How in earth do I pack up my house?!

[greyslab]

We are moving home in 4 weeks time. We have a very large house at present and are somewhat downsizing.

We don't have a lot of 'stuff' in the house (our garage is another story with my husbands stuff).

I'm stressing beyond belief at the thought of packing. I am a super organised person and everything we have is stuff we need.

We have young children. We have toys in suitable storage already so that's not a worry. Kitchen stuff, toiletries, clothes and furniture are things we of course use daily so I couldn't put them into boxes because we need them!

What is a reasonable timescale? What should I pack first? Any and all advice is welcome!

Best money I've ever spent was to let the removal company pack. Only a few hundred quid and they do it all the day before.

If at all possible, use a packing service. It is money well spent, they literally do everything. I would never move again without one. They provide all the packing materials and take empty boxes away again; they also do it in a fraction of the time it would take you.

We didn't use a packing service. We did this-

Kitchen/dining- we left a dinner set per person and packed all other glassware, cutlery and crockery. Packed all baking stuff, left ourselves with the absoloutle bare minimum 1x cheese grater, tin opener, pan and frying pan etc.

Lounge - we packed all books apart from a handful of kids ones, all board games and jigsaws, all decorative stuff like candles and stuff. Left ourselves with TV, remote, all surfaces cleared.

Bedroom - left a weeks worth of clothes per person and a set of linens for each bed. Packed everything else.

Boxes were then packed and stacked in our bedroom over about a month.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

Very helpful. Thank you! It's just such an overwhelming task. My brain couldn't even think as coherently as this.

@manontroppo @Techno56 thank you both! Finances won't allow for such a fantastic service at present so I'll just have to imagine how wonderful it would be!

Get a removals company to pack, but make sure they spec the job properly so they have enough time to do it.

Seriously it’s about £600 and takes so much stress out of the move. I think the used more than £600 worth of packing material!

I would strongly recommend you use a professional removal firm. They pack stuff so much better than mere mortals! And it will take a day (max 2) what will take you weeks. Seriously they use way more packing material than I would have, hence my stuff arrived in one piece rather than sadly shattered wine glasses etc. I know they are pricey but you will not regret it.

Start now!
Declutter as you go.

Sort out the loft, garage and/or shed first.
Then pack out of season household linens and clothing.
Pack books that aren't used daily.
Sell/ditch anything that won't fit the new place.

It’s August. So assume your don’t really need winter clothing for any of you. You can thing pack everyone’s thick jumpers, thick coats, hats etc..
Then if you have no fancy events in the next month, pack any smarter cloths you and dh have and shoes.

Toys I would pack half now. It’s only 4 weeks, they will be fine with Less books and puzzles. Just keep out a few of each category.

kicthen - pack baking stuff and just buy anything you would usually bake the next few weeks.

keep a towel each and bedding set, pack the rest. Just wash as needed

You just have to start and keep going!

I'd put aside what is totally necessary for the next month (clothes, a few toys, couple of books, a towel etc). Then start with the easy stuff - books, ornaments, the serving dishes you don't use often, spare towels etc etc.

I always leave the kitchen to the end.

Number every box and create a list of what is in each. Also write on each box 'lounge' or whatever room they are to be put in. Then at the other end you tick them off as they come in and hopefully they all end up in the right room.

I always put valuables, irreplaceable items and documents aside to come with me in the car, plus a case for each person for the first night.

Also OP, another tip, the day before we moved, we dismantled the larger furniture so dismantled the bed and just left the mattress on the floor. Book cases we took out the shelves so the frames were easy for the removals to lift them on and off the van.

Good tip above about winter clothing. Buy some vacuum sucky bags and vac seal all soft stuff.

Designate a room for boxes only if you have a large house and put everything in there once done and labelled.

As well as the packing service I would also book 2 nights in a hotel each side of move day. Based on stressed out kids and not getting keys until 4pm in minus 2 degrees and not managing to get the heating working so sleeping in one bed in 8,deg indoors....

I made a big job of decluttering over a month or two and enjoyed it. However my friend took a different approach and did all decluttering at her leisure at the other end by labelling boxes by where they were rather than contents. If you are bringing the same furniture its so much easier - for example if your bedside locker is full of all sorts of junk just empty it all into a box labelled 'bedside drawer' and unpack at your leisure. literally a 3 minute job. Same with each kitchen cupboard or hall storage unit etc.

One word of advice is label each box in detail, not just general stuff but be specific. if necessary stick an A4 page with a list. There is bound to be a few last minute chucking things into a box and you don't want them going missing. Many of these boxes will not be to be opened for months so there is no rush, for example photo albums or off season clothing can wait til you are really organised. So maybe use a coloured sticker or a marker to mark those that are to be opened in the first few weeks.