Along with the fun and excitement of moving in with someone comes a long list of decisions you will need to make together. Whether you are moving in with a significant other or a roommate, there is a good chance you will have duplicate furniture and other household items that will need to be consolidated. It is best to complete this process before moving to your new place. Packing and moving unnecessary items will be more work and can add more stress to your move. By sharing your expectations, goals, and boundaries for the new living arrangements, you can enter into the experience of moving in together with open communication and understanding.
Create a Moving Budget
Create a moving budget together. A budget can help guide everyone involved as you make some big decisions. Moving to a new home can involve a down payment, closing costs, first and last month's rent deposit, packing and moving costs, and many other expenses. Save stress by having conversations early on about how moving costs will be divided, whose name the property/lease and utilities will be under, joint vs. separate expenses, and deciding how you will pay those joint bills. If you need to create a joint account, discuss how that account will be budgeted and managed together.
Take an Inventory of Shared Belongings
From the oversized furniture items down to the 20 coffee mugs between the two of you, decisions will have to be made about where to downsize. Taking a combined inventory allows you to easily view what areas of your new household need to be pared down and what areas are lacking. A household inventory list ensures that you have purchased enough insurance and allows you to quickly report what was lost in the case of burglary, fire, or natural disaster to the police, the IRS, and your independent insurance agent. Your inventory list can be categorized by room, type of item, collection, or other relevant criteria. It can be made digitally or with pen and paper. Find a system that will allow you and the person you are moving in with easy access to make updates together. Plus, this list of combined belongings will be a good place to start the tedious process of the household inventory list you will need after the move.
Make the Tough Decisions
This has the potential to be the most challenging part of the process. For many people moving in together, the task of dividing what to keep and what to toss is just as hard as moving. Base the decision of what furniture to keep on the layout and size of your new home. Knowing the exact size and dimensions of each room in your new home will make decisions more straightforward because you know exactly what will and will not fit. Try sticking to a “one of each item” policy, especially in the kitchen, as much as possible. When duplicates arise, choose the best of each item together and move forward with that decision. Remember that letting go of personal items does not mean you are letting go of the memories attached to them. Taking photos of special items you are letting go of can help you process your emotions.
Find an Alternative Solution to Duplicates
If you genuinely can’t agree on a set of duplicates, there’s always the option to sell your items and use the money to buy a new one you both love. For example, consider selling both of your couches and plan to pick a new one out together. This is a great way to compromise and find precisely what you need to fit your new space.
Donate Items to Charity
If the items you decide to purge are still in good condition and you are not interested in selling them, consider donating. Several charities offer donation pickups right from your home to make the process easier. Check with The Salvation Army, Goodwill, AMVETS National Service Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, The Arc, Pickup Please, and Furniture Bank Network. Another great option is to work with the folks at Pickup My Donation.
Put Excess Items in Storage
Most people are overwhelmed by the thought of purging their belongings and are afraid to get rid of something that will be needed, wanted, or be of significant value later on down the road. One solution is to consider putting excess or sentimental items in storage and then decide after living without them for a while.
Simplify Your Move with Portable Storage
There are countless stories of DIY movers getting into an accident in their rental truck or having the truck break down on their moving day. Moving trucks are longer, wider, heavier, and much taller than the typical car or truck, which may require you to seek an alternate route to accommodate the larger size of the rental truck. To help ease the burden of moving, we want to explain how ditching the moving truck rental and using a portable storage container can make the moving process more manageable and less stressful.
We will deliver a portable storage container or containers to your home at your convenience. You can take your time loading them up and pack at your own pace – no rushing to get everything packed, loaded, delivered, and unloaded all in one day. Delivery dates and storage dates can quickly be scheduled and rescheduled when you use a portable storage container. Then you get to leave all the worries of fuel mileage, uncertain safety, and being unaccustomed to driving a large, unfamiliar vehicle behind. Allowing us to do the driving means leaving the stress behind, no matter if you are moving locally or long distance.
1-800-PACK-RAT is the perfect solution for those looking to combine households. Our portable storage containers eliminate the obstacles standing between you and your new place. We offer simple storage solutions for the home staging/home selling process, and we can safely store your belongings for as long as you need. When you are ready for them, we will deliver your belongings to your new home. We are industry leaders in local and long-distance moves, so whether your new home is around the block or across the country, 1-800-PACK-RAT has got you covered!