JinxyCat

Hi all,
Just wondering how long it took all of you to move from UK to us?

I've got two small kids, 2&5, and am working out my notice and trying to figure out if moving in October achievable without a nervous breakdown

I'm starting to go through room-by-room to decide if something is keep, give away/sell, or store for later (my expensive food processor is a store)

Any tips on how to get through that process?

penguinsix

Make a very big list, with lots of room to spare.

Seriously. There is so much going on, so many people to see, you really have to consider a bit list to keep it all in focus (especially if you have kids distracting you all the time). Even if you aren't a list kind of person, it's really helpful when dealing with the hassles of moving and storing and getting everything together before the big move.

Here are few items to consider:

List of what to do and when about Moving : British Expat Wiki

Pulaski

[For anyone who can't be bothered to check the OP's other posts, she's coming on an L-2 linked to her husband's L-1.]

It depends on how complicated your life is, how much stuff you have and how happy-go-lucky you are. In short, how long is this?

Is it doable, sure. Would it cause some to have a nervous breakdown, definitely, others could be ready in a week or two and be relaxed about it. You're mostly likely somewhere in the middle, so make a list and prioritize, and be psychologically prepared for some stuff not to get done, but that's OK, life will go on and the world won't stop turning.

JinxyCat

Thanks Pulaski, let me answer the points in turn <smile>
How complicated my life is - incredibly: working full time for next 4 weeks with 3hour round trip commute, two kids and full time nanny to give notice to, and DH who travels 1-2 days away from home during working week; oh and selling our flat (offer on hand, 4 weeks in)
How much stuff I have - way too much, in a four bed house (but we're not taking furniture apart from grandfather's cocktail cabinet)
How happy go lucky I am - reasonably. Can't try to control much of my life

But how long did other people take from deciding I've got to get on top of this, to leaving the country?

Pulaski

From visa to leaving the country, about seven weeks. There were just two of us in full time jobs, in a small two-bed terraced house, but way too much stuff. We packed and brought almost everything. Oh, and during that time we also gutted the kitchen, down to the bare concrete floor, ceiling joists, and timber/ masonry walls and had it rebuilt. I rewired the kitchen, tiled the floor and walls, and did all the painting. myself.

rpjs

FWIW I had my visa in hand in October and we moved at the start of January. We were going to move just before Christmas but LHR's inability to cope with snow nixed that.

The last few weeks were pretty hectic. Once we'd boxed up everything we were going to ship (about 17 tea-chests' worth) we pretty much stripped the house bare. When we left literally all we had in the house was a mattress and a small half-moon table and a couple of chairs. We put the mattress out for the bin men, stuck the table and chairs out front for the neighbours to take (they were gone between us putting them out and the taxi to the airport picking us up) and everything else was in a suitcase each.

We were helped by the fact that OH was in academia so had a long Christmas holiday (covered by her notice) but it was still hectic. We had to rip up our crappily-installed (by us) laminate flooring and put carpets down, repainted and had some re-plastering done to make the (3-bed terraced) house saleable. We didn't try to sell much, it was far easier to get shot of stuff through Freecycle.

WEBlue

It took us 3 months from decision to moving day. I handed in my notice two months ahead, and was awfully glad I had, because my husband worked right up until the end. I think in our case the move needed to be my full-time job to get done properly.

But our situation isn't everyone's. We had a large house and all the accumulation of decades of family life. Our grown-up children were not technically part of the move, but they had to come and cull through their stuff, which took lots of time, and the husband & I did likewise. I was out selling at the local boot sales every weekend for the final couple of months.

If our whole family had not been such hoarders, perhaps we could have handled it all in 2 months. Perhaps. But not less....

loubiblu

I started the grunt work yesterday by hiring a skip! Our aim is a January move and I've got a 6 bedroom, 4 storey house to get sorted for the rental market. Like most people, we've got far too much stuff and although not quite a hoarder, there's lots that we definitely don't need, but I've kept it anyway. My plan is to go cupboard by cupboard, room by room.

rpjs

Oh yes, we had a skip too. Absolutely invaluable!

mikelincs

True, only moved to Spain from a two bed house, but with outhouses etc, we had 3 skips to get rid of everything, plus huge bonfires on three days.

Pulaski

Even gutting the kitchen ourselves, ripping down a plasterboard ceiling and a lath-and-plaster ceiling (the kitchen had two ceilings, 18" apart ), a plasterboard wall "skin", and flattening the cabinets as they were worn out, we didn't have a skip, and no fires, nor did I even have a pick-up truck back then either to help me haul stuff to the council tip, which thankfully was only a couple of miles away.

MsElui

we new it was in the work by end june - and got approval aug i think. I was aiming for just after christmas but hubbies job wanted him sooner so we were moved one week after the visa interview in mid october.

I had a full time job and two kids under 3 - and we had to get 60% of the ground floor of empty so the parquet could be refurbished - whilst simultaneously retiling and replace stand alone shower unit in the bathroom upstairs as well as new carpetting in the hall and stairs and varios repainting jobs.

it was bloody murder, but we got their in the end. I would strongly suggest sending the kiddos off to their grandparents for a few days- taking a few days vacation, and doing some long continuous days of clearing out. I kept the local freecycle site going continuously for about a month with all my giveaways.

Zez

We knew about the job offer at the end of April and moved at the beginning of April. Visa was June I think. October sounds doable I reckon

Hotscot

A day to get ready. Case with clothes. Two boxes, one with comics, the other with cd's.

Left everything else in mum's attic.

Bought stuff when I got here.

scrubbedexpat027

Moved as soon as I received the visa. Took 1 small suitcase that could go as hand luggage. No complicated life for me