Congratulations on this new journey that you are about to embark on. It is an exciting time for you, but you may also be looking at your home and his/her home and trying to figure out just how you will make it work. After all, you both have two sets of almost everything as it is, right?
Moving in together is a great way for you to continue your relationship and bond. It is a big step and a huge commitment, so you want to make sure that you start it off right. Combining your two households is not always easy, but these steps below can help make it seamless for you.
Decide Who Is Moving
BEFORE you can move, you must decide who is moving into who’s home. This can be a difficult decision because one of you may feel as though you are losing something such as a bit of independence. The decision of who to move can be a tough one and should not be taken lightly. As you ponder the thought, consider who has a lease that may be expiring soon or who has the bigger home out of the two of you.
Learn What You Have
It will seem overwhelming when you start to pack and combine your two households. It is important for you to take an inventory of what you have so you know what you don’t need. For example, it is likely that each of you has a microwave, but you only need one. You now know that you can get rid of one microwave. Do this for all of your items.
Choose Which Duplicate to Keep
You want to ensure that you do not have hundreds of duplicate items in your home, but you also want to make sure you keep the nicer one of the two.
Compromises Are Necessary
The two of you will NOT agree on everything. You may want to paint the bedroom yellow and he may want to leave it a charcoal gray. There are many small things that may lead to disagreements and differing opinions. This is okay. It is important for you and your partner to work through them together and remember that it is necessary for each of you to make compromises to ensure the best possible experience.
Personal Space is Important
While you are happy to move in together and likely at a stage in your relationship where you want to breathe the same air and be around each other, make time for yourself and have some personal space. You will quickly find that spending too much time together can make you not want to be around the other.
Don’t Toss It Just Yet
If you find that you have too much stuff, but you cannot meet in the middle, there is always the option to keep some of your things. Of course, you do not want to keep renting a home just to have the items, so you can affordably and quickly rent a self-storage unit to keep your items safe until you can convince your partner otherwise or sell them.