Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Lone parents

Use our Single Parent forum to speak to other parents raising a child alone.

Original poster

Got to move house next week with 4 kids on my own

61 replies

Sobaditsfunny · 21/10/2024 12:19

Feeling very very overwhelmed. After our financial settlement we were ordered to sell the family home. Which we did and the sale has dragged on.
Now had a call to say the buyer is pulling out unless my solicitor can get a move on and have it completed by next Thursday. The chain is fragile and I don't want to lose the house we've purchased so I'll agree to the date. However, my parents have gone abroad until Mid November to the other side of the world to visit family and I have no idea how I'm going to move house, alone and with 4 kids.
Previously people had said they'd help but now I have a date none of my friends are available. It's a big house and we're downsizing massively and don't have much money. The children's dad has stopped all contact 5 weeks ago and hasn't seen the children since. I've used up all my work annual leave for this half term and I don't know what to do. I have all the empty boxes but I can't bring myself to fill them. It sounds pathetic but any spare minute I get I go to sleep.

OP posts:
Octavia64 · 21/10/2024 12:21

Phone a removal company.

Get movers in and get them to pack as well.
They are very fast and very efficient.

Original poster
Sobaditsfunny · 21/10/2024 12:38

@Octavia64 are they pricey? I looked at one in my area and it says they come out to do a survey of the house then send you a quote. I'm worried I'll not be able to pay it. I looked at hiring a van and driving it myself but not sure how that will go.

OP posts:
kiwiane · 21/10/2024 12:39

You will need a removal firm - have you got quotes? You can give a provisional date then confirm on exchange - pay from the proceeds of the sale. Can you ask family/ friends for help? Just pack stuff or bag it / take beds apart. You can do a room a day.

RoachFish · 21/10/2024 12:44

Are kids of an age where they can help?

sheldonRockz · 21/10/2024 12:45

Get a removal firm. Phone around and get a quote from 3 firms advising you want them to pack etc. They will pack it all for you and unload at the other side. It’ll be a lot less stressful for you and with the price you pay it’ll be worth its weight in gold.

Plus how will you do all the heavy lifting etc by yourself. DP wanted to do the removals himself - hire a van etc, but realised for not much more money, it would be a lot less hassle lifting all the heavy stuff and would save him getting a bad back (and us coming to blows with each other!!)

midgetastic · 21/10/2024 12:49

Pricy - yes - worth every penny - yes

Then just get busy throwing things out - our dump is in winter hours now but every car load binned now is a load less stress when you have moved

Has your solicitor agreed to pull their finger out ?

FeedingThem · 21/10/2024 12:52

How old are the kids?

DaftNoodle · 21/10/2024 12:53

It's so overwhelming I feel for you. But you can do this. Just plan to fill a couple of boxes a night, start with one room. Once you start it gets easier.
Single parent here and moved house and downsized in April. I was hell, I cried a lot but got there in the end.
Take care xx

AddictedtoCrunchies · 21/10/2024 12:53

Where in the UK are you? If you're close to me I'll give you a hand.

MrsBobtonTrent · 21/10/2024 12:55

Last time we moved, there wasn’t much difference in price between moving service and pack/move service. We did the unpack ourselves which kept the cost a bit lower and I liked to decide where to put things at my own pace. Movers came the day before and packed the whole house and loaded it into the truck apart from our beds. On moving day they packed the beds, drove to the new house and unloaded into the new house (each item/box) in the nominated room. I did dropping off and picking up keys but otherwise just kept kids out of the way.

TeamPlaying · 21/10/2024 12:56

Movers will cost, but honestly how on earth can you do it without them? If you hire a van you won’t be able to have the kids belted in.

Twiglets1 · 21/10/2024 12:57

You can't hope to do it all yourself @Sobaditsfunny no wonder you are feeling overwhelmed!

I agree with others you will need to employ a removals firm. Start phoning around and try to get 3 quotes as prices can vary hugely.

Don't bother with Pickfords btw - they are pricey!

InTheRainOnATrain · 21/10/2024 13:02

You can’t carry beds and sofas all by yourself OP. Unless your 4 kids are all burly teen boys who will help then it’s just not realistic. Nor is fitting 5 people’s worth of stuff in the size of van you can drive on a normal license going to happen - I remember doing it leaving a 2 bed flat and it still needed 2 trips! You need a proper removal company and honestly I would pay for the packers. Save by not paying them to unpack, because you can do that in your own time. Call 3 local companies today for some quotes and get going on a mass clear out to limit the amount of stuff.

YourSnugHazelTraybake · 21/10/2024 13:02

last time we moved op we hired a storage locker near the new house for a couple of weeks. Didn't think about the packing really, just started in one room, packed everything not essential, loaded the car and dropped it off at the locker. Then repeat, if you're off for half term then you could do it in a couple of days. Then book man with a van or removal firm to move the big stuff like furniture that you can't lift on your own. We found that was the cheapest way to do it for us, and ended up the least stressful, having moved several times previously. Good luck op, and have faith, you'll get this done and it's the first step in your new future x

lovemetomybones · 21/10/2024 13:03

I was pregnant when we moved and hired a removal firm, they did it all, putting the boxes in the rooms I asked for and putting together the beds etc.

You can make it cheaper by packing yourself, which you absolutely can do. They also provide the boxes.

It's an unavoidable expense in your situation.

Octavia64 · 21/10/2024 13:06

The vast majority of furniture cannot be moved by one person. You need two or more adults at least for stuff like beds and sofas.

Phone around, get quotes.

Last time I moved I got them to quote the packing separately and they quoted 300 quid to pack a whole 5 bedroom house.

You can't move on your own. Not if you've got a whole house. At a minimum you need a massive van, probably two and at least one other adult.

Original poster
Sobaditsfunny · 21/10/2024 13:08

The kids are 3, 6, 11 and 14. The eldest has autism and is struggling with the whole thing. None of them want to move, ive done the whole 'new start, new adventures' and it's worked to an extent but we all know we're really moving because we've separated. I think I'll have to bite the bullet and pay for the removal company.
I've just rang one and they said in the region of £900-half pay as deposit then other half on the day. Said they'd come and look first before finalising price. Extra if need the beds assembling.
Thank you for the responses.

OP posts:
Godesstobe · 21/10/2024 13:09

I feel for you OP. I had to do the same (albeit with 2 rather than 4 children). As others have said, you simply cannot do this yourself. You will need to hire a removal company and I would strongly recommend getting them to do the packing as well. I appreciate it is more expensive than you would like but it is worth its weight in gold and makes the whole ghastly experience much less overwhelming.

Jxtina86 · 21/10/2024 13:11

Absolutely get a removals firm and if you can add packing in too go for it. We did our own packing but that was when we were kid free and moving from a tiny 2 bed flat to a house. I'd get packers if we moved again! The removals firm were brilliant - anything they dismantled to move, they put together again at the other end, put all the boxes in the right rooms and given there were four of them, they made really quick work of it all. Worth every single penny!

123ZYX · 21/10/2024 13:14

Has your ex taken everything of his? If not make sure he takes his belongings well before the move date

confusedlots · 21/10/2024 13:15

Definitely need a removals firm, it will be worth every penny. Me and DH (with 2 kids) moved everything ourselves a few years ago and it nearly broke me. We did it over a number of weeks and he also got his mates to help with the heavier bits of furniture, but there is no way in the world we could have done it within a week on our own. One of the worst decisions for us was not using a removals firm

Original poster
Sobaditsfunny · 21/10/2024 13:16

I'm in the North West. I'll ring a couple of other companies and get some more prices. I definitely don't have 3 burly teens. If you pay for packing does that mean you leave everything where it is and they pack it? Or do you empty cupboards? I've only ever moved once and it was before kids so we did it ourselves. Will they move things out of sheds too? I'll find out later today if the solicitor has got on with what she needs to do. I feel sick about the whole thing.

OP posts:
midgetastic · 21/10/2024 13:19

Yes they can pack everything from scratch - provide you order fhat service

Sone people mix and match ( do their own personal stuff but get the kichen packed ) but I think you should go for everything

Just remember that everyone needs to pack a bag of first few day basics , and a basic kitchen set up - 5 mugs , 5 dishes , kettle - and live on takeaways and bread and cheese if you have to

olympicsrock · 21/10/2024 13:25

Definitely removal firm and ask them to do the packing. You will still have a lot to do. Definitely get them to build everyone a bed before leaving the new house.

We moved from a 4 to a 5 bed house and had an unbelievable amount of stuff to move even after I had decluttered and given stuff away.

Try to get rid of some stuff first - be brutal . Stick old toys etc in a box in front of the house with a sign to help yourself.

Ask friends to give a few hours each to help you declutter a room. Every little bit will help. Don’t forget garage / sheds / garden. We needed an extra van on the day which was a nightmare.

Label each box with the name of the room in the new house that the box goes into. like bedroom 1, 2 . Bathroom 3 . Put signs on the doors of the new house with their names/ numbers. It means that all the boxes end up in the right place .

Organise play dates for all your kids to get them out of your hair on the day. Book a cleaner to go round each room after the movers have moved everything out.
You will have enough to do supervising the move and getting to the new house to direct the unpacking .

You have got this OP!

Elley123 · 21/10/2024 13:29

Please use a removal firm if possible. I moved 13 times with my husband's job and 3 times on my own with young children. It is worth every penny. You can book them to pack and they will come in and empty everything and pack it for you. Very often they just put shrink wrap around clothes drawers and don't even pack it but maybe be as it is. You can then arrange to unpack it yourself if you want which should reduce the cost. Make sure boxes are marked as they pack them with which room they are to go In and they can be put directly in that room. I have found that coffee, biscuits and especially a few cold drinks buys a lot of appreciation and good will. Tell them where you want the furniture placed and they will even dismantle beds etc if you want. Don't worry if the house isn't sorted straight away. The first night I used to camp out in one room with the kids. Have the TV set up. Fairy lights and sleeping in a den and a take away. Kids loved the adventure. Good luck with your new life and I hope have you good times and happiness in your new home.