Moving House Old Style

misskool

Labels for each and every box. Scrounge around for boxes if you are not getting a moving company, try and get double thickness ones, too many times when a box has collapsed on me. paper tape and duct tape. bubble wrap, newspaper for wrapping fragile things in. masses of bin bags for throwing things in that won't fit properly, clothes hangers, etc

Clothes can be vacuum packed for easy moving. just get a strong black bin liner, stuff clothes in, tie a knot, suck air out, seal with duct tape. kitchen things probably need to be bubble wrapped.

Clear off one corner of the flat entirely and start stacking boxes there. No idea if you have furniture, but when you take them apart, put all the screws, nuts and bolts in a plastic bag and tape it to the furniture itself (you'll never find it again otherwise).

and don't forget, free beer and pizza to any male friends who can lift a box

tanith

I got coloured sticky circles I think from WHSMITH and then had a different colour sticker for example. Blue Bedroom, Red living Room , Yellow Kitchen. White Bathroom, Green Garage .. then you don't need to bother reading labels... put several same colour stickers on each box .. good luck

earwig

ok i am realy bad at this all i do is empty a draw in a black bag and stick a lable on where it comes from eg the kitchen junk draw i empty it into black bag write on lable kichten junk draw then when i get to the new place i just empty the black bag into the new kitchen junk draw easy as pie

liz545

I've moved a couple of times now, so I'm getting to be something of an expert at it! Start by amassing plenty of boxes - off licenses are good for this as the boxes that spirits come in are about the right size to fill with books etc without being too heavy. They can also be neatly stacked up against a wall to stay out of the way. Heavy boxes on the bottom, lighter/breakables on top!

Books are also a good thing to pack first as you won't need them immediately. Have a bin bag for ones that are going to charity, and a box for stuff that you're packing, don't overfill, seal with parcel tape and label clearly. Now's a good chance to be ruthless as well, if you don't think you need something, put it in the charity bag.

Clothes can be packed in a suitcase, and stashed in the wardrobe until moving day. You've only got 2 weeks, so leave out your essentials and pack everything else. Again, use the charity bag! Bedlinen can be packed inside pillowcases and put in suitcases, or get a couple of those big plastic laundry bags (you know, the ugly tartan ones from poundshops) - also great for shoes & bags.

Bathroom stuff - towels make great packing material, so use them to wrap breakable ornaments or kitchenware. If you've got several half-empty bottles of shampoo/showergel etc, consolidate them all, recycle the empties, and only leave out what you'll need. Ziploc bags are good for this as they contain any leaks!

Kitchen stuff - start with the stuff you don't use very often, ask yourself why you don't use it and if you need to keep it, wrap breakables in dishcloths/towels/newspaper, pack in boxes and label the outside. Clean the cupboards as you empty them to save you doing it on moving day. Run down the stocks of storecupboard stuff, toss anything that you don't think you'll eat/is way out of date. If you don't have boxes, the heavyduty plastic bags for life will do.

Pictures/breakables - wrap in bubblewrap if you can, secure with parcel tape, and clearly label as fragile. Should go in the van last.

The moving box - a vital thing! Into this goes the kettle, mugs, teabags, milk/sugar, either some money for a takeaway or some basics for your first meal, and a loo roll. This goes on your lap in the van and gets put somewhere obvious in the new flat so you don't have to search about for it.

Hope this helps!

Optimisticpair

I assume its a DIY move. I use plastic stacking boxes for storage at mo so I have been packing them.

Clothes - if they don't fit or you will never use them find them a new home - clear plastic bags are ok for bulky coats as long as you don't throw them out mistaking them for rubbish. I only use black bags for rubbish.

Yes, get rid of things that you don't want to take with you. E-bay is good, charity shop if you can't e-bay and bin if necessary.

Clear a space and stack larger boxes out of the way. Smaller boxes can go back into emptied drawers or a wardrobe.

One school of thought says pack each room and label the box ready to go into the right room at the other end. I don't do that because if you make boxes too heavy it is a pain to lift them especially if you do your back in mid move. So I put books in the bottom and clothes on top. I also make a box up of pictures in frames, newspaper layers between, and label it all sides and top.

Smaller cardboard boxes are better than large ones that are too heavy to lift unless there are two of you. Failing that don't fill big boxes to the brim but then they don't stack as solidly.

If the bottom might fall out of a cardboard box make a parcel of it with garden twine. Packing tape is good but not as cheap as butcher's or garden string.

I use easily recognisable rigid plastic boxes with lids for my fragile things and pack them with bubble wrap, newspaper, really special fragile things that can't be replaced go into their own little box first. These go with me in the car not in the boot or van.

Obviously don't pack anything you will need until the last minute - like the night before. I also pack a small box with kettle, mugs, coffee, uht milk, sugar etc so that it can be whipped out smartish for a much needed cuppa at the other end. Label it if you don't want to lose it.

I pack dirty clothes in a clear plastic bag ready for washing if I can't wash and dry them beforehand.

I use up what is in the store cupboard and freezer and don't replace it so that there is less to pack and then pack what is left in Cool bags for fridge / freezer stuff. If food might spill I put it upright in a plastic bag.

I can't think of anything else! Happy house move and enjoy life in your new home.

PennyPinchingPrincess

As you are moving into a flat it's not so important to keep things from each room together as once boxes are in the flat you only have to move them from room to room, not up and down stairs

claireabelle_2

Hi purpleprincess... i'm moving in a couple of weeks and found this handy link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/property/moving_packingtips.shtml

Rummer

We started off really well, going through each area and clearing things into different piles:

• Move - included items we might sell on
• Charity/freecycle
• Bin

Then we packed solid things into small/medium boxes and soft things into bin liners. everyone was labeled with the room it was to go to and a rough note of it's contents. This approach worked well until we ran out of time and then we through whatever was left into whatever we could find!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
I still remember arguing over whether or not we really needed to keep the sledges while trying to mop the kitchen floor with about 5mins left until the new owners arrived! Good luck!

sillylittlejill

Hey

I spend a lot of time in OS section reading but not so much posting.

Me and OH are currently living with my parents after renting a flat last year. We have today applied for a 2 bed end terrace house and paid the rent/deposit etc so just waiting for credit checks etc and to sign contract and will get keys tomorrow. We gave a lot of stuff to a friend of mine who was moving in to her own place when we moved back in with my parents because we didn't have the space to keep any of it.

Now we are moving back out (hopefully!) and can't really get this stuff back because she is using it and it would be unfair to ask for it back (in my opinion, OH feels different!).

We have things like a slow cooker, a deep fat fryer etc but don't have a sofa, or a kitchen table etc. We are going to a place in our town called Impact that sells second hand stuff but not sure if we can afford it right now.

Basically, I am looking for some advice on how to start living OS and how to move out cheaply.

Apologies if there is a thread similar to this somewhere else, couldn't find one but if there is one, I'd be grateful if someone could point me in the right direction

xxx

spikeysoul

Join freecycle!!!!!!! - really do!

Check out gumtree too - they sometimes have stuff posted v. cheap or even for free with pick up

You don't say if you have any kids - if you do apparently some sure start centers get donations and don't know what to do with them - so you could always ask there.

You could also ring your local council - they may have a list of organisations that may help with free or low cost furniture - I havn't heard of impact, but i know some charities run specific furniture places - Dove House for instance.

I can't think of anything else right now - unless you are on benefits (Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Pension Credit on the day that you apply. In addition, you must have been on one of these benefits for at least 26 weeks) - then you can apply for an interest free loan for furniture and moving costs.

Oh - and last time we moved we got a load of mates and hired a van for £50 - we got some boxes from other people who had moved, but I also went on ebay and bought some - not too expensive and worth it becasue they were soo sturdy. It took ages (but we had a full house to move) but we also had quite a good day really - make sure your electic will be on, pack a bag full of tea/coffee/biscuits - if you have kettles at both places no one goes short. Have a precooked meal you can stick in the slow cooker - and everyone can eat together afterwards, cheaply!

Hope that was the kind of thing you were looking for?