We are due to move next week to a farmhouse that is a total change from the outer London residential street that we have lived in for 28 years, it is reasonably rural ( one other property in the field) and the move has been driven due to recent bereavements in the family and me wanting my husband to retire so we can have some " our time" We have planned this for a year or so, the property we both fell in love with and it will be great for the dogs to have their own paddock etc. I am not leaving behind friends as most of mine are doggy people spread all over the country. So why am I wandering round this house reliving all the important events that have occured here, bringing home first baby, first puppy etc. I honestly don't think I am having second thoughts, I admit to being a bit concerned as I will be on my own during the week for 3 months ( without a landline) whilst husband works out his notice. Someone reassure me that this is " normal behaviour" - please!!

There are lots of new things I have to get used to and am keen to learn , don't want to be too obviously a "townie", my question relates to ordering oil for cooking and heating ( here I am on mains gas) someone told me there is often a group of people who order the oil and share delivery costs etc- how would I find out if there is one in my new area? 

Not quite sure how I will cope without internet until BT get on the case and I shall miss my daily Champ Dogs visit.
Sorry for the ramblings :)

>someone told me there is often a group of people who order the oil and share delivery costs etc- how would I find out if there is one in my new area? 

Asking in your local newsagent should get you an answer. :-) We have one in our area and it can be a saving of a few pence per litre (it all adds up!) because they're ordering a tankerload rather than 1000 litres or so!

Saying goodbye to your house is a vital part of moving - as is a few nervous twinges! - so wandering around and stroking walls and door frames is quite normal.   Hanging on to the front door whilst they prise your fingertips off might be considered an attachment too far however so anything in between is ok :)

Check out Boilerjuice for bulk order buying of heating oil - their prices are generally pretty good and you can get an email when someone else in your postcode area is buying.  Ideally you want to buy heating oil in June-August for the lowest prices and certainly avoid buying between December and February.  May be worth getting an order in as soon as you arrive if possible but avoid peak times in future.  Before you order for the first time ring around a few companies to compare prices - they are sometimes keen to do business and often shave small amounts of .1 p off each others prices if they can.  Always ask if that is their best price or if they can do better and remember it gets cheaper the more you buy - you'll pay more for under 1000 litres and quite a bit less for 2000 litres plus.  This is essentially what Boilerjuice and other small groups do, but on a much larger scale, they are ordering in bulk and benefitting for the reduction in price as it's all to be delivered in a small postcode area, there isn't a delivery cost as such.

Does your new village/town have a website?  Village websites are great places for news and you should be able to find details of a village magazine too if they have one.  Make contact with your local Parish Council clerk as soon as you can and he/she will have a list of contacts and or helpful advice for newcomers to the area too.  In fact they can usually fill the information gaps that your previous owners might have forgotten to tell you...

Good luck with your move it sounds like fun and I'm sure you and the dogs will soon settle and your husband will be itching to start his retirement sooner rather than later.

You will be SO pleased to be out of the city that you will never, ever want to set your foot in one again even for some shopping. :)

Must admit I'd never heard of oil share, but as regards when to order etc -a lot will depend on the size of your tank and the quality of your boiler. This time of year you will use so much more oil than in the summer (assume your water is also heated by oil hence needing it in the summer) and there is no way our tank could hold enough oil to last through the entire winter. 1000 litres, which is what our tank holds, will last us around 12 weeks. (700 litres will last us from March to September however.) That's since we got a new boiler, the old one was 37 years old and used up much more oil. We weren't able to install THE most energy efficient modern one as our bungalow was too old to cope with it, it would have meant ripping all the floors up to replace all the pipes and radiators at a cost of at least 6k. Having said that, there is no way we can afford to pay out for as much as 1000 litre in one go so we get 500 or at best 700 l each time and this time of year order every 6-8 weeks.

Consider where your tank is as well in relation to dogs and fencing. We had no option but to put a kennel just in front of our tank and hence the delivery man cannot climb up onto the tank to get the hose in, as he certainly won't want to walk through the kennel to do so. That means I have to have a man at home (as in hubby or stepson) each time we get oil delivered, as there is no way on earth I could climb up onto the tank, and even if I moved the dog, the fence is still in the way. Had this not been the case, the deliveries could have taken place even without anyone at home.

Oh and I forgot to say -get mobile broadband on pay as you go with a dongle, then you don't have to go without internet for 3 months. :)

You'll be fine once the furniture is all gone! When we left our place in London and moved out to Suffolk, although I didn't much like our poky terrace place, I was quite sad to be thinking 'this is the last Monday in this house'. Until the furniture people had taken away all our furniture and all the boxes and just left the grubby shell - then I couldn't wait to get out! :-D

Join the club ! :) We moved to Norfolk nearly 3 years ago after spending 25 years in the same house - oldest child was 11 months when we moved there. It was quite a culture shock moving here - there are about 325 people in the village - only a church, primary school and village hall. However, we started looking out for activites at the village hall - quizzes, fetes etc etc and have soon fitted in and made friends :) :) Our area has a village/church magazine and carries a lot of local news/events and also details about oil purchasing etc. Otherwise just ask the neighbours as most people have oil for their heating.

Have a look at '3' mobile broadband as they do a monthly rolling contract (check you can get reception in your area) so you could just have it until you get your preferred choice up and running :)

Good luck - you'll be wondering what all the fuss was about after a few months :) :)

Thanks all for the advice. I think I was just being a bit flaky about the house as our daughter came round yesterday for a "last meal!" I am actually looking forward to the new chapter in our lives, however we still haven't exchanged and I appear to be doing lots of prodding of solicitors, agents etc so am slightly stressed tonight ( just taking the cork out!)

Really interesting to hear practical solutions re siting of tank etc, have told husband we are relocating the brick built BBQ that is next to the oil tank ;) thankfully the dogs area is nowhere near this.

With regards the oil, most companys will spread out your payments, so you don't have to fork out a lump sum for each delivery, so even though we use more oil in the winter, we don't pay any more as we hardly use any in the summer so the payments equal themselves out. Comes in handy when your trying to work out a budget.
I'd also suggest looking at getting a solid fuel stove if your new place has an open fire. They fair belt out the heat and can save you quite a bit on using oil, in an open fire it's said only 20% of the heat goes into the room and 80% goes up the lum, with a stove that's reversed, they're also a lot safer.

I hope you have a wonderful time in your new house, it is a bit worrying at first,but you'll soon adapt.

>I'd also suggest looking at getting a solid fuel stove if your new place has an open fire. They fair belt out the heat and can save you quite a bit on using oil, in >an open fire it's said only 20% of the heat goes into the room and 80% goes up the lum, with a stove that's reversed, they're also a lot safer

We have a Jetmaster open fire - more efficient than a conventional open fire, safe and doesn't require the chimney to be lined unlike a stove :) :)

> We have a Jetmaster open fire - more efficient than a conventional open fire, safe and doesn't require the chimney to be lined unlike a stove :-) :-)

Ooo, sounds interesting, never heard of them, I shall go and have a nosey.

Thanks for the advice re payment, I suppose once you have a contract with them to spread payments, you have to stick with them. There is about £300 of oil in the tank and we need to reinforce the supports as it is rotting ( according to the surveyor but then again he said we had rats and the pest control man said it's bats!!)

We have a multi fuel stove in the inglenook in the lounge and a Villager stove in the dining room and apparently the boiler is a Warmflow boiler according to the particulars, seems so long since I visited.

Now I can't wait :)

> Now I can't wait

Have fun !!

Don't forget to make up an 'emergency' kit in case you get a power cut :) Depending on where you live, power cuts can last longer than in a town. We have a torch placed in a certain place that we can find in the dark and a box containing nightlights/candles, matches etc. Also wind-up torches in our bedside tables :) We also have an old camping stove and make sure that we always have a few tins of chicken curry/mince beef and onions etc - ie easy to heat up food :) :) :) We lost our power for over 48 hours only two days after we moved house in the middle of the heavy snow storm in 2009 !!! Wood fires are so reassuring if the power goes off :)

Thanks, went and stocked up on batteries yesterday, husband always has torches but never with working batteries.
Getting some really useful suggestions on this site, thanks.

When husband has worked out his notice he will be back with caravan so could use that and generator. Just been out to van as I need a grater ( mine is packed) have decided I am not going to worry about he will cope, tripped over a crate of beers, his bowling ball and golf clubs, looks like he will miss me - NOT!!

>Thanks, went and stocked up on batteries yesterday, husband always has torches but never with working batteries.

A wind-up torch can be a Godsend!

Karen do you have an Iphone or similar? They are worth their weight in gold for contact, Also think about getting a dongle for 3 months, often some good deals to be had!! Then you can keep in touch with us.

Don't worry, you'll be fine and embracing this move

Will be adding all manner of things to my "survival kit" Can I add gin? I am normally pretty organised but all suggestions are making me rethink things. I suppose we take so much for granted that when it is not readily available we miss it!

Gin is a must, how about some Sloe gin? ;-)

With regards the oil, most companys will spread out your payments, so you don't have to fork out a lump sum for each delivery, so even though we use more oil in the winter, we don't pay any more as we hardly use any in the summer so the payments equal themselves out. Comes in handy when your trying to work out a budget.

We had this, never missed a payment, paid them all summer, then when we phoned and asked for another delivery after the summer they said oh they've stopped doing it this way and now needed payment in full each time! That was the only firm here that did take payments. :(

I asked the owner and he had tennanted the property for a year, he gave me the details of a nearby supplier as they were the only ones who would allow monthly payments. As I have no idea re the cost of oil ( but am about to learn!) I guessed it must have been unusual to pay monthly rather than outright.

Suejaw, I have never tried Sloe gin but have had good reports- this will be on my "to do" list :)

> We had this, never missed a payment, paid them all summer, then when we phoned and asked for another delivery after the summer they said oh they've stopped doing it this way and now needed payment in full each time! That was the only firm here that did take payments. :-(

That's just not on, we're with BP and they've been pretty good, I'm sure they cover the whole country.

The thing I missed most when we moved was being able to nip to the shop if I ran out of something, you do need to think ahead more in the country, the freezer is your friend here.
Finding a good coal/wood supplier is also essential, I'd say, good coal is easier to source than decent seasoned wood. Coal comes in different grades, A, being the best but expensive, B, is just bog standard but what the majority of people use, there's also anthracite, which is on a par for price with A grade, but is cleaner and smokeless.
It took me ages to find a good wood supplier, I find wood suits me better than coal, it's nicer to have round the house for one thing, but you must be sure to get seasoned wood ( at least a year ) green wood ( unseasoned ) can put harmful deposits in your chimney.
If your unsure you can get a moisture meter and check the moisture level in wood, it should be between 15-20 % ( or there abouts ) if you can afford it, kiln dried wood is the very best.
Can you tell I'm a bit of a wood geek ? lol

I have a bottle here you can take with you if you wish, its very tasty according to a few peeps on here :-D

Oil price is around 60p per litre at the moment

Although many companies will allow monthly payments you need to build up a credit first - so for example you cannot order today then start paying, you'd usually have to pay for the first order and only then start your monthly payments to be ready for the next.  Also they work on annual averages to estimate usage and use todays prices...  Neither of which is terribly helpful if you are starting at peak prices or intend to supplement your central heating with other sources of heat to keep the cost down.  In truth you're better off paying into a savings account then buying the largest amount you can afford in the lowest priced months and NEVER allow your oil to run too low.  1) you can get issues with your boiler if you do so and 2) emergency fuel deliveries cost so much more than those they can schedule to suit their planned delivery routes - always allow them a week or so to get to you and never tell them it's urgent!

I can second the Jetmaster recommendation - bloomin' brilliant and I prefer it to a woodburning stove BUT after years of trying I really do have to concede that I'm the kiss of death to a good fire.  I only have to walk past for the thing to start to die and heaven forbid I put a log on :(  It's a standing joke in this house that I have to ask my daughter to lay the fires (she's been doing them since she was 13) and no one lets me touch them once alight.  ** I've just read this back and of course one mustn't touch an open fire - now I just sound like a dimwit **

> I can second the Jetmaster recommendation - bloomin' brilliant and I prefer it to a woodburning stove BUT after years of trying I really do have to concede that I'm the kiss of death to a good fire.  I only have to walk past for the thing to start to die and heaven forbid I put a log on :-(  It's a standing joke in this house that I have to ask my daughter to lay the fires (she's been doing them since she was 13) and no one lets me touch them once alight.  ** I've just read this back and of course one mustn't touch an open fire - now I just sound like a dimwit **

Lol, my OH is the same, I put it down to him being a pisces, I on the other hand, being an aries and a fire sign, am a blimmin' genius at lighting fires :-)

Blimey, so much to learn, a wood meter is now also on the list! I also had no idea re the coal grades, I could be a disaster if left uninformed....

We have integrated appliances here so I am looking for a large dog food freezer ( first priority!) freezer and fridge as soon as we move in, whenever that may be, meant to be Thursday but still not exchanged and I sent solicitor a curt e mail last night so I may be blacklisted!!

BUT the good news is I am an ARIES so my fire tending capabilities may come to the surface ( I think they are buried very deep at the moment!!)

Thanks again all.

> If your unsure you can get a moisture meter and check the moisture level in wood

Also useful for checking damp patches in brick walls etc :) :) :)

> and I prefer it to a woodburning stove

Just been browsing the Jetmaster website and note that they do woodburning stoves too which look lovely :) We need to put something in our lounge when we get round to decorating it and as it doesn't have a chimney, the stoves look a good idea :)

You have my sympathies Sawheaties. This moving lark is a nightmare. I was meant to be moving 31st October, but 5 days before that, the people I'm buying from said they would only exchange contracts if we agreed to a new date of 17th December!!! At such a late stage I had no real option but to agree, so am now looking forward (NOT) to a move a week before Xmas, to a completely different part of the country.

On another note I run an oil group in my current village, and have done now for over 7 years, so it's well worth finding out if there is something similar in your area. I can usually get the price 1p or 2p cheaper than the best Boilerjuice price because of the bulk order (I regularly order 20,000 - 30,000 litres at a time).

Good luck!

am now looking forward (NOT) to a move a week before Xmas, to a completely different part of the country.

Not to do with me moving but some years ago in mid-December I bought a new 'second-hand' cooker, went to see it said yes I'll take it, got asked if I could leave collecting until Dec 23 as they were actually moving on Dec 24th
This was a family with 3 kids, the youngest was pre-school and the next was about 6.

> This was a family with 3 kids, the youngest was pre-school and the next was about 6.

At the very least the pre-schools would not really know it was Christmas if you didn't tell them :) 
I bet there would be lots of deals to be found on removals the week before Christmas although the 24th might not be so hot :)

When we moved to the outskirts of this village 18 years ago we had a visit from a very nice person who made it his business to meet and greet all new residents and gave us a folder with all sorts of useful local info in it. We also get a local mag delivered once a month which includes a whats on guide for the village hall. If you have a local village shop they're usually a mine of information too.

Until recently we had oil c.h. and it was getting pricier so we had gas laid on (sods law that's just gone up). We used to ring round and could usually negotiate a price for a full tank but keep an eye on your levels and don't leave it until the tank is almost empty. We've got 2 wood burners which chuck out the heat and I sometimes collect pine cones, dry them out as they make good fire starters.

It's a real change of lifestyle and I've never regretted moving further out and would do it again. It did affect me in ways I didn't imagine though. Every time we've moved house I've dreamt that I've been back in the house we'd just left (illegally). At the moment I'm getting colly wobbles for a family member who's moving from a fab place in an idyllic country position to what seems like a box in the middle of a city with no garden or greenery in sight. Not for me I'm afraid, I'm now a certified country bumpkin.

Good luck with it all, I'm sure your dogs will appreciate it!

Hi karen cant be of any practical help as you know my house background is very similar to yours but wish you all the best in this new chapter. My aunt would walk round the house she is leaving saying good by to the house spirits! and then repeat the process when she arrived at her new home to be welcomed by the new house spirits> So do whatever you feel comfortable with it worked for her :)

Thanks, all ( and Chris) it has been a very stressful couple of days, woke at 3am with stomach pains, the old boy had been sick by my side of the bed, I am worried beyond belief! They have just discovered ( yeh right) that the place we are moving to has several charges against it and they are working to get them lifted,exchange is now tomorrow apparently. My buyer has been on the phone demanding we move out as he doesn't care if we have anywhere to move to if we don't go by Thursday he will continue renting his property and pull out.

I have spent most of the day making calls and chivvying people. I had to defrost the freezer and was taking out my frustration on the ice when a huge chunk shot out and caught me on the cheek, so that is now swollen along with cold sore and conjunctivitus (how attractive!!)

I just want to get things sorted so I can start this new adventure and get a good nights sleep, they are so right when they saying moving is the second most stressful thing :( 

aw Karen sending hugs for you and lots of positive thoughts x

Eeek !..makes me see the sense in the Scottish system, once you get to the stage your at, there's no pulling out aloud.
Hope it's all sorted x

> My buyer has been on the phone demanding we move out as he doesn't care if we have anywhere to move to if we don't go by Thursday he will continue renting his property and pull out.

Oh dear, some people get terribly stressy about moving but it's hard to understand why they think ranting at you is going to help!  In truth though once you've decided to move then one generally wants to just get on with it and delays are hard, particularly if you have lengthy buyer chains and some of those are balancing rental dates etc

Do tell your solicitor that your buyer has been making these threats and let the estate agent know too (it's their job to manage the relationship with the buyer).  Obviously you aren't delaying things on purpose but if there is any real danger of losing your buyer, it's worth discussing with your solicitor just what your options might be.  Sending positive thoughts :)

> makes me see the sense in the Scottish system, once you get to the stage your at, there's no pulling out aloud.

Doesn't seem so good if you are the one that needs to pull out! :)

My darling solicitor e mailed me this morningto tell me the buyers were pulling out; I went up there and refused to leave until he had made the calls I have been asking him to make- he was not impressed! I think they forget this is peoples lives they are dealing with!!
Upshot is that we exchanged at 3pm ( I was in hairdressers getting my roots done, decided it was time for some "me" time!) Cheeky B had nerve to say "I told you it would be alright" I put the phone down and burst into tears.

Had another farewell meal with daughter and am now feeling full of excitement for the days ahead. 8 am the removal vans arrive so I hope we don't oversleep, having seen 3am for the past couple of nights I would be surprised.

Thanks all again for useful advice and hopefully next time I post it will be from Worcestershire, I think the dogs are going to have a culture shock!!! 

> Upshot is that we exchanged at 3pm

Fantastic!  Here's hoping that your completion date goes smoothly and that everyone manages their timings to get monies transferred and keys made available.  Are your removers planning to get you in your new house in one day or are they staying over?

Ours got beds and basics in on moving day then slept in their lorry and moved the remainder of the furniture in the following day.  That was our first 2 day move and it went really well.  I did feel a bit sorry for the poor buggers sleeping in their van but they said they were used to it.  My husband went out for bacon rolls for them, and us, the next morning and it was a lovely welcome to our new house    ...and useful to know the cafe at a nearby fishing lake was good in a breakfast emergency! :)

Wishing you a great moving day too - may the next phase be less stressful than this one xx

The sense of relief once contracts are exchanged is unbelievable. I did the same, burst into tears once I got off the phone to the Solicitors.

Good luck in your new home, I've still got 5 weeks to go! x

I have always said estate agents and solicitors are the prime culprits for the undue stress buyers seem to be put under.

I loathe parting with the money for the services after the sale and move is complete as when you look at all the running around and phone calls you have to make it makes me so cross that it is easy money for them.

The only saving grace of moving are the removal men as they seem to be so helpful and accommodating which does make a refreshing element to the whole process !

Good luck with the move !

> I have always said estate agents and solicitors are the prime culprits for the undue stress buyers seem to be put under

Definitely :(

When we bought this house, our seller had used a conveyancer ( :( ) and he had failed to transfer the purchase money for their new house - so unbeknown to us, the husband had spent the morning chasing him up and then had to return to the house to supervise the removal men. Our sellers had not packed what they were supposed to have packed nor dismantled beds etc etc that they were supposed to, so by the time we arrived at around 1pm (they were supposed to be out at noon - they were still packing. We sat outside freezing in the car (with the dogs) in the middle of November until 5pm. The only good thing was that we had still got our other home in Essex at that time and had no removal van waiting with us (just a trailer with the basics in it). Our sellers left behind several sheds full of junk and a downstairs room full of televisions and other bits that they came back later that evening to collect. The sheds didn't get emptied until a week later. They also wanted shelving units from the utility room that they had 'forgotten' !

> we exchanged at 3pm

Phew !! Good luck !!!

> Our sellers left behind ... junk

We've had this in our last two houses, the people we've bought from seemed almost surprised by the moving day and genuinely weren't properly prepared to leave.  Both had underestimated the time it takes to pack and both left items behind to collect later or for us to dispose of

When my parents bought a large manor house in 1982 the previous owner held a sale of contents the week before moving and my parents had to remove from the sale many items which were supposed to have been included in the purchase of the house.  They had to buy back many more that would have been difficult to replace and someone even had to be sent to follow a man who had unscrewed fixtures and helped himself to some items from the garage which weren't even in the sale!  Although at least this meant they'd mostly moved out beforehand

The previous owners built themselves a bungalow in a far distant field which they owned.  They moved some of their stuff in a tractor and trailer and still more in wheelbarrows.  However they left behind, in my parents safekeeping for 3 months, an entire room of valuable paintings - one by Sir Joshua Reynolds!

Well we'd slept in the house we'd sold with the new buyer for an extra night, can't remember why that happened. When we got to this place I had to sit in the car with 9 dogs as the removal men had just arrived. They were to do ALL the packing and the woman sat in her motor home watching them.  In the kitchen there was still washing up in the bowl so the removal men drained it, and wrapped it up in a tea towel and put in in a t-chest. To say it was chaotic was an understatement then my mum caught the owner trying to dispose of some oil in the car port, she went berserk at them as that was where we had planned to put the dogs on the day.

A couple of weeks later we got a phone call asking if we'd seen their cuckoo clock and some other bits which hadn't made it to their destination. Shame they didn't take the carpets which were jumping with fleas and got chucked out before any of our stuff hit the floor.

sorry,cant help,but im very envious,and im sure you will be fine,i wish you the best!

I haven't read all of this post so not sure if others have mentioned it but we have just switched to a company called Butler Fuels (used to be Total Butler) they are nationwide as we used to use them when we lived in Salisbury. Anyway they do it so you can pay monthly, we have just had 500 liters delivered and have agreed to pay monthly and they offer a top up service so if you keep your payments regularly they will come round every so often and keep your tank topped up. We used to have them do this before and it worked very well (I'm terrible otherwise for letting the tank run dry) :)

and they seem to fiorget we are paying to have our interests uppermost.  Glad you got them to get their asses in gear. 

I too have had to push and push solicitors when buying for myself, my Dad and friends whose first language was not English.

Hi All,
Well despite not exchanging until the day before we moved, the buyer threatening to pull out and the solicitor needing to be given a stiff talking to as he sent me an e mail informing me- we made it and moved on 8th! The furniture vans got lost, I went into the estate agent to collect the keys to be told we had not exchanged and could not have the keys!! The solicitor went AWOL and it was a tense wait until they resurfaced and said there had been a breakdown in communication!

What a culture shock, loads of people talk to you in the street, tradesmen are great ( all word of mouth reccomendations) I have no heating, my oil tank is in the wrong place and loads of other work that needs doing but so far I love it. Hoping husband will be released from work at Christmas. The dogs were quite unsettled, my oldie ( 13 and a half and going a bit blind) is very needy and will not be left alone, the youngest boy thinks the inglenook is the garden and keeps cocking his leg and one of my girls fell in our pond, thankfully she was on a flexi lead. They can't believe their eyes when all the pheasants etc keep appearing!! They are now realising that we are not just visiting!! The first thing I did was register with the vet, now need to register with a dr :)

It was one of the most stressful times prior to the move, I like to be in control and not to be in charge and at the mercy of solicitors was not good for the nerves. Thanks to all who offered advice, I am learning new things all the time. I thought it was quite novel that the builder is also the undertaker but apparetnly that is quite "normal!"

Nice to be back in communication and will be catching up on all the messages :)

Lol welcome to the world of rural living !