Packing to move. Downsizing. Yes right!

oh crikey!! 10 days on, fully moved in and the downsizing has to continue. Oh hells bells, when will it stop

The last leg, the battle of the solicitors. Vendors is trying to slip incomplete paperwork through, to get me to exchange. My solicitor is diligent and has my back, advised me not to exchange until we have sight of the completed document, a letter in the post as mentioned by the vendor solicitor, just will not do. My reply is to trust my own solicitor.

Was heavily backed up by AC last night, his e mail to me wrt `a letter in the post` could have caused huge potential problems in the financial sector in which he works. Dodgy eh? Keep on toes throughout and best word of advice is to employ a very good solicitor, on recommendation if possible

So another week, maybe another month. Sigh

hope it all goes well for you when you finally get the thumbs up.

7 months on and still waiting, one piece of paper left, an agreement about sewer adoption, now in process but am at the mercy of the utility company. I have a great solicitor, very diligent on my behalf. Today I finished all I can do inside and spent time outside, emptying 2 big corten steel containers, was hard work but done. Corten steel will be a focus in my new small garden

Have you moved yet???

I am going from granite to laminate, from miele to an unknown brand, from stacks of fitted cupboards to one bedroom cupboard and I cannot wait. I have said my good byes to this house and the house is releasing me, I never thought I could leave. I see all the boxes stacked up here and know that I will take the essentials myself, so I can unpack boxes in my own good time, I am not fretting about finding things as long as I have a bed, clothes, a bathroom and a kitchen

Arghh re the utility bills. I have shredded all bar the last bills. A nice story Florence, good to see that you are so happy. That is what I am waiting for, the lower bills, the house that is warmed by the turn of a switch. Almost 7 months since I reserved, first one on the development so my legal person has paved the way and anyone else will be quicker. There is a common area residents will look after it and there will be a management charge but it does not phase me. I have been sec/chair of our self-managed group for almost 5 years. I understand the terminology but will be keeping my mouth tightly zipped about my knowledge of running the management company.

downsizing paperwork
We have shredded lots of paperwork.

boat I'm sorry to hear that - our utility company contacted us and queried our bill as they did not understand why our consumption had more than quadrupled over a short period of time. It turned out that the meter was faulty - we did get a fairly good refund but not as much as I think we should have had.

We downsized from a 5 bed, 3 reception house to a 2 bed 1 reception one. I started packing/getting rid of stuff early, but not early enough. In our old house we had two lofts full of 'stuff' and in the end I told the kids to put everything in the skip, except photographs. Despite this I still have a garage full of boxes and 'stuff' and we've lived here for 6 years! I haven't allowed anything to go in the loft, however. I didn't want to downsize and worried about losing my lovely new kitchen with the granite worktops, but I have to say this smaller house is much cosier. I have fitted carpets and double glazing, which makes it much warmer than my old house and of course all the bills are much cheaper, including things like council tax. We have nice neighbours and I like this side of town. We even have a bigger garden than before and my bedroom is the same size as my old one, but brighter. In fact the house is generally much lighter than my old one. One day I will get those boxes unpacked, but it's nice to have only one toilet to clean, instead of four and getting rid of the mortgage was the best thing ever.

Dear craftyone.

DO NOT get rid of earlier utility bills.

About ten years ago my gas/electricity provider suddenly sent me a bill for over £2,000. They said it was because of what I owed to a previous supplier. This was rubbish but I had shredded all the relevant paperwork and had no proof. If I had had had on-line bills and archived them there would have been no problem.

Over the next ten months I argued my case and eventually they agreed to take £265.

I was facing a major surgical operation and didn't want to leave my family with this if things went wrong so I paid up.

I suspect that some of the big suppliers have a very secret department that operates like this; perhaps targeting less than 0.1% of long term customers who are likely to be elderly and less likely to be able to refute the charges.

I know I sound like a conspiracy theorist but really I am quite rational. Has anyone else had this sort of problem?

Don`t do what I did for some viewings. I dumped important paperwork in a safe place. I went through agonies this morning looking for it, asked hubbie and as usual put my eyes on it immediately. If I ask, he always directs me to anything lost. The power of the silken thread

Only got utilities left, like eating, I saved the best to last.

I am bogged down, piddled off, not with downsizing things but downsizing paperwork. I cannot be the only one to put papers in a safe place, then have to suffer the consequences of going through several years worth, just in case any is needed. Two years ago I needed such a piece of paper, one piece of paper, was very important but I didn`t know at the time. The tax man had to do a mini friendly investigation. That one piece was a consequence of tax after dh died. Luckily I had kept it

So now I am dithering over paperwork. The utility bills are easy, keep the latest one and shred the others. The probate pack, I thought I would have a lot to sort but I haven`t, I have a filed copy of the probate forms, tick. Will keep for just in case

I heard about my sisters husband going through very deep family questions when my sister died, they wanted family history ie aunts uncles, cousins. Another sister got the list together, 7 x big families. Then I downloaded the modern probate form and filled in stuff that I could, for my children`s sake, to reference when I depart.

Having a well earned coffee and psyching myself for the next paperwork attack. Did I say, I hate paperwork

ahhh it is those little steps Jalimal, they add up and then one day it will be done

Flipping political situation is becoming grimmer every day. I would have run all stored foods down in normal times but am now adding, just ordered teas, coffee, loo rolls etc Got to be prepared for an unknown length of time. I definitely did not want to take extra stocks but I`ll have to. Oh well it will test my new storage capacity to the hilt

Paperwork downsizing soon and allotment after that, when the sun comes out. It is going to be another long week of waiting

I took mine out too craftyone - I needed it as we were expecting our first child too!

You inspired me to start clearing the attic, but after one day I gave in - but I did get rid of some stuff, found some toys that the DGC can play with when they come and wrote a list of what is up there

jalimal, very many years ago, I left work to start a family. In those days we could take our pension cash out, a small amount for me. I bought a spin drier. I shudder to think about how much that small amount would have grown. I was never allowed to replace it

I am glad you are loving life on the canal, boat. If you like it during winter then you will love the rest of the year. A friend`s daughter did similar, she lasted for 9 months but she did have a largish dog too but it was a good experience for her

No word about exchange on my buy yet, so at least another week, maybe more but I cannot dither about packing. I can always kill time on my allotment if I get bored, I have packed all crafting apart from one spinning wheel and some fleece. It is amazing how I am now managing to gather things together to fill a box, did 2 large boxes this evening and bundled all my private files and paperwork into a very small suitcase. Will sort when I have nothing obvious to pack. I still have probate papers and death certificates so the shredder will be working overtime soon, all used for compost

all forces personnel can take part in an MOD help to buy scheme ie to borrow half their salary as a loan, so they can get on the property ladder.
You could always commute part of your pension when you left the forces which helped towards a deposit for a house - but that meant a greatly reduced pension.
ie just like taking a lump sum from a private pension.

I spent 18 months de-cluttering before putting my three bed terrace on the market: I knew no one would buy it if they viewed it with all the tat that had accumulated over the last 40 years. It was actually quite good exercise lugging stuff out to my car and then from the car park at the other end.

I made so many visits that I ended up on first name terms with many of the volunteers in the local charity shops. The British Heart Foundation took most of the furniture before the viewings took place and the rest after it sold.

The house looked really good (minimalist) and sold well enough to make me feel almost rich.

Then I moved onto a narrow boat and had to start the whole process again. I thought I had pared my, "Stuff", to the bone but there was just not enough storage space.

So I had to decide things like how many coats, jerseys, pairs of shoes; saucepan, bedding and towel sets etc I really needed.

I am living in a different town a long way away from where my house was but the charity shop volunteers are equally delightful.

The worst was the books. Honestly I only brought three cardboard book boxes with me but there's only room for about 20 volumes unless I start stacking them in odd corners.

I can't resist buying books so now I read them and then donate to the library or charity shops.

My shameful secret is that I have numerous boxes of books that family and friends are storing for me in attics, cellars and garden sheds.

The thing is, I love living on the boat. I love being woken up by the ducks on the canal quacking at 4:30 in the morning or scared stiff by the noise they make tramping across the roof, honest, but I'm 75 and know this can't go on for ever. Eventually I will have to move back to dry land and guess what? I will be reunited with my books!!

Monica, yes what you said about a house only being worth what someone will pay for it. First estate agent when I first started looking said just that and it hit home, very true

Several more RU boxes and cardboard boxes packed last night, in between watching prime films on my tablet. Amazing how much gets done, a nibble at a time

Main bedroom is now fully in good order to move. I have ordered elastic bands to squeeze hangers together and then enclose hanging clothes in bunches, in white bin bags. I did manage to empty one chest and one bedside cabinet and the back pain went away after I stretched

So a bit left in the study and my kitchen, which I will leave fully to last and transfer most myself. I have trolley bags and costco bags, will only leaving heavier stuff for the remover

I have contacted the removers, 4 men and several vans and can have any combo ie 2 men and a van that fits below an archway. They are going to move a small heavy tranche to dd, a test for them, about 80 miles. I can see these people being very obliging re moving me in manageable stages. One person cannot be everywhere at once so stage by stage for me, only a few miles to my new home, no exchange as yet

I am buying cheap led bulbs today at home bargains, will replace my expensive bio bulbs with those

Looking around at all my packed boxes, knowing that cupboards are empty, a good feeling and downsizing is no longer scary, like it was earlier in time

I should have said we sold at the market price that 2 other houses in the close had sold for

paddyann, as you are in Scotland I know the selling process will be different but a house is only worth what someone will pay for it, no matter how good the condition and how clean you leave it.

I have seen houses linger for a year or more while identical houses in the same close sell in months because someone has decided what they think their house is worth and will not adjust to what people are willing to pay.

In fact some years ago, we lived in a close of about 30 terrace houses with just such a house. I walked past it as a potential purchaser came out. Ours was only just on the market and didn't yet have a for sale sign. I just said, ' I live 3 doors down and our house is for sale and is £2,000 cheaper, would you like to view it. We went under offer that afternoon.

all forces personnel can take part in an MOD help to buy scheme ie to borrow half their salary as a loan, so they can get on the property ladder. Was nothing like this when dd and her husband were in the forces but that was before MOD housing was sold off. No-one gets something for nothing, there is always a catch

Finished for the day, very good progress and stretched my back just now because of compression and aching. Will finish a cuppa and lay back in zero recliner, not doubt will nap for a little while

I wouldn't have minded a 'sweetener' when we had to move to London!

Jalima* apparently its the only way they'll move to Scotland at present most personnel are here while they're working ( in MOD FLATS) and fly home for days off.They dont want to move here and the deposits are supposed to give them an incentive as when they move back they'll have the cash for a house down south .Honestly I dont know if I agree with this on many levels.I dont even know if it will work ,if they dont want to live here they wont .

I need a breather, accidentally got stuck into main bedroom stuff and now have to do some serious de-cluttering. How many socks do I need? stockings new but will never wear. The good collectable teddies on the wardrobe top shelf. Make up, jewellery and so on. I did some clearing in there a while ago but this bedroom was always going to be last on my last. It is not last but looks like a bomb has hit it so I want to tackle it today

Methodical me from now on, drawer by drawer, Have to get done by this afternoon, want to see the cleared bed and floor. Anything `valuable` is being packed and put on the landing, I will be taking these things myself

I did under the tall hypnos storage singles earlier, they are now empty. I used several vac roll packing bags to keep my home crafted woollens and silks away from creatures, moths

Ok breather is over, I have to do the full marie kondo mindfulness thing. Do I, will I, need it? Wish me luck, I knew this would be the most difficult room. It contains a large fitted wardrobe and another tall storage cupboard, 2 large chests of drawers and 2 bedside tables with drawers. I need to get down to half of what remained after the last marie kondo. I just have to keep saying `downsize girl`

paddyann, she is trying it on. How dare she make assumptions and incorrect ones at that. Most of us downsize to release some cash for ourselves, not to subsidise some stranger

Selling is brutal at the moment, the offer I accepted is 11% lower than I originally started with and that was a good price. Hardly any properties are selling here