As I suggested in my last post, my life has been consumed with moving. Before the actual move, I was busy with packing and cleaning my apartment. After the move, little did I know it, but the fun was only about to begin. And by fun, I mean a lot of organizing, cleaning and unpacking was about to begin.
It’s been almost 3 weeks since the move. Despite the lapse of 3 weeks and our tireless unpacking, we only started to see the floor to the living room this past weekend. While that’s a huge win, there’s still a lot that needs to be done. While there is much work before us, we have made efforts to make the process smother. Below are four ways that we’ve been trying to make combining two households easier.
Four Ways to Make Combining Two Households Easier
Set Goals & Schedules (As Much as You’re Able)
We haven’t had a lot of time on weeknights, but when we are cleaning, we try to have a clear idea of what we want to accomplish that day. Sometimes things take longer than expected or you run into roadblocks, so be aware that things may not always go as planned . We had thought that setting up the closet organization shelving system would be a piece of cake. Two trips to The Home Depot later, we were finally on our way to getting the shelving up.
Be Ready for a New Organizational System
It would have been a lot easier to unpack if I was able to put things in drawers, cabinets and shelves the same way as I had them before. However, with the new space and someone else’s stuff to contend with, keeping my old organization system for my new space just wasn’t going to work or happen. It’s a no brainer, but you’re going to have to think of ways to make extra space for the new things and then think of ways to integrate them in a way that makes sense. And don’t forget to keep each other in the loop when putting things away – you don’t want either of you to lose track of where things are.
Identify Duplicates
When two households become one, the number of things multiply. This may work in your favor or you may find yourself with a number of duplicate items. I did not have a toaster or blender. But, alas, Richard had both, which is a win for me who loves toast and blended things. However, there are items that you’re both bound to have your own. Beds, microwaves, pots and pans, dishes, silverware, couches – you name it. The key is to divide and conquer. As you move things in and identify duplicates, make a decision together about what you want to keep. And then figure out what you want to do with the extras. Giving things away to friends or donation centers, selling on Craigslist or some other marketplace or (as a last resort) throwing things away or recycling are all options for reducing duplication.
Work Together
You’re living together now! And that’s exciting and new! Moving is stressful in and of itself, but it can be even more stressful when you’re moving in with a significant other. To make the task of combining two households less daunting, make it a team effort. After all, you’re in this together now, so you might as well kick it off well by working together.
Have you ever moved in with a significant other? What was your experience in combining two households? How would you make the process go more smoothly?
