How much crap is in your house?

[ShittyGlitter]

I'm in the process of decluttering and preparing for a move.

I've already done what I thought was a decent sweep of the house for getting it on the market.

Now it's time to actually organise and dump/donate anything that we don't use or need.

But seriously how much stuff do people generally have? I feel like I'm swimming in years of accumulated things!
How do you know how much storage or vans required to move?

I feel like just throwing it all in a skip....but then how many skips

We have a four bed and two children. Any suggestions on how I can fit it all into one small van welcome.

How many van loads/storage containers will/did it take you?

We have TONS of crap. DC is 11yo and we've been running to stand still for at least 12 years incl pregnancy, zero assistance from grandparents so zero time to step back from the daily struggle to survive in order to actually take stock and go through all the accumulating crap.....no idea how we ever will tbh! Still have pregnancy stuff, baby stuff etc. Probably 2-3 skips worth? That's just for the really knackered stuff - loads more to give away, would love to try to sell things like brand new clothes etc but no time 😫

Ours isn’t too bad- both DH and I’s parents love hanging on to stuff they don’t need/don’t like anymore and we actively try to avoid accumulating stuff.

I keep an ikea blue bag in the utility room and throw any clothes that are worn out or grown out of straight into it to take to the fabric donation bank.

Try and operate a one-in-one-out policy with furniture etc, only buying stuff which is needed rather than because I fancy it.

We still have problem areas though- under the stairs is a warzone and my tiny dressing room has really shit storage inherited from the previous owners, so that’s on my to-do list to make it more functional.

I think 90% of what is in my house is crap.

I've run out of mental energy to deal with it.

When you say you want to load it into one small van I assume you are doing it yourself?

Moved twice in the past two years and had removers to do it both times, moving ourselves was not something we even considered (although we did all our own packing).
Not as expensive as you think and it means it is all done for you which helps with stress levels (plenty else to worry about on moving day).
Both times the removers used one truck and a large van and made sure there were plenty of staff on hand (five on our first move and seven on the second).
First time we were moving 45-miles and the second only 20-miles and each time it cost about £1.1k, money well spent in our opinion.

We learned a lesson when we moved after 20 years in the same house. It got to the point where I was lobbing stuff out of the bedroom window into the massive skip on the drive.

We got rid of the kids school stuff, just kept one folder from each, graduation photo etc. I regularly go through things now and it’s always one out, one in. We’ve just got rid of footwear that will never be worn again. My biggest problem is getting DH to sort through his stuff and paperwork.

You probably can’t make it fit into one small van.

When we move we get 2 or 3 quotes from removal firms. They decide what size van or lorry the job will need. And in my experience to move a 4 bed house is normally a big lorry not a small van. And we don’t have a lot of clutter either.

Just get a big skip @ShittyGlitter & start decluttering ruthlessly. If it gets full quickly then get it collected and replaced by another one.

We've had a 'one in, one out' policy for years so we don't hang on to old things. We also very rarely buy new stuff as it's just future landfill.

Clothes and shoes can go to clothing bank. Books can be recycled. Toys and games to charity shops or donated to local schools/playgroups. Bikes and furniture sold or donated. Some second hand shops take electronics. Do all this first to reduce the amount for the skip.

Removals company will come to your house and quote based on what they see to be moved.

A ridiculous amount! We got rid of so much stuff, gave decent stuff away on FB marketplace and did about 25 trips to the tip.
We still needed 4 big vans to move everything, as well as several trips with the car absolutely full

Little and often works for us. We have a dump pile by the back gate which gets taken when too big, a battery box by the front door, regular bags of clothes to friends etc.

4 bed 2 children is very unlikely to fit into one small van.

Will you have both properties for more than one day? If it's rental to buy you can overlap for a month, in which case yes you can do it with a small van but you'll need multiple trips.

Otherwise not very likely....

Thanks for the replies

@BarelyCoping123 i feel your post. Only in the last month did I get rid of a cot bed and pram from the attic. My youngest is 8! And we knew we weren’t have more!!

@FirstFallopians I thought I was quite good at the one in one out thing and usually quite on top of the kids clothes. I think I have problem areas too…the attic is one. Plus kids toys! They never seem to out grow these 🤔

@SingingSands likewise, I feel like everything is crap. I just want a chair, my coffee machine and a couple pairs of clean knickers 🤣

@Bluevelvetsofa thats a good idea about the folders, I’ll do that. There is a lot of the kids artwork too to whittle down. I’d love to throw stuff out the window!

@Twiglets1 i think you are right, I was kinda hoping a couple runs (were not moving far) in a Luton style van would work? We were thinking of doing it ourselves. The first quote for movers we got was £1800 and that was a rough estimate. The luton is only £120 per day

I urge you to get a removals firm with packing service if you can possibly afford it @ShittyGlitter ( the packing service doesn’t cost much extra). It honestly makes moving so much less stressful.

Def pay for removals it's just too much.

We had a very small house and 4 DC we were minimalist was still more than one large van.

@WallaceinAnderland This sounds very organised, we have not been so smart over the years. The removal companies seem to want me to describe everything like how many boxes etc which I’m finding hard because it’s not packed and I’m not smart enough to figure it out! If I had someone come to the house to quote that would be great.

@Octavia64 No we will not have both properties! We will literally need have the van(s) packed the night before I guess, maybe have to nip back for any remaining things. That’s probably not going to work is it 🥲

Sounds like you need to find local firms that will come to your house to quote. That’s what we have always done in the past.

‘The first quote for movers we got was £1800 and that was a rough estimate. The luton is only £120 per day’

So how much a day is sick pay for your injured back? And therapy for your damaged relationship?

Moving furniture is actually a pretty skilled job, good movers will not break, chip or drop your stuff, they will get a lot more in the van because they know how to load it, they will supply the packing materials which otherwise you will have to buy or borrow. Just think of it as a trade job, no different from changing a radiator or adding a ring circuit.

Not very much clutter now.

Also suggest going forward having bags or boxed in one place to donate. I always have charity bag and a donate to younger cousin bag on the go. So just fill as quick or slow and donate that bag or give away when full.

Our removers also built the beds etc etc. they were worth every £

You need to shop around as prices can vary greatly, the ones we used were a great price, had come recommended and were brilliant.

If the removers you have spoken to won't come and survey, you need to speak to others who will.

Each time moved (and the first time was at the end of COVID when people made any excuse to avoid a physical survey) we had three companies come round, survey and quote.... No problem. If they didn't want to come around or wanted to do a video survey we just said no-thanks.

If you are are set on doing it yourselves I take it you have no big/bulky/heavy furniture and/or have lots of willing help?

The only outrageous quote we had was from Pickford's who were almost three times as expensive as the others. Everyone else was very much in the similar ballpark.

There is a lot to be said for having every box, item of furniture, plant pot etc being placed in exactly the spot you want it. You will have plenty to do when it comes to packing/unpacking.

Oh we have so much shite.

We did 2 skips before we moved last December and have had 6 since. The house is still overflowing with unnecessary stuff!

I think it breeds.

Oh, and we had one massive moving truck. They loaded it up within 2 hours and unloaded just as fast the other end.

Only 2 guys as well. Speak to some moving companies, they know what they’re doing :)

I do a big clear out every 6mths. It involves skip bags and being ruthless.

I’m getting much better at operating a “one in one out system” e.g if I buy new sheets because the old ones are looking greyish or worn then the old ones either get torn for rags or I recycle /bin. You used to keep them “just in case” but then end up with endless crap.

I downsized from a very big house about 5yrs ago and we had filled it with so much stuff I had to be brutal. It’s still took the moving crew 4 days to pack. I swore never again.

If I haven't used something in a year, it goes. Clothes too. I can't deal with too much stuff. One exception is books. I'm less ruthless there. It's my weakness...

Moving yourself is a nightmare imo. I'd have to be mega skint to do it, so the movers can recommend a size van. If you have to do it yourself then are you buying or renting? Just not sure how you can do it all in the time frame required without loads of help.