Removals: Pack yourself or get the full service??

[OneDayIWillLearn]

We’re moving in a couple of weeks and deliberating about removals….

Last we moved we had a 3 month baby and had the full packing service, the two times before that I hired a Luton and did it all ourselves! That definitely isn’t an option this time 😂 but we are not as up against it as we were moving with the baby - who is now 5.

So can’t decide…is it worth the £900 for them to pack everything, or should we just suck it up do it ourselves? Like I said it is still a few weeks away so we could get started now and I’d certainly rather £900 in the bank than not, but are we setting ourselves up for a massive headache??

any tips if we do pack ourselves?

Just get them to do it. Then it’s all sorted in a couple of days vs spending weeks on it.

The packing material will cost a fortune, it will take AGES to physically do, you'll need to declutter AND pack (which is two jobs).

Also, you'll need to live in it as you're packing, so more stressful, particularly if the kid wants a particular toy you've already packed.

Are you moving white goods/sofas/beds? Is this something your physically up to (as well as dismantling wardrobes etc)

The £900 will feel cheap by the end of it all.

We're moving long distance so need a removal company, but are elf packing, but it's just DH and I. We started before Xmas and have done a bit at a time - along with many trips to the tip / charity shop! . Even though we are self pack, clothes in drawers and anything hanging will be packed in wardrobe boxes on the day.
Having hired a van and moved ourselves last time, I honestly never want to do that again!

If you can afford it & don't want to do it yourself then go for it! For myself I just can't stand the idea of strangers touching our stuff so we've always packed ourselves, I hate doing it though I must admit. I've moved 11 times in my life & I'm only moving again if I win the lotto!

It's definitely worth paying someone to do it for you.

Full service all the way! Saved my sanity when we moved! One word of caution however - they will pack everything that is not nailed down so if you think you’ll need something in the first couple of days pack it yourself separately (otherwise you’ll spend a week searching boxes for your phone charger like my DH!)

I'd let them do it. I can't cope with packing. We had the full service and it just took the stress out of the whole thing. Well worth the money x

Absolutely pay the company to do it. It's all done properly in a couple of hours, compared to weeks of trying to source boxed, newspaper and then working out what needs to be packed early or left until the moving day.

Totally worth it if you can afford it! I'd never pack ourselves again.

I had to call in the packers at the last minute due to a series of catastrophes that knocked me sideways and left me barely able to speak from the trauma.

I have a lot of stuff - hundreds of books, huge amounts of kitchen equipment and lots of tinned and dry goods in the larder also- and even though I had made a good start,it took a team of five a day and a half to,pack.I had totally underestimated the work.

They do pack absolutely everything though, and mine wrapped every tiny thing in swathes of paper-so it took an age to unpack. In fact most of it is still in the boxes over a year later.

Get them to do it.

Spend the time and effort that would have been taken up with packing on decluttering and tip runs.

I packed myself and didn’t find it a problem - a room every couple of days. It mean s you can declutter and get rid of the rubbish before you move, rather than taking it with you.

I liked packing myself. Otherwise things like clothes that have holes in and haven't fitted for 2 years, that toothpick hanging around in your cutlery drawer and every bit of paper stashed somewhere end up coming with you

Definitely get everything packed up for you. Moving is stressful enough without adding extra pressure on yourselves. It’s amazing how much stuff most people have, even with a minimalist lifestyle.

Full pack is so worth it and the additional cost compared to everything else involved in a move is actually minimal for the benefit of not spending days packing and sorting.
As others say they do pack everything. I did an overnight bag before they came and a separate box to come with us, which included the kettle etc which was needed during packing.
They put all the hung clothes in cardboard wardrobes and the drawers that we were moving just went full.

Full packing service. One of the few things jn my life that has been value for money. More than that really, they do what would be weeks of work for me in a single day.

Fill the car(s) with anything you might need or precious things you want to keep to yourself, then let them do the rest. Keep the tea, coffee, milk and biscuits flowing at both ends. Beforehand though, ruthlessly declutter and label anything staying. We ended up having to return a couple of things that should have been left.

Last time we moved we got the movers to pack up the kitchen which they did the morning of. It was only £30 extra. So it could be worth, if your undecided, doing a half way kind of thing and picking a couple of nightmare rooms they may be willing to do, while you tackle your more personal belongings that can be packed more in advance.

Pay them to pack. It's worth every penny

Agree get packers in.

However due to short time between exchange and moving most companies were booked up and we ended up with a company who quoted for 60 boxes then £150 for every 10 boxes they packed after. Due to having a lot of stuff we ended up packing our own boxes too, just to get the job done in time and keep costs down.