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Ask for packing boxes / tea chests on your local freecycle network - and remember to post them as offered once they are empty!
Jim0 -
1. Don't start packing early, especially if you have young children. It upsets them. Sort stuff instead. Make sure everything you don't want has already left the house before you start to pack.
I agree on the sorting, but I would also start packing as early as possible (albeit I don't have children to worry about). I started about 2 months before the move - sorting out clothes was a biggie, as I was able to get rid of a lot to ebay and the clothes bank. Books and ornaments can be packed up well in advance, as can lots of things you know you won't need before the move (in my case this included uni notes, ski gear and various sports/camping equipment). Basically, it's a huge job so spread it out as much as you can. And of course, label every box! (even if just with the room it came from)3. Carry the unreplaceable yourself. Be realistic about unreplaceable! This does not include your good but still current china & glass. If you pack it yourself it is not insured by removers.
Agreed for valuables. Although it is worth bearing in mind that for fragile items, a removals team may be better equipped and experienced to look after them.5. Plan where large items of furniture will go in the new place. It saves time.
Definitely!
I have 2 other tips - I have used www.iammoving.com in the past; although now that online forms for changing your stored address are more common, it was less useful in my most recent move. Still worth recommending.
And also, if practical, put your name on the letterbox for the first month or so - will help the postman faced with mail addressed to an unfamiliar name at that address.
Lastly, introduce yourself to the residents of any similar addresses, especially those which share a postcode - we have 3 addresses all very similar under our postcode, and one of the first things I did after moving in was to share all our names between the three houses, so that we could identify any misdelivered mail and drop it round ourselves (and vice versa). Has been very handy, and also a good excuse to say hello to some new neighbours
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Something else to think about, make sure the toolbox is handy and goes with you in the car, i'd forgotten about that until i saw hubby's list...:D0
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this is great. we are exchanging tomorrow so lots of packing boxes around and some lists being drawn up from this lot. keep it coming!!Debt free March 2010
Focussing on babies and paying off the mortgage!0 -
Get a grocery shop delivered a couple of hours after you are due to move in.
As an army wife, we arrive in an unfamiliar town and its great to not have to try to hunt down a supermarket and do a shop, but try to allow for removal men to have finished and also remember frozen is not a good idea as your freezer needs time to settle.0 -
If you have fish, good pet stores will usually have spare polystyrene transport boxes from wholesale breeders, which they'll give you free, or sell for a nominal amount. These come with lids, so are spill & light proof, and they'll also keep tropicals warm.0
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Take your laptop hopefully wireless enabled to a pub with free wireless connectivity,log on and surf the net,check ur e-mails and have a few beers while the missus looks after the move !! simps 
I've been using my phone as a modem for my laptop because I have unlimited data. Most phones can do this.
If that isn't an option it might be worth getting a pay and go dongle.
I couldn't handle being away from the web while they move my phone line and internet.0 -
Check your home insurance - many will cover your contents when moving house so long as your valuables are packed professionally (by the movers). Ours also covered up to 7 days in storage. We had four quotes for removers & only one (Bishops) told us this, rather than trying to sell us their own insurance. Some will reassemble your beds for you & even pack your loft (if it has a fixed ladder, lights & boarding).
If you have small children, get packers in to do your packing - it'll be done in fewer days & they won't be "helping" you to pack or getting distressed by. If you do have them though, lock everything you want to keep separate in the car as they will pack everything - including our newspaper for that day & our daughter's favourite toy - necessitating a small unpack. Keep your moving documents, phones & laptops out of their way. Keep a digital camera handy for taking photos of the state of the rooms when you move out / move in.
Print out / write up A4 labels naming each of the rooms in your new home so the removers know where to put the boxes. Bedroom 3 could be the Study or the Dining Room otherwise.
If you have small children, make sure their bedding & curtains (to keep out the light / allow them a good night's sleep) are near the top of their boxes so they can go to sleep in familiar surroundings.
Good luck0 -
Book your pets into a cattery/kennel, if you can, over the move. Nothing worse than a scared cat bolting for the garden and not being found!
When you get to your new house, use post it notes to show what is inside the kitchen cupboards! This can stay for a few days or weeks if necessary!
Don't buy cheap biscuits for the removal team !!!
Number and name your boxes with the room destination.When they arrive at the new house try and get someone to direct the removal tean to the correct room. Putting Bedroom 1 or bedroom 2 on the doors of the rooms helps too.
Last time I moved I noted the numbers of the boxes as they were brought into the house, used those numbers for a lottery ticket and won £75!!!:j
Also try not to complete and move on a friday if you can possibly avoid it. My mother was held up by a slow solicitor in the chain and almost had to have a bridging loan over the weekend! Horrid situation to be in but thankfully it went thru late afternoon.
Good luck to all who are moving.0 -
Hi, I don't know if this applies only in Scotland, but if the boiler in the house you move into is found to be faulty within three days of purchase then it's the previous owner's responsibility to get it fixed or pay for the repairs.
What you can do is arrange a month in advance for British Gas Homecare or similar, where they do a free boiler check and arrange for the check within a couple of days of moving in. You may pay an extra month of cover, but that is easily cheaper than getting your boiler checked out normally!
Ben
Yes, I was stung for £1k the last time I moved house because I didn't know about this but the purchaser of my property did and had Scottish Gas booked to condemn the boiler on the day they moved in. Lesson learned, always get your boiler serviced before you move and have a certificate showing it is in working order.0
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