When to start packing?

[ThatDreamSheep]

House move coming up. Our paperwork is all back with the solicitor but neither our buyer or sellers have sent anything in yet. Been quoted 12-16 weeks conveyancing at the moment, obviously if everyone else is going slow it is going to take an age.

I feel stuck in a limbo at the moment to know when to start packing because its looking like August or even September and I don't know what things I'm going to use between now and then especially with 2 young children! Can anyone give me any hints on how to pack effectively? We are lucky that we have a spare room we can store boxes in as well.

We started by sorting through everything and having a really good clear out so it was easier to pack when we did start.
We packed up what we knew we could definitely live without quite far in advance (it was mainly books, Christmas stuff in the loft and craft stuff), and left it in the spare room. I'd recommended labelling really well as you forgot what's in the boxes!
We were in quite a big chain, so things were delayed a few months from the original timeline, and didn't start doing more packing until we were nearly at exchange.

Similar to Nejnej2. Started with a big declutter, then packed up the loft contents. Started packing properly at exchange, even though completion was still over a month away. By the time we were a week away from moving, we had packed up the majority of our possessions, even the kitchen items, leaving just a few cups, plates etc.

Best packing tip is only pack items from eg lounge into the lounge boxes. It’s tempting when you still have space left in a box to put in items from other rooms that fit, but it’s a nightmare when you start unpacking. 😫

Start in the loft and be ruthless.

Get the movers to pack for you. Then you don't have to do anything til the day before when you put aside stuff as if you were going on holiday - pants and pjs etc - to tide you over for those first couple of days of madness.

Yes, do some decluttering but don’t start packing. So many people do this before exchange and the delays can be months and months.

Realsie that packing is a skilled job and the extra money is worth it for removals. They come come and pack efficiently and safely, with all the gear in a day. They will have the right van and workers.

Worst thing you can do is to arrange your own van and a couple of friends to help. This is why people fail to be out by Kate morning when contract require. The final packing and loading is far more time consuming for amateurs than people think. Often the van is t big enough and needs more than one journey. It’s awful for those using it and unreasonable for those trying to get in who are waiting outside with their own van.

De-clutter anytime. Put things into storage if you need to after exchange and have movers provisionally booked, so when you know dates they can swoop in and do it speedily. You will be so glad you did.

When we've moved I have a system where I numbered the boxes and had an a4 notebook and I list in each numbered page what is in the correlating box number to book as I go. Then if I need something I can get to it. Then if the boxes are stacked the notebook is in a safe place and I also have a to do list in the back like eBay stuff, charity shop, trip to the tip, empty freezer etc... etc.... whatever needs doing

I agree tho about the decluttering that's the thing if the removal company do it - it's not an opportunity to be clearing out any junk you don't need or sending stuff to charity. I make a point of not moving stuff we absolutely don't need

Thank you all.
Yes big declutter is underway.. I've got a list in my head of what I'm throwing out, also started a carboot pile as well!
Definitely not doing it ourselves - had the removal men round for a quote even though its less than a mile down the road!