Moving in together with your significant other is a huge milestone in your relationship that comes with a number of perks. If you have been living a far distance from each other, you get to save on commute expenses and time. You also get to have more quality time with each other, not forgetting splitting household expenses, rent, and chores.
With all these benefits, however, you are not guaranteed a smooth sail ahead. It sure is an exciting phase in your life, but without proper planning and thinking it through, it can easily lead to a disastrous heartbreak in the future.
Before moving in together, ensure that you sit down together and go through this checklist.
1. Discuss the why
Owing to the current financial situation, most couples move in together for financial benefits. The idea of combining your finances to move to a nicer place is often too appealing to turn down. However, just because moving in together makes money sense, it should not be the only reason that makes you decide to live together.
Ultimately, the major reason for moving in together should be based on bettering your relationship. You may be planning to get married soon and decide to move into your dream home before the wedding. Just be sure to discuss the why before making the decision so that you are sure you are both on the same page.
2. Decide the location and household items
When you decide to move in together, you can opt to move to where your partner lives, or your partner can move into your house, or you can decide to move into a new house. Ensure that you come to a conclusion of the best move for both of you.
However, before you get to that conclusion, take an audit of the household items each one of you has. You, obviously, will have some items in duplicate. You will need to decide what stays, what to donate, sell, or throw away. In addition, you get to realize the items that you currently don’t have and might need in your new home. Furthermore, household items can also include adding various features that will help you organize your items. For example, you can get some ready to assemble cabinets and implement them in your kitchen, for your jars, recipe books, and other things you personally need in your kitchen.
Pro tip: You can save a lot of money if you decide to repair some broken items instead of buying brand new ones. In the case of a refrigerator, thermostat, and HVAC system, for instance, you can find more sustainable alternatives that will upgrade your household in a more sustainable way. Through your household suit, deciding to upgrade your house with automation devices is definitely worth the investment for a more secure, comfortable, and sustainable living space with your partner.
The most important thing is to ensure that all your items fit in your house of choice and that you don’t go way beyond your budget. Make sure that the money invested is well spent on items with long-term value. If you are looking for transportation to move items from your old place to a new one, consider a van from Lewisham movers instead of a truck to assure your items are well protected during transport.
3. Decide on sharing obligations
A household has a lot that goes in on a daily basis. When living alone, you don’t need to be reminded of the things you are supposed to do since it is all on you. When you are the two of you, however, there is that expectation of the other person to chip in on the chores, house expenses, and other financial matters. As part of sharing a living space, there are additional responsibilities, such as managing utility bills. These include contacting local electric suppliers and using PA electric suppliers rates comparison tools are crucial to making well-informed decisions that align with your financial goals, energy needs, and environmental values.
Ensure that you lay everything on the table before you move in together. Discuss the financial status of each of you. This is the point you open up of any debt or other financial obligations like helping your family and the like. Discuss how you are going to split up the house expenses and chores. Chores can be a hassle for anybody, but it is important that you equally distribute chores, such as cleaning, between each-other. If you both lead very hectic lives, and your budget allows, you can hire a cleaning services provider, such as Optimal – a cleaning company in Zurich, or other providers local to where you are.
Don’t forget to discuss what each expects from the other in every sense of the word. That would include how you solve conflicts, how to combine your cultures, and how you want your home to feel like, décor, theme colors, and the like.
4. Plan the move
After planning out the details, decide on how you are going to do the move. If you’ve been having a long-distance relationship, and you will be needing to move for a long-distance as well, you might need to hire an interstate moving company. If just across town, you can save a lot if you decide to do the move yourselves. If you’re in California, you can contact Boxbee to rent reusable plastic moving boxes that are delivered right to your door. All you need to do is pack your belongings, unpack them at your new place, and then Boxbee will pick up your empty moving boxes. It’s that simple!
Conclusion
Even after agreeing on everything, there is still room that some things might not work out as you expect them to. Move-in with an open mind and ready to compromise. Accept that things might change and be prepared to accommodate any change that comes your way. You might disagree on a few things at the beginning, but you will learn what each other wants as time goes.