Anytime two people blend their lives and move in together, there can be an adjustment period that can be made easier by making fair, honest decisions on which of your items you’re going to keep. Especially if you have both lived on your own for a while, you have two total households that have to be combined. The chances are high that you can both get rid of a lot of things, since you’ll have duplicates. When moving in together, consider these 10 tips to help blend your lives more successfully.
1). Do you have two full households?
If you actually have two full homes full of things, it’s a good bet that not everything will go into one home. That means both of you will have to make some sacrifices. Talking about your level of stuff openly and honestly can be a great way to ensure that you both feel comfortable with the things you’re keeping and the things you’re giving away.
2). Who has the nicer things?
One of you may have a lot nicer things than the other, but that doesn’t mean one person should get rid of all of their things, either. Make sure you’re fair with your partner, and let them keep some of their things unless they really want to get rid of them or definitely like your stuff better. A blended household should be a reflection of what both people like.
3). What items are meaningful to you?
When you ask your significant other to get rid of something you don’t care for, keep in mind that it might be very meaningful to them for some reason and it’s important to respect that. If you buy a house together, you want to agree to let each other keep all the things that matter most to them. That way they feel respected and so do you.
4). Should you get a storage unit?
If you really can’t decide on some of the bigger pieces, you have too much you want to keep, or you have to move quickly and don’t want to make all the decisions right now, a storage unit might be a great idea. Then you can go through it at your leisure and decide on items you weren’t sure about.
5). Is there a “man cave” or “she shed” in your future?
Having your own room where you can decompress is a great way to blend all of your things and still feel like you have a spot of your own. You can decorate your room however you like, and keep all of those things that you might not have wanted in the rest of the house or your partner doesn’t care for, but that you don’t want to get rid of.
6). Do you need separate storage spaces?
Even if you don’t need a storage shed, you might still want a separate space to store some of your things. Dividing the garage or basement into two separate areas, or making a special spot in the attic, can be a great way to give both of you storage room and make it easy for you to find your things when you need or want them.
7). Is the house big enough to hold all your things?
Moving in together is a big step, and buying the right house is crucial if you want to purchase a home together. While you don’t want a house that’s hard to take care of based on its size, you do want to get a place that’s big enough for everything you both want to put in it. For example, having a living room and a family room can help you keep two sets of furniture, instead of one of you having to get rid of their items.
8). Have you decided to pick your battles?
It’s a great idea for you and your significant other to pick your battles when determining how to blend things and what to get rid of. Even if they want to keep something you really hate, if it’s important to them it’s probably not worth fighting about. Peace and harmony is generally more important than a few items of decor.
9). Is it time to let go of all those old memories?
If you or your significant other have boxes of old letters, pictures, cards, and other things lying around that you haven’t looked at in years, it may be time to let some of those things go. You can preserve the ones that are most important, and a lot of people scan and digitize those things so they can have a record of them but can also have less clutter.
10). How sentimental is your significant other?
Keep in mind the sentimentality of your significant other. If they are a very sentimental person and you’re not, they will probably want to keep more things than you do. That’s okay, as long as you can both come to a good compromise and agreement on what gets kept and what doesn’t. Then you can both enjoy the way your new house looks, and you can focus on building your life together and appreciating everything it has to offer.
2 Point Highlight
Anytime two people blend their lives and move in together, there can be an adjustment period that can be made easier by making fair, honest decisions on which of your items you’re going to keep.
When you ask your significant other to get rid of something you don’t care for, keep in mind that it might be very meaningful to them for some reason and it’s important to respect that.
