Moving house. Should we pay for the packing service or do it myself.

[ToftheB]

Hello, we’re moving house in a couple of weeks and can’t decide if we should pay extra for the packing service or not.

I’m currently in the process of sorting and getting rid of stuff and deep cleaning everywhere. A bit of a slog with a toddler in tow, but quite cathartic all the same.

My husband thinks we should pack ourselves and save the £275+VAT... but I think it’s going to be a struggle. We meant to sort a load of stuff out at the weekend and start packing, but the toddler was teething and grumpy, and I’m pregnant and exhausted - and we achieved basically nothing!

What do you think? Can we pack everything in one weekend? Or is it going to be an absolute nightmare?

Pay for the packing service. Soooooo worth it! They packed up my 2 bed house in the space of a few hours. Everything was packed securely and well, and I didn’t have to worry about sourcing boxes/wrap/tape etc. I advise everyone to pay for the packing service if at all possible!

Do it yourself! It's one of the most fun parts of moving... Although not as fun as the unpacking!

Pay for packing service takes out the stress of moving and having done so recently I can’t recommend it highly enough!

Pay for the packing; £275 plus VAT is well worth it.

God, pay for it and don’t think twice .... it’ll be done professionally, quickly and at no stress to you. You’ve already lost one weekend, why would a second weekend be any different ?

Pay for the packing service, its worth every penny esp having a toddler and being pregnant.

Definitely pay for the packing. I will never pack again. It is stressful enough moving and you're pregnant with a toddler!

Depends on how much packing and how much money you have. I’d happily pay for packers especially if I was pregnant + had a toddler.

Pay for the packing service - it was the best few hundred quid I have ever spent....

Packing service! It's money well spent. You can live normally until the day before the move.

I can't be the only one that ends up donating / chucking a lot of stuff during the packing process?
I'm packing at the moment.
Don't like the idea of other people going through all my stuff and, even worse, paying for them to pack loads of stuff that I only end up chucking out at the other end!

There are few things in life worth paying someone else to do for you. Packing is definitely one of them.

Thank you for your replies. I confess that I hoped you’d be mostly pro-packing service! I’ll see if I can convince my husband tonight...

Definitely pay for it! They are so efficient and bring all the boxes/bubblewrap etc so you know it's done properly. They've done it a million times before and are experts!

You're pregnant with a toddler. No brainer, get the packing service. Stressful enough moving without making it harder if you can afford it.

Looks like I need to start a packing business!

I will never move without packers again. One of the few parts of the house moving process that is good value.

Have the packing service. Best money ive ever spent. Done it twice.

Pay for the packing service! We made the mistake of doing it ourselves last time - huge regret. It’s worth every penny of £275 plus VAT.

I've moved many times and every time I've paid for a packing service things have gone missing. I wouldn't want strange men poking around in personal stuff either, but it depends how much time you have and your energy levels. The worst move ever was my last one. I packed but the movers literally threw things around and a lot was broken and some things missing. It was an absolute nightmare. It's so important to go by recommendation - sometimes the big firms are the worst.

Best money you will ever spend.

Is it actually an extra £275 though as ours was £300 but you got the packing materials ‘for free’ that would have otherwise cost us £100, so only really £200 more if that makes sense?

Plus remember that if they pack, everything is insured for damage. If you pack they aren’t liable.

Tiddle you can still do the sorting and chucking out though, and just make sure everything that you are keeping is in the place that corresponds to where you want it in the new house so it is packed accordingly.

Being able to live as you are until the day before is also priceless with a toddler.

Also they dont 'go through your stuff' they haven't time! Chests of drawers of clothes are just loaded full. They don't empty them.

Packing service. Absolutely the best money you will spend in the whole house buying process - or in life in general.

No brainer, pay for the service.

My husband thinks we should pack ourselves and save the £275+VAT... but I think it’s going to be a struggle.

How much of the sorting and packing do you realistically know your DH will do? Will he do it efficiently and quietly or will he soon become moody and grumpy about it? How much home stuff does he do in day to day life?

Does he really mean you will be doing everything to save that money?

Definitely the packing service. The best part of the whole moving process.