I am moving in 27 days and frozen in the face of The Packing

[ChickensHaveNoLips]

I've packed unused stuff from all bedrooms. And that's it. I have the rest of the house, a garage full of stuff, two loft spaces and a chicken coop plus ten chickens to move. I keep assembling boxes, going to a cupboard and then finding something else less daunting to do. Someone shout at me, please? And also tell me how and when to pack things?

try to do one cubaord at a time!! probaly be best to check the loft and garage next i would think and start in them. try to set asside a set time each day of half an hour or an hour to just do packing in set yourself a target today i will pack so many boxes. remember to clearly label your boxes for which room they are destined for on arrival at your new place and make a list of whats in each box i ahve moved many times and i also write on the box using two different colours one for unessetial items and another colour for the boxes i need to open quite quickly it really helps when your just looking at a mass of boxes and looking for one box. good luck

I would start in your garage, empty it onto the drive, and then pack up its contents. Stack neatly back in garage.

Now you have somewhere to stack your boxes.

Next the loft, then pictures and ornaments.

Then work out what you need to use up untill moving day and what can go in boxes now and do them in that order.

Write down what you are putting in each box and label it! So if you need to find something you can!

If your DC are young get them involved by packing a first night box for themselves, with PJs, washbag, a book and dvd and one or two toys, and clean clothes for the next day. That way hopefully they will be looking forward to opening their special box and playing with its contents, and you won't have hours of "Muuuum wheres xyz?, Muuum I can't sleep without xyz"

Last box to pack is the one with the kettle and tea bags.

No idea about chickens, could they maybe go the day before? Or first thing moving day before the vans start coming?

When we had professional packers in, they worked through each room in turn. They just packed stuff as they found it and did not group stuff or do anything other than wrap breakables.

They took drawers out of units and covered them with taped on paper - so no need to unpack those. They had hanging wardrobe boxes and took stuff straight out of wardrobes on hangers, then hung it back up at the other end.

Each box was labelled with where it had come from. They didn't label it with what was inside which would have been useful.

Hope that helps - good luck with your move.

Chickens, you need a box mountain. The packing just does itself.

You need to do lofts and garage first then you have somewhere to put boxes when done. Ensure you clearly label the boxes ie what is in them and colour code using stickers (anything will do, stars, spots?) for essential boxes.

With regards to the chickens can they go to a friends house for the night before the move? With coop obviously! When we move in a couple of weeks our chickens will stay with a friend overnight.

Ah, Captain. I need me one of those magical box mountains.

General, I have ten bantams and a shed sized coop. No one likes me that much

Also (try and be quite specific with labelling)
we had professional movers when I moved with 4 w/o DS1 and they just put kitchen on all the boxes in the kitchen so you didn't know if it was tins of beans or saucepans or granny's china.
27 days - eat as much of your tins/etc as you can and obv out of your freezer
Also re the stickers for essential boxes - also think about the reverse (not bad if you may be prone to procrastination)
do all the stuff you WONT need first - you may find it easier to bin/donate stuff this way. E.g. posh china/xmas decs/record collection - stuff you may not get roudn to unpacking straight away.

Oh yes to eating up what you can and eBay/ free cycle/ charity shop what you can now. Also wine is essential to the process Lol at chicken situation :)

You're doing well.

My last move I packed a 4 bed 3 storey town house in less than 24 hrs by myself

Started about 9am friday morning, worked throughout that day and carried on until 6am sat morning. I also hoovered and cleaned afterwards.

Removals people came at 10am. I was in a zombielike state by that point!

have to admit most of my books were still boxed from the last move 8 months prior to that so didnt have to do them.

I label all the boxes, like Olivia says not just rooms but rough idea of whats in them too, makes it a lot easier!

I dont know how I did it, think I work well under pressure.

Never moving again ever

We were all packed to move yesterday, but it didn't happen . I will not unpack I am steadfastly believing the move will be back on next week.

After this I am NEVER moving again, EVER

Chickens I hit a rut while packing so I gave myself a break and then threw myself back into it. You have 26 days, you'll do it. Once you've packed the non essentials there isn't much to do until the last minute. Best of luck, keep sane and hope the chickens are okay.

Now does anyone know the best way to move tropical fish ...

Just had the removal quote and it's only an extra £100 for the professional packing service..so we are leaving it the professionals!

Some great advice here, thanks for starting the thread chickens. You have plenty of time, just get going - NOW!

strangeways what happened!? Sounds like my worst nightmare come true. Hope it sorts itself out

I am doing this too and very pregnant - we are moving gradually because we are renovating the new house but now getting the willies that it will not be done in time. Birth pool is being delivered into an as yet completely undone room on April 1st (perhaps should have picked a more auspicious day) and I am cacking myself that I will be giving birth in a removal lorry!!!!!!!!! Do the chickens last, put them in a garage or somewhere else quietish whilst you put the coop in the garden and then put them in their boxes into the coup in the evening, let them out and they will get up in the morning as is nothing has happened. Remember they are birds of very little brain.

Bounty that is a great price for packing. Sadly 10 years of shite needs sorting through with us so professional packers will not be for us

Today I managed to pack a fair bit in the kitchen, and DH cleared the garage (well, stacked all the crap up the end ready for the skip) and put the packed boxes out there. I will not panic. I will not.

Well done, remember the best to eat an elephant is toe by toe :) you have loads of time by this time next week you'll see a real difference.

Lightof it's all a bit complicated, we were trying to exchange and complete on the same day but some issues arose. Fingers crossed we might be good to go next week as I think we've made some headway and we can only hope that some common sense will prevail Stress isn't the word!!

we've been through our kitchen today - emptied cupboards one at a time - thrown out any out of date stuff, cleaned cupboard thoroughly, and put contents back - means when we do pack up the kitchen to move I know everything needs to be taken and will only take a quick wipe out when we leave. I am glad as it means we will not be taking the 12 years out of date box of tea bags with us!

But Panda, those teabags are practically family!

I think I went off tea when pg with DC1, then didn't get to drink a hot cuppa for months afterwards. we've got a cupboard that goes into the corner, that you have to reach round into iyswim, and the 12 yo box was there, older than the DC!

If it is not too late, label all 4 sides of the box so that when it is stacked you can see what it is.

I colour coded mine (I know I am anal ) so basically took coloured paper from the children's stash and cut them into large-ish squares. I then wrote on that square x 4 and used clear packing tape to stick it to each side.

Each room had its own colour making it dead easy to see.

For every box we packed I wrote in a hard backed A5 book what was in it, even if it was just "contents of X cupboard" and kept that book in my handbag so I didn't lose it.

That meant that when we needed something we could find it easily.

I wrote on the top of the box which room the things were going in so the removal men knew exactly where it was all going.

I did this partly because our stuff went into storage for 3 weeks and my Mum had just died so I didn't trust myself to remember what box went where etc etc.

Good luck, am very jealous of your chicken ownership