential kitchen and living items into a couple of boxes so that while you’re moving and unpacking you still have access to what you need and aren’t looking for things constantly.
What admin jobs do you mean? Most things like setting up bills etc can wait until after you move and the same with change of address: set up address forwarding for a month then it gives you some breathing space.

I’m sorry to hear about your DH. I agree with the posters above, if you can afford it I would pay for the packers. I say this as someone who has also moved from one side of town to the other. We unpacked ourselves when we got there but having someone pack for us certainly made a huge difference.

Also there are lots of moving check lists that can help identify the admin tasks you need to do before and after moving home. And I also found this site useful www.iammoving.com/

Get a mail redirect set up then you can sort the non essential admin out at your own pace

So sorry that your DP has been poorly, must have been very difficult with such a young family

If you can afford it have the removers pack for you. They will come in and get it done really quick.

Take meter reading and notify utilities.

Take in your car, essentials for the next 48hrs, medication, etc. Also bedding if you have room. Hoover each room as its cleared so don’t let the removal guys take it.

Make beds up before you do anything else, when you are tired, the last thing you want to do is have the bed to make. Your DP May need to rest.

Label all boxes clearly for which rooms.

Can someone have the children for a few hours to help you?

Takeaway dinner.

Good luck OP I hope you move goes well.

I would absolutely pay for packers and then take the Thursday and Friday off and the first 3 days of the next week to unpack.

I moved house earlier this year, three weeks after major abdominal surgery & two weeks after getting out of hospital. I definitely shouldn’t have been doing anything but did which was stupid because then I was messed up for ages afterwards!

So, advice, based on my mistakes:

• definitely pay removers to pack - huge mistake not to have on my part. It takes so much longer than you think. I exhausted myself because my partner was trying to clean out the shed and I ended up packing what was left as I felt so guilty.
• pay someone to come in and clean once it’s being emptied on removals day
• consider paying someone to come in and clean new house as you move in on removals day. Or accept kind offers of help! You never know what state it will be in, unless it’s a new build.
• but snacks and lunches for the day in advance
• get take away menus for that night
• order a food shop to be delivered next morning once your fridge has resettled its gases.
• charge your phones!

Take all stress out of the equation as far as possible - your DH is going to feel guilty, you will feel stressed, so accept help from everyone who offers so he doesn’t end up like me, collapsed in a heap on the floor by 10am! I was out of action for days afterwards. My mum had told me I should spend the day at hers, and I knew I couldn’t do that, I’d feel like I was letting my partner down... I don’t know how your DH would feel? But if he’s had a heart attack, reducing stress on and around the day is obviously key! He could be in charge of paperwork, making phone calls to utilities etc maybe? :)

What sort of admin jobs are we talking? Your solicitors and estate agents should be doing all the boring stuff, all you really need to do admin wise for the day is:

• have a folder with all your important paperwork handy. Passports, drivers’ licenses, car v5c, utilities providers, bank stuff. When you have time after the move, you can start sorting them out, but they’ll be easy to find :)
• keep all moving relevant paperwork from solicitors with that folder, contracts etc - so if any issues, or anything missing when you arrive (eg appliances they said they were leaving, curtains, lightbulbs....) you can deal with them straight away.
• sign up now for mail redirect at post office (can be done online). 3 months is about £60 I think.
• consider phoning utilities now to let them know you’re moving and if you want to carry on with their services, so you can book in any telephone reconnections if necessary. If you don’t want to stay with them, they will advise on what you need to do.
• on the day, remember to take pictures of gas/electricity meters as you leave old house and arrive at new house.

Hope that helps! Any questions from either yours or DH just ask... I am traditionally the organiser of our house so it was really hard for my partner to do everything instead, total role reversal - so I sort of ended up doing both :)

Amazon. Massive laundrette bags. The tartan ones. Buy lots. Big ones. They are fab. Emptied all drawers of clothes in. Cuddlly toys. Toys. Bedding. They were brilliant and no stupid box and tape required. Just tip everything in.

Sorry to hear about DP.

See if someone can look after DC as much as possible to get you through. I know its not that easy to magic someone up.

Can DP do all of the admin whilst resting?

Write on all of the boxes roughly whats inside them.

Maybe set aside 1 day to get it all out & in the new place but dont unpack.

Can you stay at familys house for a couple of nights?

Hope your husband recovers quickly.

I would get the removal company to pack, it makes things so much easier and write down all the admin stuff which has to be done. Perhaps your husband could do some of that?

Do not try to do everything in the first few days of moving.

Pay for packing!
Don't move Friday or Saturday if you can help it.
Get mail re-direction - then you can pick up the people you "forgot to inform of your move.
Get someone to look after you kids on the move.
Get the kids rooms unpacked and sorted first. If DH is still ill, then somewhere for him too.
Work out how much you can fit in the car, and what "essentials" you will take yourself. Good removal men will pack tea, coffee, kettle and mugs in an easily accessible box (to be unloaded first).
If anyone offers to provide food - accept it.
Start eating your way through your freezer.

Paying someone to clean at each end is a great idea.

But next time I move (even if only just across town) if at all possible I will not move out and in on the same day.

Definitely get mail redirection. Worth every penny.

We moved house about a year ago in the midst of chaos (I had just started a new job and a masters 😬). Things we found helpful:

• if you don’t want to pay removers to pack, see if you can get friends/family round to help you & do a bit every day.
• think about what needs setting up first when you move in & prioritise those things eg. Kids need a bed, you and DH need a bed, you may want a sofa or chairs out in the living room & TV plugged in so when you’re shattered you can crash out and watch TV.
• you don’t need to unpack everything straight away, take it slow. I found it helpful to have the kitchen “done” first as it’s quite easy to just shove things in cupboards. We cleaned out all the cupboards first though.
• if you’re moving your fridge, it should be the last thing on the truck and first thing off so it can settle in the new house for a few hours before you plug it in.
• if your clothes are hung up in wardrobes, you can use large bin bags (or dry cleaner bags if you have any) to move them easily. Take a bunch of clothes out of the wardrobe on their hangers (up to 10 items I’d say) & pull the bin bag over them so the bottom of the bag is pierced by the hangers. If they’re t shirts etc you can tie the bottom of the bag around them to keep them safe and clean, if they’re dresses use a second bin bag from the bottom up and tie or tape them together. These will lay flat either in a car or on top of something in the truck. At the other end, take bin bags off and hang them straight up.
• “First night” bags and boxes - overnight bags with clean underwear, change of clothes, pjs, toiletries etc & box with kettle, mugs, tea/coffee, cups & drinks for children. Towels. Perhaps your DH could pop out to get some milk when you get to the new place.
• A tip I read, and eventually did, is put fresh bedding on your bed a couple of days before you move - if you’re like me and LOVE fresh bedding it feels like luxury after all the stress of packing. Have another set of fresh bedding ready to go on to your bed at the other end - so when you finish that first day you get straight into lovely fresh clean bedding.

Above all, take your time. It doesn’t need to be perfect straight away. Get your 6 year old to help unpack toys etc. Can you ask family to have the children the day you move too? That would make it a lot easier!

Good luck :)

Hire a moving company, once you do it you will budget for it every time you move!

Pay for removers to pack for you. Worth every penny

Put a different coloured post it note on each door in the new room and then slap a post it not on the boxes so you know by colour what box is for what room! Use top cashback to change suppliers I just moved they were my two favourite tips

Sorry to hear about your dh. We had a stressful move earlier this year as my fil sadly deteriorated and passed away (100s of miles away) when we were moving. Funeral ended up being 2 days before completion so understandably I did a lot myself. I would second cardboard wardrobes and packers if possible. Also first night bag and a little bag of toys for the kids. We got our 5 year olds rooms packed last sorted first which kept them busy on arrival. Also, I did as many utilities online as possible.The main thing I wanted to say that as stressful as it seems right now it isn't insurmountable. It actually went ok in the end after a lot of stress and 2 months down the line we are all settled . Hugs x

Thank you all so much. I’ve been at work and then getting the kids to bed. Loads of fantastic advice in here, should be easier to make a plan now I know where to start. Got great news this afternoon; got a school place for 6 year old at a school close to where we are moving! DP has been calling removal companies and nurseries when he’s not asleep.

I’m so grateful (again) for all the support on here.

@walnut87 I hope you’re on the mend

If you can afford to pay removers to pack, absolutely do this. It takes SO much of the stress and effort out of moving day. When we moved we literally just left the removal men to it the day before and went out for lunch. Best decision we ever made, honestly.

@DarlingCoffee that website looks amazing! Thank you 🙏