Moving in 1 day... pregnancy... toddler... no money... no help... eek!

mmummy21

Hello!

We have agreed a swap from our flat to a house on the other side of town. It's an opportunity we can't say no to.

Now we have a few "issues"

As it's a swap it all has to be done in 1 day really. The other tenants are booking a removal company for a day but we absolutely can't afford that! We have a farmer friend willing to lend a tractor and a big trailer. I have a small car for the little things. We're in a 2 bedroom flat and have lots of stuff!

We don't really have any friends who can help us! So we have to shift the furniture between us. We have 1 flight of stairs to get down and I'm 3 months pregnant, what are we doing!!

I have a 1 year old daughter and will have to take her to my Mums which is 45mins away so half my morning will be taken up by taking her there and back and then I'll also have to collect her in the evening as Mum won't have her overnight.

Does anyone have any ideas for us as it seems impossible. I do have £200 saved which I can use. We need to buy 2 blackout blinds for daughters room from that (£15?). I'll also need to buy boxes from that too.

BitterAndTwisted

Boxes can be acquired from supermarkets free. Have a look on Freecycle as these are the sorts of things that people often give away. Perhaps even a local estate-agent might be able to put you in touch with people who they know have moved recently. Even a little ad in the local paper or supermarket or local shop might bring some your way. Have you talked to the folks that you are swapping with? Perhaps they might be willing to share that moving vehicle and you could split the cost.

Time to start thinking laterally. If your Mum won't take your child overnight perhaps there's a neighbour or friend who might.

If you have a partner who drives get ringing rounds all of the local van-hire places. it's entirely possible that you could get a deal, especially on a weekday. You could load the van up with the really heavy stuff in the evening leave it in there overnight and then drive over at lunchtime.

sh856531

Search on google for "Man with a Van"

The last two times I have moved I have used http://www.shiply.com/ to post a job and then all the local people bid what they would charge you.

In hard times like these you will get someone willing to help your husband do the move for under £100. The last time I did it someone came out and helped me for £90! I'd never actually use a big furniture company now as they are about 5 times more expensive.

Good luck

hazyjo

Try freecycle or gumtree for boxes.

Definitely worth paying for a 'man with a van'. Probably ads in your free local papers too.

Worth checking same sites and ebay for blackout blinds and anything else you need too. Compare with 'new' prices so you know you're not paying over the odds though! ebay can sometimes be a false economy!

Good luck!

Jx

mmummy21

I'm going to go round all the supermarkets and collect as many boxes as possible. All our clothes, bedding, curtains, towels etc. can get thrown into blackbags. Furniture, rugs etc. can go as they are. I will need to box up the kitchen, DVDs and CDs, ornaments etc. and all my little one's toys. Apart from that there isn't really that much else.

How much does a removal company actually cost? I have just phoned one for a quote and they are ringing me back later. It's a 2 bedroom ground floor flat (with a flight of stairs outside) with just the normal furniture. We are doing all our own packing and will have everything boxed ready for the removal company. I am a member of Facebook groups for sales and jobs in the local area and can post my quote on there asking if anybody wants to beat it, I would want them to be insured though or would our home insurance cover it if someone was to help as a "friend" and something got broken?

I would post on shiply but we live in a tiny town in coastal Scotland and I'm sure there wouldn't be anyone local, worth a shot though!

MissMotivation

When I moved recently I hired a van and drove it myself at a cost of £60 and I picked the van up at 5pm on Thusday night and dropped it off 6pm Friday night, diesal cost about £18 and I did loads of miles.

I did two trips and that was moving from a three bed detached to a 2 bed apartment.

It can be done on the cheap!

BitterAndTwisted

Proper removal companies should have insurance for the property they are packing and carrying, so they can be very expensive. We are in a recession and businesses are crying out for customers, especially those who will pay cash on the nail. Get on the phone and call the folks you are exchanging with and all of the local places you can find. You can do this, even if it means paying someone a day rate to shift the heavy stuff and you hire something yourselves. It can be done but it might mean some hard work on the phone.

jd87

Assuming you can drive, then you can hire a van for about £30 for one day. The trick to finding cheap van hire is to call around local independent companies, steer clear of the big companies. A van and two adults can move any home in a day easily.

ViolaLass

You could also try pubs for boxes - I got plenty for my last move.

mmummy21

I know it's cheap to hire/rent a van but then it would only be me and OH to move things! And with me being 7 stone, 5ft 2 and I will be 4-5months pregnant when we move there's just no way I can help him down the flight of stairs with the TV, sofas, fridge freezer, cooker, washing machine etc. and furniture so unless we can find someone to help we're going to need an actual removal company. It's only 5 mins away so I can throw most of our stuff in the car and move it that way but I'm stuck for idea for the big stuff!

Jazee

I agree man with a van is possibly best option as you also then have someone to help with the carrying. We had one for half a day, which was plenty of time, and came in under £50.