Moving in together is usually an exciting time, whether it’s with your friends or your partner, but sometimes you can disagree on things once you have moved in and tension can start to build. To make the move as smooth as possible, The Store Room Salford have created a list of things to discuss before moving in together.
Trial Run
Living with someone can be a big step for any relationship, whether you are friends or a couple. One of the best ways to make sure that you’re ready to move in together and share your space is by doing a trial run.
As negative as it seems, a trial run will hep you to identify if there are any problems or deal breakers before it’s too late. There may be habits that annoy you more than you expected and you can make sure that your routines line up. Having trial run means that you will feel confident about your decision – if it goes well then you know you are ready to live together officially.
Keep, Sell, Donate Or Bin
When two people move in together, it usually means that you will have duplicates of everything (if you are both coming from your own homes). Make a list of all the big things in both your homes (e.g. beds, fridge, oven, washing machine, sofas etc.) and decide what you will need from each. Once you have decided what you be taking from each home, you will need to decide what you do with the rest of your items. Anything of value that you don’t need anymore, you could sell or donate, and if it isn’t usable then you can get rid of it.
Alternatively you could put items that you want to keep into self storage, for example items that you don’t want to get rid of but also don’t need or want at your home.
Make A Budget And Decide How You Are Going To Split Bills
Although it can be difficult, it’s important to discuss your finances. If you a moving in with roommates, you need to decide how to split rent and bills. Sometimes to split bills fairly doesn’t mean splitting them equally!
If you are moving in with your partner, you may want to discuss things a bit further like how much you usually spend on groceries, eating out, hobbies etc. so you can create a budget. This can help with savings as well (for a holiday or your future together).
Discuss Hosting Guests
You may already be on the same page about this, but it’s always worth double checking how you want to handle guests. Here are a couple of things to discuss:
- Can your friends and family stay overnight?
- How often will people stay?
- How long can people stay (are you likely to have long terms guests, and what happens if that becomes the case)?
- How often do you expect to have parties and are you both okay with the frequency?
If you disagree on these things it can cause tension in your relationship, so it’s good to talk about them early and get on the same page. It’s likely you may need to compromise, but if you spend the time setting our boundaries now, you will always have it to fall back on if you do ever disagree about it.
Decide Where To Live (yours, mine, or ours)
Deciding where to live can be quite a daunting task! You need to consider what the best place is for both of you, and you both may need to compromise. Think about what factors of where you live are important to both of you, for example, proximity to work or liveable space.
Some people find it hard to let go of it being ‘their space’ even if you are sharing the responsibility of bills and rent or mortgage payments. In this case it could be better to move into a place that’s ‘yours’ and start a new place together.
Divide Chores Equally
This is another factor that you may already think you know that tasks around the house will be split equally but it doesn’t hurt to check you’re on the same page. First you should make a list of all the chores you expect and specify how often they need doing. Then go through them together and agree which tasks you will both take or if you will do them alternatively.
If you set out a guide of what Is expected, then you can fall back on it, and it means you both have agreed to share the responsibility for household chores, and which you have agreed to doing.
We hope this list has helped, and wish you a happy move!