When to start packing

Veromartos

A question for everyone who is packing now.
We are selling our 3 beds house and we are 2 adults and 2 kids.
I do not have a moving date yet and we did not even exchanged contracts. My solicitor told me we are aiming for end of October.
When should I start packing?

GDB2222

After exchange is normal. How many weeks will you have between exchange and completion?

No harm in getting rid of clutter now, though.

MovingForwards

Declutter, get rid of everything you don't need / use anymore.

Then you can start packing up things you want, but don't need to use at the moment eg ornaments, seasonal clothes, spare items.

By the time you exchange there won't be loads to pack.

MrsBrush

I would say start as early as possible, as it is the one thing in the entire process you have control over. It will also take a long time to do in one go if you have busy lives, and it will make the stress levels soar! There are only 2 of us, but we both work long hours in busy, stressful jobs. And despite originally aiming for August, then this week, it is now more likely to be mid-October, so again, takes the pressure off a bit.

We started on the loft first, as we knew that would be a nightmare. We had 2 households condensed into one when my husband moved in, which we never really got round to organising when piles of stuff went into the loft several years ago. Fortunately, my husband has a van with his work and access to a skip that his firm are happy that workers use if they ask permission. So 5 vanloads of toot and several trips to the charity shop later, and it started to look less daunting. We have gone through everything with a fine tooth comb, we found things we thought lost forever, and re-packed what we are keeping into the used boxes that again came from his works (that normally go straight to recycling!) Just this exercise took us 2 weekends, but it was fairly leisurely and we actually had fun doing it! 

Next was the shed, and all of the cupboards, apart from kitchen and bathroom. Similar exercise, another couple of weekends and that all got done. We have been repeating this exercise with the utility room, the bathroom and spare bedroom / office, and now the only things left are the things we are actually using day to day. As we are now getting closer, I have started on the kitchen over the weekend, one cupboard at a time, throwing away unwanted stuff, cleaning the inside of the cupboards and putting back what we still need (into small cardboard boxes where I can) so when the time comes it will be quick to clear and do a final clean.

The only issue now is the large and growing pile of packed boxes! The cat is happy though, plenty of high towers to play on and survey the empire from!!

PollyWollyDoodle

Decluttering is the main thing to do now. My advice would be not to pack too early, as MrsBrush says you end up surrounded by boxes and in my experience it can be rather dispiriting. Wait until you have a definite date in view, or pack things that can go back inside cupboards so they are out of sight. 

To be honest, my top tip would be to pay the removers to pack for you! I think it’s the best money I have spent over the whole transaction

bramptonbrew

Another vote for decluttering now! That way, you can do a run to the tip once a week or so, and slowly chip away at it. We moved in July, but as soon as we exchanged (we bought a new build so exchange was quite a while before completion - in March) we started to pack away the things we wouldn't use before we moved (mostly winter clothes and boots, but also some books and stuff like that). Once we had a better idea of our completion date, we started packing at the end of May - just doing a box a day really at first, just so when it got to the week before, we didn't have a lot to do. 

Veromartos

Thanks everyone, I think I will star this weeked with the shed and the garage. 
Stupid question...how many boxes should I order? Obviously depends how many things you have...but roughly how many you lot used?

firebubble

Adding to the 'start early with decluttering rather than packing' advice.

Actually packing stuff into boxes takes far longer than you expect, and even trying to do it cheaply, things like buying boxes was more expensive than expected.

Decluttering and reducing what you're going to take is step one - it will take longer to dispose of things you don't want than you expect too, particularly if you are going to try and sell things which is incredibly time consuming.

Things to start on now:

Loft, garage, shed, greenhouse. Old paint tins and garden chemicals have to be disposed of properly so do that first. Leave sheds, greenhouses and lofts completely empty and then you can forget about them, designate the garage as the place for stuff ready to move. 

Start eating your way through your freezer - if you haven't defrosted it for a while, do it now, so you're not dealing with lots of melting ice at the last minute. 

Books, christmas decs, seasonal clothes, photo albums - have a think about things you will definitely take, but are unlikely to look at between now and October, as they can be packed. 

Spend a day decluttering clothes and shoes.

Get your kids to go through their toys and get rid of anything they don't want.

Have a think about anything big which you already know won't fit or be required in your new house - can you dispose of it or even get ready to dispose of it now, eg cleaning in, taking pics to sell, creating listings.

bramptonbrew

Veromartos said:

Thanks everyone, I think I will star this weeked with the shed and the garage. 
Stupid question...how many boxes should I order? Obviously depends how many things you have...but roughly how many you lot used?

If you've got a local FB page or Nextdoor group, it's worth asking on there if anyone has any spare moving boxes - it's how I got rid of ours! My brother-in-law moved a month or so before us, so we just used his boxes. Saves you spending loads of money on cardboard; even if you only manage to get a handful of free boxes you've saved a few quid at least

Veromartos

Good idea! I will post it on my neighbourhood FB page.
Thanks.

MrsBrush

We are so lucky, my husband's firm have saved us a fortune on boxes and packing tape. We just bought several rolls of bubble wrap.

It is also work putting out a FB call, I have seen loads where people either need boxes or have moved and need to get rid of them. Try this first, as you never know. Also, go to the local supermarket and see if you can get some from there?

We are at 88 so far, and we are about 85% done. But, these boxes are all shapes and sizes, so probably not a good guide from 2 people who don't like throwing anything away! Also, label each box as you go and sort out a system so you know what is in each one as well. When labelling, also include the room that you want the box to go into, will make it much easier for the removals company when the time comes. Mine are numbered and have the destination room and noted if it contains breakable or fragile items. I then have a spreadsheet that has a detailed list of all of the contents. Very handy to have this as the boxes all start looking the same!