In the spirit of my previous thread on parenting experiences, I thought I'd ask about moving house. Being somewhat hugely pregnant I have the mental capacity and memory retention of a gnat.
I'm normally a very organised person but I'm finding everything more dificult than usual.
I've made a list of who to tell, got a list of removal companies for quotes, got some boxes (but not enough yet) and started packing non essentials and I've got all the measurements for the new place.
What did you do that saved loads of time/effort when you moved?
We're on an approx 3 week countdown from now.

This is probably very sad but I made a spreadsheet containing all the people and organisations who would need notifying (excluding family and friends, they're on another spreadsheet so I can print out labels at christmas :blush: ).

Included in the first spreadsheet are links to web pages where on-line notification is possible, e.g. TV Licence. There is also information regarding policy numbers, addresses and some other information. Setting it all up took a bit of time but when we moved again 3 years later the effort seemed worthwhile.

Yippee for you, we're still in pre-contract exchange situation at the minute!!!

Here's a couple of website links that I've found useful:

http://www.helpiammoving.com/moving_house/home.php
(General advice)

http://www.iammoving.com/
(have lists of who you should notify, and in some instances, they provide an 'e-form' service to notify the releavant parties.

http://www.houseweb.co.uk/house/pros/moving/planner.html
(general)

I too have a master spreadsheet, pm me if you want to compare it with your lists!!

Good luck!

Tigs

In your condition, moving from London, using a luminous covered notebook that was easy to find in a panic, we drew up a list of contents that went into each box then numbered the boxes. We then cross-referenced the boxes as to which rooms they would go in and posted a list of which box went into which room on the front door so that we and the removal men could save time and not dump eveything in the front room. It worked a treat, and three years later, if we come across an unopened box or are looking for something, we know exactly what is in the box, or where to find it. If you get someone to help you, it makes it a heack of a lot easier! Funny how history repeats itself isn't it?

Box everything up. Label all boxes clearly not only with contents but which troom they go in. Get rid of anything you definitely do not need. The stuff you are not sure about - get rid of.

MAke sure you pack stuff room by room where possible. Use small items to fill in gaps after big items.

Same as moving in any circumstances - whether you have kids or not.

Dragon

Last time I moved (about a mth ago) I found that the thing which saved me the most time on packing was not having unpacked everything from the last time I moved! I only had to pack up clothes, dvds, books, cds and kitchen stuff. I had only lived at that place for 6mths tho so I didn't live in boxes for ages!

However, I found myself buying more plastic boxes before I left so that I can keep a lot more things in boxes from now on on a more permanent basis without them looking too temporary or ugly.

Our lasses parents - they had our kids for a couple of days while we did the packing!

Oh, and Speights removals did a top job.

wen i moved everthing that went in a bow i wrote on paper and then wen the box was full i taped the sheet to the box it was really usefull