If you have settled on the decision to move in with your significant other or they are moving in with you, you are probably worried about what to do with all of the items you both have acquired over the years. It can be scary to think that you will essentially be doubling the things that you own, but you can combat this problem quite easily. In fact, the tips below will help you quickly and easily combine your households without the worry of being overrun by items.
- Take Inventory and Know the Space You Have to Work With
The first step to combining your households together is to take inventory of all of the items you each have. Of course, there will likely be items you want to toss before you move, so do not include those in your inventory count.
Once inventory is taken, you need to evaluate the space that you have to work with. This means measuring the areas and deciding what pieces of furniture will fit into which rooms. Try to envision a floor plan for the room and think about where you plan to put items before you start bringing them in.
- Get Rid of Doubles
If you have doubles of items, get rid of them, unless you need them. For example, if you have two microwaves, it is unlikely that you need both of them, so you can get rid of one of them. Always toss out the older version or more worn out version of an item.
When it comes to tossing out the duplicates, you may find that you struggle to just simply throw the items away. To help you with this, you could either donate the items or you can have a yard sale and make a few extra bucks.
- Make Compromises
One of the only ways that you will be able to effectively combine your households is to come to a compromise with some of your items. This means that you may have to agree to the keep the couch, but in return, you get to pick which dishes to keep in the kitchen. You will quickly learn that compromising is not too difficult and you each will be able to keep things that you enjoy.
If you find that you cannot compromise at all on an item, then you may want to wait a few days and try to settle it then or simply get rid of the item and replace it with something you both love.
While it is not recommended, some couples enjoy selling off all of their items that they once gathered as individuals and then purchasing new items together as a couple. This is a cute way to solidify your relationship, but it may waste more money in the long run.
If you are combining households with your significant other, work together to decide on what to keep and what not to keep to prevent a huge, cluttered disaster.
