Organising for a house move-any tips

[Ekkwhine]

So, after my post on another board on whether to move or not we've decided to go ahead, and are just waiting on the tenancy agreement and a date
The current tenants move out this weekend and depending on any work needing doing we could be moving shortly, a maximum of 4-6 weeks, which is the absolute worst case scenario. We have to give four weeks notice on this place, but will be starting the tenancy on the new house so will have a four week cross over period which will be a massive help as the house is only a few minutes drive away.

I'm planning to pack and label the things that are unlikely to be used/needed in that time, bread maker, iron (lol) Tupperware etc, and have a massive declutter in the process. Would it be unreasonable to leave the dc a few items of clothing out and pack the rest up? I was thinking if I left them a few mix & match items, plus a dress/smart shirt (on the off chance they get invited to a party in this time frame) and school uniform, plus undies then not only would everything be packed ready but it would cut down on a laundry pile accumulating. Or is that terribly mean? They're only little, 6,3 and a few weeks, so hardly fashion conscious, ds3 would be naked 24/7if possible lol!
I'm toying with the idea of ornaments etc, but the thought of bare bookshelves makes me feel twitchy lol.
Ideas?

It's a good time to declutter and get rid of stuff you no longer need/want/like or are broken to the dump/charity shop/ebay or car boot sale. You can then use the cash to buy new stuff for your new home and the capsule wardrobe idea for the kids is good. The more you can pack away or declutter now will save a lot of stress later.

Thankyou, that's what I'm thinking, though I've been putting it off all morning as the idea of bare shelves fills me with dread lol!
I just have to keep reminding myself of the last time I moved, and the massive panic towards the end that led to boxes of all sorts of random crap, so I essentially moved half of my clutter with me! I only had one child then, I have three now, so at least three times the crap, though I suspect more!

Go for it. And if possible, get removals people to do the packing - best £200 I have ever ever spent. Decluttering might even get you a cheaper quote from them too.

Bare shelves good, cluttered shelves bad

Thanks
I can't afford packers, my budget won't stretch to it, there's not enough flexibility to juggle either unfortunately.
The clothes are the main issue I think, they have far too many each, I'm thinking be ruthless, I think I could cull about 1/3 altogether and then pack, leaving approx a weeks worth for each, of good mix and match items. This would theoretically reduce laundry too as there wouldn't be ten outfits pulled out and chucked on the floor to find a top.

You have a great time line to do this in an orderly and stress free fashion. I have moved numerous times including abroad and back again with 3 children.
First tip, declutter as you go.
Second: buy/use a notebook for the sole purpose of moving. In it, write a list of what you are packing into each box. Depending on the amount of stuff you have in each category, and how organised you are currently, this can be detailed or not. Eg if all your paperwork is in order you could title it as 'filing cabinet' or p60s, car paperwork, photos etc. Give each box a page/list of its own and it's own number. Write the number on the box and a general title if appropriate. Eg rarely used kitchen stuff. Write it in the same place on all the boxes, once on the top and once on the side. In big letters, write which room it is to go in on move day. Then your helpers can put it in the appropriate room, stacked nicely with the numbered side facing, rather than you trekking up to a bedroom looking for a kitchen box. This means that when you are looking for a specific thing, you can just look in your notebook, and know exactly which box it is in.

Another use for your notebook, is to record all your utilities details. Write account number, their phone number etc. Record details of calls to them about the move. When the inevitable hitch happens you can look to see, 'I def spoke to James on the 18th and he told me...'

The other big thing that helped me when I moved was the following. One box for all the fittings. As you take each thing down/apart, put the screws etc into a sealable/knot able sandwich bag. Write what it is for on the bag or on a sticker to put on the bag. Keep all the bags together in a box. When it comes to building your bed on that first weary night, you will know exactly where they are, and if ultra organised the right tool will be in it too.

Kids will manage fine with a small proportion of clothes books and toys in this timescale. It will be like new stuff to them when you unpack.

Unpack as methodically as you pack. If you open numerous boxes to get one thingout oif each, they will all end up in a jumble and your efforts will be wasted. I moved at 36 weeks, woke up the next morning with a nesting attack and had unpacked a 3 bed house by the end of the day. I put the success of that down to my packing method.
Good luck with it all, exciting times ahead!

Fair enough. My kids (both school age) have fairly minimal clothes anyway. At this time of year I'd include shorts and trousers, a couple of jumpers, and sunhats.

One thing that helped us was moving everything into the room it would be going to in the new house, IYSWIM. So no moving stuff about when unpacking, it was all in the right place.

Drawers don't always need to be emptied. Those small enough to be carried easily when full (navigating stairs etc) can be taken down one by one and reassembled in the chest in the van. And much as we have moved successfully with bin bags and laundry baskets in lieu of boxes, the removers' method of using than taping boxes for everything is great. It means they stack easily, in any order, and does limit the faff.

Yes write on the front of the box which room it belongs in so it can be dumped there as soon as you arrive.

Pack and label a snack box with a kettle, tea bags, coffee, mount milk, biscuits and mugs. This was an absolute life saver when we moved, we didn't have to go root through hundreds of boxes trying to find the tea bags like previously when dh helpfully packed the kettle & base into separate boxes....

Pack another box with scissors, sellotape, markers, screwdrivers, spare bin bags, light bulbs, loo paper etc.

I have just booked a table at my local baby market and going through drawers of small clothes to sell. We are planning to sell next year but have started the redecorating & decluttering process now.
See if there is one near you as you will only be paying to move the old stuff with you so you might as well sell it off.

www.babyandchildrensmarket.co.uk/

Mount milk?!! UHT milk!