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

[Sobaditsfunny]

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.

Remember to tell them about the shed contents when they come to give you a quote and make sure it is in there along with everything else you need taking.
We had a stand off on moving day with our removal people who said that the garden swings and pots were not included.
I said I would contact the company and pay them extra if they weren't on the quote but they were angling for a cash 'bonus'.
The good firms will send you boxes and labels, in advance and it is very worth paying the extra for the beds to be put together.

Your ex should be paying half the cost. Is there any way you can enforce that/take it off the settlement? Keep everything in writing. Can you put the cost on a credit card?

If you can afford it (like others have said), then paying for a company to do packing and removals is well worth it. Pack anything personal or that you need to keep hold off. I packed important paperwork, a change of clothing/sleepwear for each of us, wash kits, small amount of basic kitchenware/snacks. Removals company did everything else. They packed, unassembled and then reassembled furniture and put the furniture/boxes in all the correct rooms in our new place. They worked so fast!! I made sure boxes were labelled with correct room. I provided them with hot and cold drinks, and cakes/biscuits/other snacks.

In meantime, can you declutter a bit? Or start packing some basic things? x

Arrange a baby sitter to take the dc.
Pay for packng and furniture dissemble and reassemble.
It s expense you cannot avoid to make it easier for you
Unless you very very minimalist the amount of things in cupboards and wardrobes will be way more than you think

An average and reasonably local move including packing will cost around £1750 - but my friend got a man with a van and 2 helpers ( move within 4 miles) who did multi trips for £895 for the day- including packing up the kitchen ( which is nearly always the worst bit) -

@Sobaditsfunny they will do all that- sheds, lofts- it's worth every penny

7 years ago I had full packing on a 3 bed house. About 80 boxes plus all the furniture and a large shed

Was £3700

Reach out to the children’s friends families and see if any of them will take a child or two after school to give you a bit longer to get sorted. We know how stressful moving is and were happy to have a friend of my daughter’s after school on moving day.

I'd literally get a loan for a removal company if I had to. You can't do it alone in one day, it's just not possible. Not everything is possible even with all the hard work and determination in the world.

I empathise - I moved/downsized as a lone parent earlier this year and am still not quite straight.

I used JD Removals for my move from the North West earlier this year (just north of Manchester). They were amazing - good humoured, hard working, efficient and reasonably priced. Happy to pass on their contact details (they are also on facebook) if it would help.

Can your parents lend you the money?

You can take child care leave unpaid if you can afford to. Air tasker for help with packing up stuff into boxes. Men and a van for moving day. Take a loan for this is you have to as it's a one off and you don't want to risk your house.

Absolutely you can't do that you'll break your back. This is one of the few situations where you beg steal or borrow money (don't steal) to pay for help

£900 seems cheap - make sure they’re including everything, and unpacking and reassembling furniture.

Thank you, I really thought I was going to do it on my own-though with no idea how. Thanks to all your comments I realise it's impossible and I definitely need to pay for a removal company. Seems to be big differences in prices, I'll get 2 more quotes then make a decision. I'll sort out a basics bag for each of the 5 of us-that's a good idea. And I'll focus this week after work on decluttering again. The house we're moving to is half the size of where we live now.
The ex has taken all of his stuff so everything left is ours. There's not a chance he'd pay anything towards it.

I will double check about the shed contents too.

Yes it does mean that and the full packing service is brilliant for people who are busy. They pack everything including stuff in sheds. They normally pack stuff up the day before the move.

It does add some cost but I would definitely pay for it if the budget stretches. You could then relax a bit knowing you don't actually have to do much at all.

Edited to say - you can ask each firm for 2 quotes. One with packing included and one without packing so you can judge if it worth it.

I would take leave for child care or take a sickie tbh - if your company don't give people a day off to move house (some do some don't)

Packers are brilliant. Just a warning - they'll take anything that's not nailed down, including the contents of waste paper bins!

We've moved ourselves in the past it is much cheaper to do it that way (we got horrendous quotes from moving companies), but was definitely hard work carrying everything between just the two of us, the Victorian sideboard was a killer! How much have you got to move and how heavy are the items? There are 'man and a van' type of things you can hire by the day I've never tried them, but if you need help to lift things that might be a compromise between getting a full moving company and doing it yourself.

They pack EVERYTHING and will do a shed too - just make sure you mention it for the quote. My friend used to work for a removal company and would recount a story where when someone was later unpacking, they found the baby's dirty nappy that they'd just changed before the movers turned up!

I'd definitely get removers though, even if it meant chucking it on a credit card. Honestly it will be worth the money. Best money I've ever spent when moving house.

They don't unpack the other end though, unfortunately, and usually have a deadline for you to return the empty boxes to them, so do ask that too.

Even with movers though, the basics bags for each of you as you mention and one box of essentials to get you through the first night and following morning, so kettle, toaster, bread and a cool bag for milk, butter, etc, so you can easily sort out breakfast the next day (plus keep the movers hydrated with 1,000 cups of tea!). I packed the kettle too early last time I moved. Luckily I had keys to the next door neighbour's house, so went and made tea for them at hers instead!

In your situation you will definitely need professional movers as even if you are old enough for a 7.5 tonne hire van you would be very unlikely to get an entire house full into one, plus pros are better at van Tetris!

We moved from a large 3/4 bed to a small 3 bed and needed a proper HGV moving lorry.

With a sale and purchase (rather than move to/from rental) you have to make 1 trip only as there's no time when both houses are yours.

Packers makes a massive difference but declutter as much as possible, pack things you need and put away safely in your car as they will literally pack anything and everything!

Good luck!

Beg borrow or steal the money for a moving firm. We spent £1700 but that was a relocation involving 2 lorries and an overnight stay.
We moved ourselves once. There was 2 of us. 3 bed house, 2 kids. Never again.

Most removal firms who offer packing will also drop off some empty boxes for you a week or so beforehand, so that you can - if you want to - do a bit of packing yourself. It's up to you. But I do echo everyone else's advice here - get a removals firm with a packing service and let them do the donkey work, even if it is a stretch financially. And remember that some quotes will be as much as double the amount of others, so do shop around for the cheapest.