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Moving tips and tricks

I appreciate this is a fairly small issue in the grande scheme of house buying/selling but I'm on a quest to make this my most organised/stress free move yet!

I've moved house 5 times in the last 8 years with gradually increasing quantities of 'stuff'. Our last move was from a flat to a house and we seemed to spend ages taking the last bits and bobs from the old place to the new and cleaning it (we aren't that grubby but it still seemed to take a lifetime) when we should be enjoying the new place.

This is our final move from a rental to buying and we should have a bit of overlap which will be great to reduce the pressure but I'm still keen to hear how you organise yourselves and any tricks you have to make moving as smooth as possible.

ETA: I should add we don't have the budget to pay someone to do it all for us!
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Comments

  • lessonlearned
    lessonlearned Posts: 13,337 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker I've been Money Tipped!
    The best advice i think is to declutter before you move, not after....and be ruthless.:D

    The fact that you have an overlap should help reduce the stress levels but not necessarily the amount of trips required.

    Tbh I sometimes think that in cases like this it's just not worth the hassle of trying to do it all myself, but I guess it all depends on how young, fit and healthy you are.

    I would probably end up paying out as much in Physio treatments to sort my back out as I would save on not hiring a removal firm. ::rotfl:
  • good_advice
    good_advice Posts: 2,653 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker Mortgage-free Glee! Rampant Recycler
    DECLUTTER! before you move.
    If you have not worn, used or needed an item in the last 3mths, 6mths or at most a year = you do not need it :0)
    The secret to success is making very small, yet constant changes.:)
  • fairy_lights
    fairy_lights Posts: 9,220 Forumite
    Agree with the decluttering suggestion. Get rid of anything you haven't used or thought about in the last year.
    Another thing I've found helps with the stress of moving is to pack anything expensive, fragile, or with sentimental value, along with your important documents in to a box beforehand and store it at a friend or relatives house, to be picked up after the chaos of the move is over. That way you don't have to worry about precious things getting broken or lost and for me that takes a bit of weight off my shoulders.
  • hohum
    hohum Posts: 476 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    we're in the middle of a move from rental to buying, with overlap. We're doing it gradually, plus we're moving in to somewhere that needs work. We're probably massively haphazard but I want to keep as low stress as possible so my guiding mission is not to fret.

    I agree start decluttering now. We've been clearing through for the past month, starting with cupboards and filing. I have posted a few things back to people, offered things out on freecycle. I'm too lazy to sell but if you have time you might consider doing this?

    Get hold of boxes and start packing up as you declutter. Our office is currently full of boxes.

    Book in friends who owe you favours to help with move in plenty of time - funny how offers of help decrease as the date gets closer! Think about best use of people's time eg some friends will help us shift, some friends will help us clean.

    Ideally I'd clean new place before moving boxes & furniture in but people resource wise that's more tricky as boyfriend has more time but less inclination to clean.

    Be realistic about loads if moving yourself. We've allowed 2 hours per van load in/ out with three guys moving items and a short drive between properties. Realistically we're looking at three per day, and we've estimated two days to shift entire house. We're doing in stages.

    Write a list of items for loading, and where they need to go in new house - saves you having to shift twice once you have loaded in.

    As we are moving in to a place that needs work, I have set aside money to do a professional clean on the place we're leaving as I kind of can't bear the idea of deep cleaning two places - and you will need to clean your new place to some extent. It was worth the spend to me.

    Also allow for all those small spends that will crop up - new locks, cleaning products, drinks and lunch when you're moving etc. It's going to get spent so you may as well budget for it.
  • DaftyDuck
    DaftyDuck Posts: 4,609 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Well, having just finished a move, here are my sleep-deprived ramblings... :rotfl: Most apply whetehr you DIY it, or get men in.

    Use BAR - type packing boxes, standard size and shape if possible. Plenty of tape. Have three different colours or more, ideally a bright one to finish off all "Fragile" boxes. Marker pens, write IN LARGE for the removal bods and a really fine one for writing "knickers, spot cream, pile ointment... they won't have time to read it, you will find the essentials faster.

    Pack a couple of essentials boxes and stick them in your car. Towel, soap, toothbrush, medicines, undies, the cat, spare phone, pen, paper, whatever. Stick a kettle and mugs, coffee and sugar in as well if you can.

    Stack boxes neatly in room order for the new place. If removals are doing it, they'll thank you for it, and do a swift job. If doing it yourself, your back will thank you. Pack books into small boxes, as they will be heavy. Try not to put them on the floor, but on other boxes, as it will be easier to lift. Wrap fragile items well. Scrumple the paper before you wrap, as it will make a better shield. Use LOTS of paper. A rug, cloth, or just scrumpled paper in the bottom helps. Pack fragiles on their own, don't stick the iron in with the Ming. Use LOTS of tape. If it doesn't stick brilliantly, wrap all the way round the box so it sticks to itself.

    Remove pendulums from clocks, let them wind down first. Take batteries out where possible.

    Clothes can be left in drawers, and they can be carted as they are. Draws with small delicates in ... clingfilm the entire draw, front to back, then shove it back in. Clingfilm can also be used to bind bits of bedframe together, wrap all sorts of ungainly items.... LABEL IT ALL for which room you are going to put it in.... Post-it notes can help with furniture. ... they'll falloff, but they are still a help. A plan of the new place for removals team goes down a treat, as does a simple map of where to park, the address (!) and even a Google Streetview link.

    Feed your removal crew. Tea, coffee, biscuits, cake, whatever. In summer heat, give them water by the gallon. If doing it yourself, give yourself a treat or two for the saving - a really good bottle to look forward to, or something as incentive. If using friends, how about a good pub meal out as reward. After they've done it all!

    Have a box full of tape, pens, scissors, screwdrivers and Allen keys for beds. Have a stock of envelopes to bung those screws in and label them well. Remove keys from wardrobes so they don't snap off.

    I could go on.... but that's a start! :D
  • Mrs_Cheese
    Mrs_Cheese Posts: 32 Forumite
    Thanks everyone, the decluttering has started so thats a good step. Great tip about putting boxes for same room together too I hadn't thought of that thank you.
  • tealady
    tealady Posts: 3,801 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Mortgage-free Glee!
    My tip is to make the beds as soo as you can because there is nothing worse than spending all day moving, then having to hunt for bedding and pillows before you can get a good nights kip.
    As long as they kitchen and bathroom are functional and you have clean clothes for the next day anything else can wait so don't stress trying to unpack everything on moving day.
    Agree with the decluttering though, I know someone who moved house and 5 years later there were boxes they hadn't unpacked because they didn't need the stuff in them!
    Find out who you are and do that on purpose (thanks to Owain Wyn Jones quoting Dolly Parton)
  • CathA
    CathA Posts: 1,207 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    tealady wrote: »
    My tip is to make the beds as soo as you can because there is nothing worse than spending all day moving, then having to hunt for bedding and pillows before you can get a good nights kip.
    As long as they kitchen and bathroom are functional and you have clean clothes for the next day anything else can wait so don't stress trying to unpack everything on moving day.
    Agree with the decluttering though, I know someone who moved house and 5 years later there were boxes they hadn't unpacked because they didn't need the stuff in them!

    I'll second that one!! Make sure you hang the curtains up and do the beds first, as then when you've had enough you just need to clean your teeth and go to bed.
    Oh and also, chocolate, lots of chocolate and if it takes your fancy-wine. Good luck x
  • TBeckett100
    TBeckett100 Posts: 4,732 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker Cashback Cashier
    My tip when moving is to leave more time between sawing off the banisters and gluing them back together. We lived in a tiny cottage with no banisters and forgot when we had the banisters built that our furniture was trapped upstairs. I won't begin to tell you how much locktite it took to make it look good again
  • ripplyuk
    ripplyuk Posts: 2,900 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    I'm in the middle of packing and hopefully moving in next week. I've been reading up about packing tips so I thought I had it sorted. It all started off so well, nicely labelled boxes, packed neatly in the rooms they belong to, bubble wrapped/newspaper etc. I even sold some unwanted items beforehand and brought lots to the charity shop.

    But, it's just got to the point now where I'm stuffing things in anywhere. There's so much, it's just overwhelming. I've resorted to using bin liners for things I know should be boxed and I've overloaded the boxes with books, files etc. I've ran out of bubble wrap but the ornaments don't seem that important anymore, so I'm not too bothered. All the while, I'm ringing up companies to change my address, trying to sort out the utilities for the new house and looking for a cheap fridge freezer on gumtree. :rotfl:

    My tip is to start early, REALLY early, like as soon as you have the slightest thought that you might be moving. That way you won't end up a frazzled mess like me!
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