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8 Tips for Couples Moving In Together

8 Tips for Couples Moving in Together: How to Optimize the Move

 

With 2020 fully in the rearview mirror and 2021 well underway, it’s an exciting time for many. Sure, the weather may be cold, but as the seasons begin to change, coupled with a new year, it also presents the opportunity for new beginnings and adventures for people. This is certainly the case for couples preparing to move-in with each other. Whether you’re a newly wed couple taking the plunge or just ready for that next step in a relationship, it is an exciting time. These tips for couples moving in together most certainly will help you optimize your move!

Sound like you? Perfect! Moving in for the first time with your significant other is a fun and exciting time, but also presents it’s own unique challenges. From balancing what personal belongings each of you bring, daily chores you will now share, financials, and even general communication, there are plenty of points to consider!

So- what’s next? Well, there’s a lot to consider, conversations to have, and logistics to plan. Below we’ve compiled a list of eight tips for couples moving in together to help optimize the move and make the process as seamless as possible. Read along for a few tips that may just help you and your partner as move-in time approaches! Moving Advice for Couples

Figure Out What Each of You is Bringing to the Table

 Each person in a relationship brings their own unique experiences, as well as strengths and weaknesses to the table. By this point, you have a pretty good idea of what sets your partner off, what they respond to, their likes and dislikes and how they like to spend their time when you two aren’t doing something together. This is all great to have an understanding of, but moving in together heightens all of this.

Does your partner enjoy cooking while you enjoy cleaning? Do you prefer sleeping in while they’re an early-bird on the weekends? Understanding what you both bring to the table in a working relationship can help you make strides to continue growing together. While there will definitely be a transition period of getting to understand how you each operate, the more you can communicate and manage expectations going into this new adventure, the more beneficial it will be for you both in the long run!

If you follow these tips for couples moving in together, you will be well prepared when move in time comes, respect your partner’s differences from what you’re used to and take it as a learning experience. 

Take Inventory of All Your Belongings

Smart Tips for Couples Moving In Together

 As your move-in date approaches, start planning with your partner what you both have. If you both live alone now and you’re gearing up to move in together, this could potentially mean having two of everything. Do you need two Keurigs, or 18 coffee mugs? Probably not. Understanding and planning big items you need to buy can help you plan out financials down the road and avoid unseen expenses your first few months living together.

Beyond the bigger items the two of you will need for your new place, you should also consider the smaller pieces you both own. From clothing, posters of your childhood celebrity crush, trophies you’ve held onto from your 3rd grade t-ball league, the list goes on. Good news for you, it’s extremely easy to donate used items to help decrease your clutter in your new home.

With your belongings accounted for, talk to your partner about what you both want to bring. Though you may like some items, your partner may not want them in your place. Communicate which items you’re bringing are essential, which ones you would like to bring, and those that you don’t have a need for.

Take some time to focus on what’s important to both of you, downsize a bit and maybe even make some cash on the side getting rid of belongings you no longer need and decide not to donate. 

Talk About Chores

 No, these aren’t the chores you remember as a child, no one is paying you to do your work, or take the dog for a walk or make your bed, it’s now expected. Regardless of how you lived before, odds are your partner has a certain set of expectations you need to live up to when it comes to pulling your weight around your new place. Have conversations with your significant other before you move in on whose job it will be to handle specific chores and duties around the house. Making the bed, mowing the lawn, doing dishes, folding laundry, you get the picture. Small chores like these and not understanding who’s responsibility they are to handle or share can lead to disagreements down the road.

Having conversations with your partner doesn’t need to be an argument or something you let boil up either! Discuss splitting chores in a calm manner and come to agreements with who will do what and when. With your busy lifestyles and the hectic nature that can come with the first few months of moving in, utilizing a delivery option can save you a lot of time when planning out your chore routine.

Using a phone application to order some of your cleaning supplies can lighten both of your workloads. You can even tag team it! While your partner is waiting for the disinfectants to arrive, take some time to declutter. Taking on a teamwork mentality can save a lot of disagreements in the long run.

At the end of the day, understanding that you and your partner may do things a bit differently is part of your experience, but learning to appreciate each other’s differences is a reason you’re together! 

Expect Roadblocks When You Move

How often in life do things not go exactly to plan? If you said “a lot”, you’re right. The same can be said for this new step you’re taking with your significant other. One piece of advice is to keep your expectations level-headed. If you go into this new stage with extremely high expectations, odds are you will become frustrated and that can lead to stress in your relationship.

The same can be said for going into moving in together with an overly-romantic view of how perfect it will be. Just because you and your partner are moving in together does not mean the ideal white picket fence and constant sunshine and rainbows, there will be roadblocks and bumps along the way.

Between small arguments over silly things, or natural growing pains of sharing a space of someone else, there will be obstacles you need to overcome together. Coming to that realization before the move in will only help you both have a level understanding of the challenging, yet great road ahead.

All relationships have peaks and valleys, and to expect this new experience to be a prolonged honeymoon or fantasy simple aren’t realistic! Do your best to stay focused on the day to day of living together, but obviously work on the bigger picture and plans you and your partner share.

Take Some Alone Time Smart Advice for Couples Moving Together

 The change from living on your own or with friends to being with your partner can offer up quite the learning curve. Couple this new experience with COVID-related closures in some areas and cold weather and you and your partner are suddenly spending more time than ever together under one roof. While living together may be exactly what you need at this stage in your relationship, everyone naturally needs a bit of time for themselves.

Taking some time to decompress and get away from your partner for a little can do wonders for your mental health as well as the well-being of your relationship. Whether you block off an hour a day to workout, go on a walk, or simply enjoy activities or hobbies of your own, this allows you and your partner some much needed time for yourself. Spending some time for yourself or going out to see friends and continue your own hobbies can also help keep your relationship fresh and bring new conversations to the table.

If you feel you and your significant other may struggle with all this newfound time together, do some research on how to balance spending time with each other. Moving in together is a great step in your relationship, and understanding when your partner may need some space will only help make the time you spend together that much more enjoyable!

Discuss Financials Before You Move

 A major factor you and your partner must consider is the financial aspect of moving in together. Whether you were living with friends or family before, money is likely something the two of you haven’t had to truly discuss and talk about on a serious note. When it comes time to move in together, you will suddenly have major expenses such as rent or mortgage, as well as other smaller expenses from your weekly groceries to subscriptions for your favorite streaming services like Hulu. All of these things are points you and your partner should communicate about and put plans in place to tackle together and save money during your move.

While money and financials can be a roadblock for many couples, especially younger ones who are just starting out living together, it doesn’t have to be a dealbreaker. Save both you and your partner stress by having conversations about your finances early and helping each other plan big things out. Regardless of you and your partner’s financial situation, it’s always important to have a grasp on where you stand.

Luckily, you can easily manage your subscriptions through different phone applications like Truebill or build out a monthly home buyer budget the two of you can collaborate and work toward. While you may be splitting certain bills, and seemingly spending less money, it’s important to step back and not lose track of spending as a young couple, especially depending on your future goals or plans together.

Communicate Throughout Your Move

 If there is one part in here that you should especially focus on, it’s this one. You and your partner are at this point in your relationship for a number of reasons, one being you know how to communicate with each other. While moving in together is a great step, communication becomes even more important at this stage. Between the points we mentioned above, from financials, respecting each other’s space, and everything in between, continued communication is key to your relationship.

Moving in together, you may think you already know everything there is to know about your partner, but think again! With the 24/7 close proximity and your space now being their space too, you will learn plenty in the first few weeks you never noticed about your partner before. Here’s why communication is so key. Maybe there are new things you love that you’ve never noticed, and maybe the smallest things bother you, it’s okay!

Healthy communication has the ability to enhance your relationship and help the two of you move forward together, while poor communication can do the opposite. Luckily, there are several ways to help your communication, from being open to picking up on non-verbal cues. Whichever tips you pick up on, be sure your communication is honest, open and truly take time to understand where your partner is coming from!

Moving Can Be Fun…Enjoy Your Move as a Couple!

Enjoy enough of the x’s and o’s of moving in with your partner. Take a breath. Relax. Think about the adventure the two of you are about to embark on. Pretty awesome. From planning your move in to having small groups of friends over to the new place and hosting your first party or holiday together, this is an exciting time! If you follow these tips for couples moving in together, you should have an easier path to getting settled in to your now home.

Aside from the thrill of a new journey, this is an amazing opportunity for you and your partner to get to know each other even better than you already do and grow as a team! This is a big step in your relationship and you deserve to enjoy every minute of it! Like we mentioned earlier, there will be bumps in the road but they will be minimal when you experience highs and successes together unlike ever before. Have fun decorating the house together, working through challenges, enjoying the little things like cooking dinner together or binge-watching a television series, the upside is endless.

As you and your partner gear up to move in together, make sure to take the time to communicate and plan things out for an easy transition. Take the tips we discussed and mix them in with what will work best for you and your partner along with any other helpful advice you’ve gained from friends and family. Above all else, enjoy the experience!

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8 Smart Tips for Couples Moving In Together

About Anita Clark Realtor

Anita Clark has written 645 posts on this blog.

Anita is a residential Real Estate Agent in Warner Robins Georgia, with Coldwell Banker Access Realty (478) 953-8595, aiding buyers and sellers with all their real estate questions on her Warner Robins blog.

  • Anita Clark Realtor

    470 S Houston Lake Rd
    Warner Robins, GA 31088

    (478) 960-8055

    anitaclark160@gmail.com

    Coldwell Banker Access Realty

    (478) 953-8595

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