I have:
- cancelled Virgin Media phone and broadband, and BT phone, and ADSL
- done the change of address for British Gas (EDF can be done when we do the final reading)
- cancelled the direct debit for the water rates (we owe them £17)
- cancelled the Council Tax direct debit here (they owe us £75 – yay!) and informed Hull Council that we are moving in. £360 per year saving *there*, which is nice.
- organised phone and broadband from Karoo (the only supplier in Hull) – £43 per month, as opposed to the £125 we’re paying now for comms, although it’ll only be one line. Still, it has a fixed IP, and a 75Gb allowance, and unmetered overnight, so that’ll do the backups from the web servers without impinging. Maddeningly, you cannot put your KC phone number *anywhere* as advertising (including our own web site) without paying the business rate, which I think is execrable.
- Rented a big van for Monday, when we will take up as much stuff as we can – books, kitchen equipment, etc – and fit the catflaps, and so forth. Not bad – £70 from Enterprise for 2 days. And empty the self store unit, before they charge us another heap of money.
- Organised the lorry – 3.5 tonne with tail lift. £75 per day, for 2 days. Also not bad.
- Bought a dog cage for the junior cats to stay in while we pack and move, and for them to travel in. Iggy and Mustrum are booked into a cattery for 48 hours, as I suspect they’d simply leg it if they saw their life being packed into a lorry
- Completed the forms for post redirection, which I will take up to the post office today, with all the sundry pieces of paper they need for ID
Now then – what have I *forgotten* ?
Coo about the phone number. Time to get one or more free numbers from one of the VOIP phone companies.
Genius! Why didn’t I think of that? Thank you!
Thanks again for the tip – have gone with an 0844 number from Wizards – £100 to include setup and a nice VOIP phone, and ridiculously cheap call charges.
Given a friends recent experience: Keep copies of your last bills confirming you paid everything.
Pack an overnight/first night box & remember teaspoons and a can opener as well as coffee/tea/hotchocolate+2mugs plus favored cat-toy/blanket + food dishes.
On arrival locate akaway menu & pin somewhere easy to find when you are tired, hungry & dirty.
Thanks – I have a google doc with all that sort of stuff in it, and we’re going up a few days before with a van, so all of that will be on it. I even bought a cheap kettle from Sainsburys so there can be tea at both ends.
Me being me, I have cooked a huge casserole for the night we arrive (as we will have three friends helping) – it’s in the freezer now, and can go in the oven when we arrive.
Royal mail forwarding service?
Gin?
Did the forwarding literally half an hour ago. There is always Gin. Everywhere.
Check the electrickery/gas in the new place is connected.
Organise TV service if required.
Put kettle/tea/mugs/wine/emergency rations/a couple of plates and cutlery and KEYS in a box in the car/front of lorry for fast retrieval.
Leave cleaning gear/hoover in a convenient corner for cleaning up when the furniture has gone.
Take enough cash to get a takeaway on your first night so you don’t have to unpack to cook something.
I don’t envy you at all. I’ve done all this far too many times and I’d rather not do it again any time soon thankyouverymuch!
Cheers – TV is Freeview. I will check that Gavin is leaving the electricity on.
We are taking a van up on Monday, which will have a set of plates, cutler, kettle, etc. I have made a big casserole which is in the freezer, ready to feed everyone that night. I think we’re sorted.
Except that we *still* don’t have ANY FUCKING KEYS.