First time house mover - panic

[Whowahway123]

So I’m moving house on Thursday. And am really stressing. I’m not usually a stress head but this is definitely testing me.

Weirdly, I’ve never moved before.
Childhood home, marriage, now divorce forcing sale (that’s another story 🥺)

So EXH stuff is gone. He only took personal possessions, no household items. I’ve sold off quite a few bits but still have the guts of a 4 bed house to move. Plus one teenager & associated crap!

I have tried to blag access to my new house before completion day because I’m freaking about it all happening on one day, but unfortunately I can’t.

i have a removal company booked for Thursday morning to physically take stuff to new property, literally 2 miles away > 1k 🤯

Tell me it’s going to be ok?!

or tell me what to do to ensure a smooth, as less stressful time as possible as I have never done this before!!

AIBU to be stressing about how much I can pack and before moving day? I feel I’ve just got so much ‘stuff’ out that I can’t pack right now.

please help MNetters - give me your best moving house advice!!

It will be ok...
but, pack everything bar your kettle and bedding now. Do not delay any longer.

Removal people are, in my experience, amazing. They'll help you through.

It will be ok.

Call the movers and ask if they offer a packing service too. If they do, take it. Seriously. Unless you and the teenager are absolutely going to be able to pack everything up before Thursday, just get the packing service. It’s stressful enough as it is.

Yes I second getting the packing service. Money well spent.

I’d would love to have money for packers - the dream! Unfortunately this is just too much out of the budget.

However you did inspire me to get on with it. On to second bathroom cabinet since I posted.

i think it’s just break each area down as opposed to going ‘the whole bedroom’ - yes I know it actually will be the whole bedroom by Thursday but bite size chunks….

You need to just knuckle down and work through it consistently.

I was also going to suggest packing service - it really is brilliant, and done in no time - they have so many boxes!!

But other than that make sure it’s ALL boxed before they arrive. At that point it’s plain sailing, they’ll have it all moved for you.

Number each box, write the destination room on the box and then add them on a spreadsheet - we were so glad we did that when we moved it was so much more organised when we knew that towels were in box 5 for eg.

Oh numbering and spread sheets sounds like an excellent idea I wouldn’t have thought of!

yes, knuckle down, don’t get sidetracked and sentimental 🫣

Separate and keep with you important documents (passports and the like); our NDN fell foul of this though I don’t want to worry you. Throw out now anything you don’t particularly value so there’s less to unpack. Someone I know got rid of a dinner service, spare beds, unwanted clothes in an effort to minimise. I’m sure all will go well, OP.

First job in the new house, get beds ready to sleep in.

big black marker write on every box
essential stuff needed in first few weeks
put in one place
good luck
you can do it , this time next year it will be a distant memory 🙃

Make sure you have 25% more boxes than you thought you would need and a large roll of tough black bin liners. When I moved I was just tossing stuff into them by the end!

You'll have plenty of time to get sidetracked and sentimental when you unpack, for now just make sure everything's boxed, try not to leave anything till the day before or moving day because things always take longer then you think.

I've helped people move 5-6 times now and the worst is when they start bringing handfuls of random shit out that haven't been boxed up, which takes ages to load and unload, or they start faffing around sorting and boxing stuff while you're trying to move stuff out, it makes it take a lot longer, ideally you want to be able to leave the movers to it, while you start going and getting organised at the new house.

Are you going to a same/similar size house? it sometimes helps if you can fill a room or garage up with non urgent stuff (nothing valuable if garage) and slowly bring things into the house/rooms a bit at a time, so it's easier to manage.

As long as you've got your essentials easily identified, or preferably taken with you in your car: bedding, kettle, tea, coffee, sugar, kitchen basics for the first night, phone chargers, changes of clothes, toiletries, towels, washing up liquid/cleaning cloths/tea towels, basic tools for re-assembly of anything that's been put down for transport, snacks and drinks for the day, coolbox/bag as you may not be able to use your fridge straight away, important documents.

As long as you can make food and drinks, get showered and get in bed when you're there most of everything else can wait!

Don't forget to take pictures of your electricity and gas meter readings when you leave and arrive!

Good luck!

How much have you got done? Are you working next week? If you are I'd be twitchy if you are just getting started now.

Do you have any willing friends who would be willing to pitch in for a few hours at the weekend?

Thankfully I don’t work so I can plod away at it.
I have all kitchen stuff packed apart from the every day stuff
wardrobes are all sorted with clothes that we are taking; everything else donated.
ive commandeered a friends garage with all pictures / paintings / ornaments / nick nacks. I’ve just sorted 3 bathrooms out tonight.
a guy is coming tomorrow to take TVs off walls & lampshades down. And another friend coming to help me with taking curtains down.
i need to sort out my food cupboards as I’m sure there is probably some 1995 spam lurking to my shame.
I have set all important documents / passports aside in a lockable file that I will keep with me.
List for in car on moving day up thread is going to be printed out as honestly I probably would have just sent everything in removals van and had no idea where they were.
great tip on getting beds sorted first. There’s nothing as bad as washing the sheets & then realising at bedtime you haven’t made the bed up. Imagine what it would be like realising the bed was lying in a heap needing set up!! Yuk!!
moving from a 6000sq ft house to a 1900sq ft house so will definitely have to find some creative storage ideas.

Just panicking as this is my first ‘big’ thing since my divorce which ExH said I would never be able to do. He tried to blackmail into staying with him because I wouldn’t cope with packing & moving house. I can still hear it ringing in my ears and I’m afraid it’s true. Big girl pants required.

Get a storage locker. Bung all the non essential boxes in there, and bring them home a few at a time. Much easier than tripping over boxes for weeks.

Be ruthless as you unpack. If you don't like it or need it don't find somewhere to store it... just get rid.