Prosperous & Creative Soul & MFW Year 3

KajiKita

“ I'm making progress on packing and decluttering the house but in a very perfectionist way. I need to find a way to speed up!! Ah well - future me will thank me for my consideration.”

Yup, I remember that too. Trust me, your future self will appreciate it and you *will* turn into a whirling dervish towards the end of the process, with anything and everything getting thrown into together! 😉 That’s why it is so good to have your strategies defined and possibly even executed for the absolutely critical things (survival box, clean(ish) bedding by the day of the move, how to pack your paintings safely etc) now, so that when Whirling Dervish state manifests, you know those elements are under control 😊

KK

EssexHebridean

Thoughts - as I am reading through so others may have raised these already!

We had a bag to throw in the car with us with clean clothes for the day after the move, clean bedding, clean towels, toiletries etc - as soon as our bed was in place that bag was simply dropped onto it and we then knew where it was ready for making up the bed and being ready to get dressed the first morning in the new house without having to worry about unpacking other clothes.

mattress cover - your removers should be able to deal with this - I think we paid an extra £4 for a double mattress cover, and didn’t bother paying for the single, but the team said we shouldn’t have bothered paying anything as they always wrapped them anyway! (And both were wrapped in thick plastic covers in exactly the same way. )

Your survival or “first box in” box should ideally travel with you - our removers shoved ours on the truck but it was indeed the first thing they brought in when we got here! A torch can be useful, and also things like protein bars and other easy to grab snacky foods. As well as tea & coffee for the removal team think bottled water and maybe some cheap soft drinks as a lot of younger people do drink tea and coffee these days. Also allow at least one extra mug for them as if they have spare people on the day they’ll throw extra bodies at moves to get through faster. We were meant to have a team of 3, but ended up with 4 which was great. 

If you have the holiday time spare, then 100% book it. I really wish we’d had the time available to us to book the day before the move for example, and while we had two days afterwards, ideally an extra 1 would have been useful.

Have a sturdy bag available in your bedroom on moving day - you can then just throw your dirty clothes from the day before, your stripped bedding, and dirty towels into it and it can go on the truck labelled up to go into whichever room you want it to go to at the new house. Remember to grab the hand towel from the bathroom in use on the day at the old house before you leave.

Blackcats

you are you are doing really well with your preparations for moving.  Some great advice on packing/planning strategies.  Last time we moved I went to the local cafe mid morning to get bacon butties and coffees for us and the removers.  At that stage there was activity in most rooms and on the stairs etc so it was good to get out of their way and they were very happy with their brunch.  Useful to have some cash on the day for tipping.

good to know BiL is coming with you tomorrow.  I'm sure you will have compiled a list of questions and things to look at tomorrow. 

savingholmes

Thanks Blackcats, EH and KK

You may think this is a weird question but why would I tip? And if I did, by how much?

Thanks for other suggestions.

I have gone through 3 boxes in my wardrobe and purged a third. I've packed the contents of a toybox. I've gone through 5 shelves of stuff in DS' wardrobe and purged some. Making progress albeit still slow. I'm slowly moving upstairs stuff coming with me into DD's emptied room so I get a sense of how much is left to do.

I need to move 2 boxes of photos/albums in there. (From childhood). At some future point I may make them all digital but for now will move.

Listening to stories, music and stuff on decluttering to sporadically have motivation.

DD says will come with me tomorrow too.

Totally behind on diaries again, forgive me!!

Counselling session booked in for end of next week.

I need to wrap guitar for nephew. Found tuner too so that feels positive.

Merlin's_Beard

I'm glad I'm not the only one wondering about the tip - I never have when I've moved - should I have?

EssexHebridean

My view was the almost certainly several members of the team were probably on minimum wage or close to it - the young lad with our lot almost certainly, and very possibly all bar the driver could be in some firms. I wouldn’t tip as standard, but we were prepared with £20 a head if the job was done spectacularly well, or if they went above and beyond, and ours really did. We had a few items of furniture which were tricky to manoeuvre; they helped with getting our old fridge freezer out even though it wasn’t going to take with us; they were helpful about moving the two sofas which we’d bought from the sellers from one end of the house to the other. Above all they were efficient, polite and actively problem-solved. In terms of giving the tip we waited until they were all together at the end, then gave the whole lot to the chap we’d identified as the most senior - but in view of them all, and specifying that “there’s a few drinks each there chaps - thanks so much for all your help, we really appreciate how easy you’ve made everything” so making it very clear that the money was to be shared out - in our case we certainly didn’t have the impression that the senior chap might have kept it, but that way there can be no doubt. 

As I said - I’m not of the American mindset where a tip is simply expected, but I absolutely will tip in a service environment if a job is very well done, or if people out in more effort than the basic level of the job requires. I don’t think it’s a “should” - but it is a “nice thing to do” if someone is financially able, and particularly where the people receiving the tip are probably less financially well off. 

KajiKita

When we moved I didn’t tip the head guy as he was a shark, didn’t do a great job and I didn’t like him at all, but I did discreetly tip the assistant guy who seemed to be doing the vast majority of the work and helped me set up the beds. 

KK

Humdinger1

Getting excited vicariously @savingholmes about your move! Your planning, as ever, is impressive love Humdinger xx 

EssexHebridean

KajiKita said:

When we moved I didn’t tip the head guy as he was a shark, didn’t do a great job and I didn’t like him at all, but I did discreetly tip the assistant guy who seemed to be doing the vast majority of the work and helped me set up the beds. 

KK

Excellent use of the power of tipping there KK! 

savingholmes

Thanks Merlin, EH, KK  and Humdinger1

Well today's visit went extremely well. BIL reassured me that the house was in good shape for its price and that the outstanding jobs are affordable for me. He has said he and my nephews are happy to give me a hand with some stuff like boxing some pipework in and power washing outside etc. Obviously I'll get proper people in for the guttering which is top priority and the electrical work. Plus hopefully call on my handyman. He thinks even the patio doors may be rescuable so we will see... 

DD liked the place too and we nipped in a shop she wanted to visit and then ate out at a pub. She has agreed I can try and sell one of her bikes and that she wants the other. If it doesn't sell I'll tip it - as I know they recycle the bikes anyway (i.e try to fix and resell them).

The sellers have offered to leave me a TV as I don't have one as and the dishwasher. I really didn't want to have to disconnect and shift my dishwasher so that's a relief. Will let my buyers know. They are also going to leave a few shelves in bedroom 3.

I will have to do the guttering and fascia boards asap as the noise of the dripping will otherwise drive me insane!! Let's hope it doesn't take too long to find someone. BIL suggested that I get a roofer to check out the roof while the scaffolding is up as he thinks it is okay but there is moss growing so worth a double check. 

KK I looked again at the potential overlooked issue - and It only applies to a very narrow strip of the room due to the angle so I don't think it will be an issue.

Hopefully I will sleep better now! Need to carry on the decluttering and the packing. 

Thanks for the thoughts on tipping. I'll consider it.