The Most Important Moving In Together Checklist On the Internet

Outline:
Intro
Lay the Ground Rules
Get Comfortable
Determine Your Must-Haves
Consolidate Furniture
Consolidate Duplicates

How to Consolidate Furniture When Moving in Together

Moving in together is a big step in a relationship. Choosing to cohabitate is exciting, but as you begin to look for places to live, one thing becomes apparent: you will have to get rid of some of your stuff. So will your partner.

Whether you’re moving to a house with plenty of space or a studio apartment with a tiny bathroom, moving in together presents a fantastic opportunity to take inventory of your stuff and determine what is actually worth keeping. Do you really need those throw pillows from your dorm bedding set in college? Does your partner need to keep his little league trophies? These are the questions you will be discussing when preparing to move in together.

Make this exciting transition as smooth as possible with these packing and consolidating tips from our professional movers here at Moving Forward.

1. Lay the Ground Rules

Before you touch a single thing, sit down with your partner and establish some ground rules. You wouldn’t want to find your partner throwing away your antique coffee table if it meant the world to you. And you wouldn’t want to throw away something sentimental of your partner’s, either.

Decide what you both need in the new place and how flexible you’re willing to be about your belongings. For example, if you currently live in a different town than your partner, and you’re moving into his or her house, then what you bring may be different than if the tables were turned. Make sure both of you are clear on whether this will be an even split of belongings or if one person will be in charge of furniture and the other will be taking care of kitchen appliances, for example.

When you have a set of ground rules, you are much less likely to step on one another’s toes or bring double of the same furniture or appliance.

2. Get Comfortable with Compromise

If this is a new relationship, then this move is most likely your first test at compromise. Understand that sharing a space requires some flexibility from both of you. So while you both have an idea of your dream living room, for example, you dream may clash with your partner’s dream. Ask some of the following questions when compromising:

• What are you willing to part with?
• Are you more excited about the decor or function of our home?
• Do you have a preference for who brings X or Y?
• If you get the furnish the living room, I get to furnish the bedroom.

These ground rules and topics for compromise will be different for you than other couples. When you find yourself negotiating a compromise, make sure each of you feels as if you are winning in some way. This can be difficult if one of you is more assertive than the other. At the end of the day, if each of you feels like they came out on top, the move will go smoothly.
 
3. Determine Your Must-Haves

What makes a home your home? What do you need to bring to your new home no matter what? Maybe it’s your record collection or your heirloom rugs. Whatever it is, make sure you know what the absolute essentials are -- and remember that your partner will also have those absolute essentials.

Here’s where more compromise will come in: some of your essentials may clash with your partner’s essentials. So if you MUST have your antique jazz poster collection hng in the living room, but your partner insists his giant bean bag chair deserves to be in the living room, too, then so be it. If compromising proves difficult, go back to your ground rules. Did you both determine each person could have one sentimental item per room? OK, then that’s the limit, and whatever that sentimental item is -- be it bean bag chair or little league trophy, gets real estate in the shared living space.

4. Consolidate Duplicates

So you both have a coffee table, a TV, and a bookshelf … do you really need both? You most likely won’t need two sofas and two beds, so whose will you take? The best way to determine this is the quality, size, condition and style of each piece of furniture. If your partner has a beautiful leather sofa, it may be time to ditch your hand-me-down sofa with the coffee stains.
But if you have a beautiful bed frame and your partner is still rocking a twin bed, then go with your bed. It all comes down to quality and style. Choose the pieces. 

Do you both have blenders in the same condition? Sell one and keep the other. There’s no compromise to be had there -- unless one of you have a sentimental connection with your blender.

If you are moving into an apartment, it’s also important to keep in mind that the apartment complex may have certain furnishings and appliances. Double check with the landlord before buying an ironing board or bringing your washing machine, for example.

Once you determine your ground rules, learn to compromise, and get rid of duplicate furniture, the rest of the move will be cake! Make sure to follow these simple rules to ensure you have an enjoyable move in experience together.



For more info, give a call to professional Palo Alto Movers at Moving Forward.