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Original poster

How long did it take you to unpack?

25 replies

SoundWithoutAName · 11/10/2020 23:19

We moved into our 3 bedroom home 2 weeks ago and we are still no where near unpacked. There are bags and boxes unpacked in every room and it is driving me mad. We have 3dc aged 6yo, 18months, and a 3 month old, DH works 47 hours a week over 4 nights. He does what he can to help but it is taking forever to get the house in any sort of reasonable order and it's driving me mad. With the lockdown restrictions in place I can't ask family or friends to look after DC to help. Feels like it is going to take months to put everything away and the mess is really getting to me.

OP posts:
FrownsAndDimples · 11/10/2020 23:54

We moved at the beginning of September and I still have a few boxes. You have two babies under 18 months. Don't be harsh on yourself. It'll get done when it gets done as long as long as you/kids not tripping up over boxes.

Loofah01 · 12/10/2020 08:19

We moved in july, still unpacking..

CherryPavlova · 12/10/2020 08:24

Our son was moved in and unpacked within two days. Within two weeks he’s replaced the garden fence and repainted the entrance hall.
He’s not got little children though.

We always tried to have access to new place before we actually moved and my husband usually had everything unpacked and sorted by the time I arrived with the children. That sometimes meant a week on mattresses on the floor, supper with friends and living out of a suitcase. I don’t think we ever had to move out of one place and into new house on the same day, so we’re very lucky.
My husband wouldn’t ever have gone to bed before all the unpacking was done.

Vintagevixen · 12/10/2020 10:26

I moved in April and still have boxes in the spare room!

In my defence I am having cupboards built now to store stuff, which was obviously delayed by lockdown. Plus I was knackered with the stress of even moving during lockdown!

VictoriaBun · 12/10/2020 10:28

8 years and still waiting !
Dh has several large boxes of crap, that of course will come in handy one day

NotQuiteUsual · 12/10/2020 11:42

We moved at the start of September and unpacked in two weeks. But that's because DH can't stand living out of boxes and just doesn't stop till it's done. There's a few bits in cupboards that are boxed, but its stuff that lives in storage anyway.

littlecontis · 12/10/2020 16:02

We moved in a couple of weeks ago and have a few boxes left to do. My husband has been so amazing at unpacking and set up goals for me because most of the time I just cba...

You have small children so don't be too harsh on yourself. Is it possible to take one box at a time?

Bells3032 · 12/10/2020 16:08

You have two young kids. be kind to yourself.

I have a friend who is just her husband and herself, no kids. moving from a 2 bed flat to a four bed house. They still haven't unpacked totally a year after moving.

CountFosco · 12/10/2020 16:12

We moved into this house 2 years ago, there's still a few unpacked boxes in the garage. We did the kitchen/dining room the first weekend and the bedrooms the second so we had a reasonable living space. The sitting room and playroom took longer because we had to decorate the playroom and put up bookshelves and a wall of storage. We were then able to get the sittingroom into a decent state. We had a big pile of boxes of books in the corner up to that point but the room was otherwise useable. We had visitors coming for Christmas so we had a big drive of decorating and organising from Oct half term. So to get to a reasonable-ish state took about 6 months and our kids are older and we had enough space to move things about to make it bearable.

Nat6999 · 12/10/2020 16:15

Unpack what you need, cooking & eating stuff, bedding, clothes, medication. Somewhere to relax & unwind, nappies, baby stuff, toys to keep your children entertained. Everything else, focus on a room at a time, prioritise which rooms are most important, give yourself a time slot every day to do as much as you can in the time, then stop. rest & relax.

picklemewalnuts · 12/10/2020 16:16

We unpacked early fast, but we had cupboard units and storage to put things.

Can you concentrate things in one area? So get one room fully clear and work outward from there?

You've a lot on your plate so don't beat yourself up, but you'll find it gets much easier as you go along.

Keep a box for 'charity shop' and one for 'decide later', so you can clear things quicker.

TheGhostofGlumy · 12/10/2020 16:20

About a year, although we're still not completely organised. Moved with a 3 year old and 2 month old. It's grim, but just take it one day at a time.

rslsys · 12/10/2020 16:20

Finally put an additional bookshelf up during lockdown and then unpacked 4 boxes of books that moved with us 26 years ago.

SuperFairy · 12/10/2020 19:59

2 days #smug 😂

But it’s just 2 of us, no kids and we were moving from a small 2 bed into a 4 bed so had to get unpacked quickly so that the house actually had stuff in it and didn’t feel too empty 😂

We were also VERY ruthless before we moved and had a major de clutter and clear out.

PetNameChange · 12/10/2020 21:35

Moved last august...still have boxes in the garage 🤷‍♀️

found some kitchen bits I’d been moaning about for months in a box last weekend

Could probably all go to the tip now to be fair

Plussizejumpsuit · 12/10/2020 21:47

@CherryPavlova

Our son was moved in and unpacked within two days. Within two weeks he’s replaced the garden fence and repainted the entrance hall. He’s not got little children though.

We always tried to have access to new place before we actually moved and my husband usually had everything unpacked and sorted by the time I arrived with the children. That sometimes meant a week on mattresses on the floor, supper with friends and living out of a suitcase. I don’t think we ever had to move out of one place and into new house on the same day, so we’re very lucky.
My husband wouldn’t ever have gone to bed before all the unpacking was done.

Wow that's lucky. How have you managed that with buying? Or are you renting. I do think that's one of the advantages of renting, you can have an overlap.

OP I think it really does matter what tye hours eis like and how much work needs doing. For some people it a few weeks, I think commonly several months.

Glendaruel · 12/10/2020 21:48

It takes time with little ones. Try putting the non urgent things into one area, and make the living room look normal, then you have a place to stop and rest

CherryPavlova · 12/10/2020 22:21

@Plussizejumpsuit Yes, in many ways very lucky. Never private renting, but a conscious decision to take jobs with houses which allowed us to buy to rent, whilst living on site. When me moved back to the south, into our own house, my husband and a couple of friends had fitted a new kitchen, had whole place re-carpeted and decorated, artex removed, new fires in and even made the beds and put ‘welcome to your new home’ presents on their beds. It’s definitely preferable to months of boxes.

FourForYouGlenCoco · 12/10/2020 23:13

Moved nearly a month ago, still have a few boxes knocking around the house and one of the outbuildings (garden office) is still stacked up with loads of stuff to be sorted (about 12 boxes of books plus various other stuff!). DH works 55-ish hours and I also work full time, but mine are 8, 4 and 2 so that crucial bit older. Highly recommend sorting everything you really need asap and having the remainder of the packed stuff in one place, preferably out of the way. Makes everything feel less out of control.
I’m planning to sort the office over half term week so most of the sorting should be done after that. I feel you though, it’s hard to find the time especially with such tiny ones! Been there with 2 under 2 and it was madness. Cut yourself some slack and don’t feel like you have to do everything 💐

FourForYouGlenCoco · 12/10/2020 23:14

Meant to say - once the big stuff was unpacked I reduced as I went so 2x half empty boxes got decanted into one, big boxes with a few bits left in got tipped into small boxes - so it felt like it got more manageable bit by bit

FinallyHere · 12/10/2020 23:20

Last time I was packing up to move house, I found a few boxes in the attic still unpacked from the previous move.

Since I had lived there for nine years, I figured that I didn't need the contents. Threw them out unopened.

If I had opened them, they would have appeared to be full of treasure I could not do without.

BackforGood · 12/10/2020 23:30

Completely ? I'll let you know. We've only been here 17 years so far.

The quickest was when we moved when ds1 was just under 3 weeks old. Family and friends just turned up at the house - unpacked a box or two or made a bed or plumbed in the dishwasher, and everything was away within 24 hrs I think. Smile

If you move house with 3 dc of 6 and under, and you don't happen to have an army of friends and family with time on their hands, then your dh needs to book a couple of days leave to either unpack, or take the dc out so you can unpack. You just have to factor it into your annual leave plans for the year of a house move.

PeachandBee · 13/10/2020 16:32

Moved in 7/10 so 6 days ago. Unpacked maybe 60% but still boxes everywhere! I have 3 dc 9/3/1 and its a nightmare getting anything done. Priority lay in kitchen, then stairgates, clothes and bathing, everything else is done as and when. We moved from a small 3 bed to a large 5 bed so thankfully have space around the box maze we've created!

pinkbalconyrailing · 13/10/2020 16:33

we moved last year and used a packing service.
took us a day to get things where we really want them.
best money ever spent!

WellTidy · 13/10/2020 16:36

We’ve been here for ten years and there are still unopened boxes in the attic. All stuff we desperately need to keep obviously!

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