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Original poster

Anyone moving soon and want to join me in an overwhelmed by packing thread?

39 replies

listsandbudgets · 01/02/2016 15:38

I've been at it almost solidly except stopping for a quick sandwich since 10am and not yet finished the cellar. One blooming room is taking me hours. I'm covered in dust. There are boxes packed up everywhere and a huge heap of stuff for the skip which is being delivered tomorrow. Another heap for the charity shop.

However did we acquire so much STUFF.

I'm exhausted.... I don't think I can do it.

OP posts:
wowfudge · 01/02/2016 16:32

This may not help you much OP, but in anticipation of our move we have been spending weekends decluttering. We last moved six years ago so anything which has just been packed away since then is liable to go! We've worked room-by-room and sorted things as logically possible while being quite ruthless. We live near a good charity shop that takes furniture and the tip!

Last time we moved we paid the removals firm to pack the breakables. It fell to me to do the lion's share of the packing in a house I'd lived in for a long time and I was frazzled. DP decided he could pack his stuff in one day at a weekend (not true!). Living with boxes everywhere was miserable and uncomfortable too. This time DP is far more prepared and doing things in advance too.

This time we are having a full packing service. Imo it is worth the extra money and is actually surprisingly cheap. I told DP it was non-negotiable Smile.

If you have things in drawers then providing it isn't really heavy it can stay there and doesn't need to be packed away.

Try not to overload boxes - books are terrible for this so go for smaller boxes and mix them in with other things.

Slowlybutsurely · 01/02/2016 18:39

I feel your pain- can I join in? We moved into a rental in August whilst we tried to find a house to buy. All being well we are now in the process of buying and should be moving in March. Am dreading it!! Last time was a nightmare. The loft was the worst as I'd forgotten how much rubbish we'd put up there! Not sure when to start packing up again as I don't want to start too soon in case it falls through- am slightly paranoid ha!

lalalonglegs · 01/02/2016 18:43

I've just sold a flat that I renovated. Even though I never lived there, it still took a good couple of days to remove all the furniture, the nice bits and pieces of "dressing", clear the eaves storage which was full of the junk left by the previous owner and gather up all the tools and odd screws/rolls of masking tape/weird bits of ironmongery that I had secreted in various parts of the flat. I would like to move from my own home but, based on that experience, I am going to allow at least a month for packing and hire a very large skip.

JustWantToBeDorisAgain · 01/02/2016 20:19

I share your pain we don't yet have a date ( buyers are ready to exchange but we still don't have draft contracts from our seller!! )

I have packed over the last couple of weeks, kids toys mostly done ( just a few left out ( which helps with the tidying Wink ).

Yesterday I managed 1/4 of the loft clear and all the pictures and glass/ China breakables ( 7 rolls of bubble wrap!). I done books ( in small boxes ) and started dismantling bookcases.

I turns out I've started to Kondo it, gathering all the same type of stuff into one place.

Worked today/ tomorrow so will be back at it Wednesday!

emwithme · 01/02/2016 20:54

Oh god I need this thread. Apparently our builders will be finished on Friday. DH works in education so we're limited to school holidays for "time off" so it looks like our actual move date will be somewhere in February half term.

We have been "nearly moving" since September. I have decluttered the square root of fuck all. I have packed nothing. I could be nearly ready to go.

My name is emwithme and I am a procrastinator. My Instant Gratification Monkey is real.

JamesBlonde1 · 01/02/2016 23:34

My turn next. Need to throw a few more bits out then start with the actual packing. Got lots of bubble wrap but need to organise more boxes.

Think I'll start with easy things first like books. Easy shape to pack in boxes. Going to haul mam and friend in to do some crockery kitchen packing.

How are you packing your clothes? Pot plants too? Do the plants just stay in the pot and go on the lorry?

Doing all this whilst trying to keep my DD6 jovial. The poor lass does NOT WANT TO MOVE. I feel her pain and remember it as a child. Just don't like change. Only going a mile away!

notarehearsal · 02/02/2016 06:18

Ready to exchange contracts here but the completion date is becoming sticky. Ive more or less finished the packing as I'm on my own. However hadn't appreciated just how emotional packing a house up after almost 20 years and so many memories could be. The removal company will dismantle wardrobes and beds and put up other side. Everything to be sold / given away has now gone as greatly downsizing. I will never ever do this again!

cherrytree63 · 02/02/2016 06:51

I'm building up to putting my house on the market so going to hover on the edge of this thread if nobody minds Smile.
I've had a few declutters over the past year, notarehearsal I've been in bits over a lot of it, I moved in here 18 years ago with my husband and young DCs. My husband died 12 years,ago, my son moved out 2 years ago and DD is moving in with the boyfriend.
So many memories!
Good luck to everyone!

Moving15 · 02/02/2016 07:00

Having recently moved and unpacked (I cheated with a full packing service from the removals company as it would have taken me months to pack as I examined every item and indulged in waves of nostalgia over old rubbish) I encourage all my fellow movers to be even more ruthless with the dump/charity shop piles. Ask yourself, do I want to UNPACK this item in my new house.
Despite getting rid of so much I still have stuff I wish I hadn't brought with us.
A small beacon of light for you: stick all your empty boxes on Gumtree. We did and were overwhelmed with interest. We earned £40 and bought our exhausted selves a few curry nights.

notarehearsal · 02/02/2016 07:20

Cherry, so get where you're coming from. It seems a lifetime ago that I moved here with DD, 10 and DS, 5 and Dh. Full of expectation for a great life ahead ( and a lot has been)
The cold reality was dh left after six months (!) DD spent most of the next ten years in and out of hospital for medical issues ( though now fine and living on her own with her little DS) and my DS was tragically killed when hit by a car when he was 16.....
It's taken this move to sort through DS's belongings and now it's done and it actually wasn't as hard as anticipated though still very draining of course.
I loved this house when it was full of life and laughter, I just want so badly to leave now and start my new life and make new memories

Original poster
listsandbudgets · 02/02/2016 13:14

Notareahearsal what a sad post :( I'm sorry.

Well I've managed another 5 not very big boxes, my skip has arrived and I've started chucking stuff in it and there are 2 big bags for chraity. I still feel i've made no impact whatsoever though except on the cellar which is now mainly full of empty shelves and empty boxes waiting to be filled.

OP posts:
cherrytree63 · 02/02/2016 16:58

Nota. So so sorry for your sad story. Hope your new life and memories make you very happy Flowers

JamesBlonde1 · 02/02/2016 18:53

Oh Nota best of luck for the future. Good to have some nice memories to take with you Flowers

notarehearsal · 03/02/2016 07:08

Thanks Lists Cherry and james. Almost all packed here. One question, what do I do with garden pots etc? Will the removal people just carry them as they are? Today should exchange but it's all still a bit tricky, please keep fingers crossed for us all

JamesBlonde1 · 03/02/2016 10:03

Nota - I would place the pots within each other and they'll just put them in the lorry.

Is anyone else going to put their clothes in bin bags (to take with you) or boxes?

AndSoWeBeatOn · 03/02/2016 10:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WishICouldThinkOfACoolUsername · 03/02/2016 16:00

I am a hoarder. There - I've said it out loud. Not sure it makes me feel any better though!

I've been trying to pack for about 8 months now...still haven't moved and am currently in possession of both new and old homes, so there's less of an urgent "the removals men will be here tomorrow" vibe. This is not good. I've now reached a stage of denial and am procrastinating like never before. DP has actually taken 2 days off work next week to pack without me...

I can't even begin to think about the unpacking yet to happen! Anyone want to help?

JamesBlonde1 · 03/02/2016 16:24

What about a big push to get some stuff put on eBay or Gumtree in the next few days? Other stuff to charity? To get rid of some stuff. I wish I didn't work full-time, run a business blah blah to do this. I'm still going to have a go.

Even if you've only got 2 weeks to move. Worth a push.

Outaboutnowt · 03/02/2016 16:32

We're moving a week on Friday - just bought our first place. So excited but I still have so much to do..
Currently worrying about how the hell Im going to pack up the kitchen and the fact we can't afford a removal company so the current plan is a van and me, DP and my dad... I'm not sure we will manage between us!

BlueJug · 03/02/2016 21:08

I have also been "moving" for months - and got nowhere. I will check in tomorrrow.

AgathaF · 04/02/2016 12:11

Nota that so sad. I hope your new home will have happier times.

We are hoping for an exchange date soon, we accepted an offer on ours in October and had our offer on somewhere else accepted a few days later. We've done a lot of clearing out, Ebay'd some stuff and had a few trips to the tip, and packed quite a lot of stuff now. The conservatory is full of packed boxes, as is the garage and a couple of the bedrooms. Need to get everything down from the loft but we're waiting until we've exchanged to do that. Still so much more stuff left to pack.

SparklyTinselTits · 04/02/2016 12:20

I'm moving next week....and this is how much packing I've done so far Blush

Anyone moving soon and want to join me in an overwhelmed by packing thread?
AgathaF · 04/02/2016 14:14

Eek sparkly! That's scary!

Original poster
listsandbudgets · 04/02/2016 17:52

Another 4 big bags to charity shop today and some more bits in my skip mainly from garden shed - leaking hose, leaky paddling pool, broken strimmer all gone.

I found a big pile of letters that my gran wrote to me, my great uncles war medals and all of DD's 3rd birthday cards in a box in cupboard under the stairs. Too many distractions.

2 more boxes packed.

Sparkly - I hope you either lead a very minimalist lifestyle or you've got a LOT of help coming to you over the weekend. If you're really panicing might be worth asking removal firm to send in a packer. They'll charge but could be worth it if that's really all you've done. What day of the week are you moving?

OP posts:
SparklyTinselTits · 04/02/2016 17:58

We are moving on Wednesday....
I have done 2 boxes up in my bedroom today, but the kitchen and DD's room are yet to be started Confused
DH is here all weekend, so we will get the majority done then I think!