Moving in with your significant other can be a big step for a couple, but you’re not alone in doing it. An analysis of a Stanford University study shows that 50% of average American couples move in together after a year of dating. That number increases to 70% after two years.

If you’re debating becoming a part of that statistic and need tips for moving in together, you’re in luck. We’ve compiled eight helpful tips to help you prepare for your new shared space from communication tips to the best self storage solutions.

This guide will break up the move-in process into two distinct phases: before you’ve picked out a place to live, and after you’ve made the decision.

Let’s start with the steps you can take before you start looking at apartments together.

#1 Discuss Responsibilities 

Having an honest conversation around expectations is an excellent way to determine what living together will look like. Household chores, dirty dishes, and other household duties are the last thing on your mind when moving in together. Making a list of duties and dividing it up ensures a fair workload for both of you. Household responsibilities could include:

  • Vacuuming or sweeping
  • Cleaning the bathrooms
  • Grocery shopping
  • Taking out the trash
  • Filing joint taxes

Most people will tell you they hate doing household chores, but you can usually find someone’s preferred tasks if you dig a little deeper. By splitting up housework and other responsibilities before you move in, you set clear boundaries around who is in charge of what.

#2 Try It Out Together

Before jumping into a lease together, you might consider taking cohabitation for a test drive. Try having your partner live with you for two or three weeks, or vice versa. Things like cooking together, cleaning up, and sharing a space are all good practice for the real thing.

Alternatively, take a two-week trip together. While traveling isn’t identical to living together, it can show you how your partner organizes, plans, and deals with stress—all good things to know before moving in!

#3 Compromise

A critical component of every relationship is compromise. Learning to compromise is key when it comes to discussing a shared living space.

Will you be moving into your place or theirs? Or a new space altogether?

Maybe one of you wants to be closer to the action downtown, and the other is looking for a quieter lifestyle.

When exploring what living together could look like, you’ll likely need to compromise on everything from location to budget to room usage. Before you start house hunting, talk about what you want, and make sure your partner’s needs are also met. That way, you’ll both be happy when it comes time to move.

#4 Make a List

Once you’ve committed to moving in together as a cohabiting couple, it’s time to prepare!

One of the first things you can do is make a list of your belongings. Seeing your stuff listed out makes it easier to decide what to pack with you, and what to move into storage. An inventory will also guarantee you don’t forget anything during the big move.

How specific you make your list is up to you and your partner, but it’s generally a good idea to note down a brief description of each item and its value. Pictures may also come in handy. A catalog like this is especially useful for insurance purposes, in case something is lost or damaged during the move.

#5 Coordinate With Your Partner

Whether you’re moving into your partner’s place or looking for somewhere new together, you’ll likely have doubles of many things you simply don’t need two of. It pays to coordinate which of the duplicate items you’ll move into your new spot.  Some of these items may include:

  • Beds
  • Dressers
  • Couches
  • Tables
  • Appliances

Take stock of items like this, and decide which one you like better. For example, unless you have a guest bedroom in your new suite, you probably won’t need two beds. Decide which bed is most comfortable, and store the other one until you need it.

#6 Label Everything

Moving from a house to an apartment? During a move, your best friend is going to be a big black felt pen or a label maker (besides, who doesn’t love sticking those little labels everywhere?). You’ll want to label every box with its destination. That way, when you’re bringing boxes into the house, you can place them where they need to go the first time, instead of moving them over and over again.

You might also want to label your things and your partner’s things separately to avoid confusion when unpacking.

#7 Pack Together

Not only will you be helping each other out by packing up together, but it can also be a lot of fun! 

Doing your packing together makes unpacking more efficient since you’ll both know what’s inside every box. You can also help each other decide which decorations will match your new place, and which ones can stay in the box.

#8 Make Use of Self Storage

Moving two people’s stuff into one space might mean you’re going to need extra storage! Especially if you’re moving out of your parents’ place or your first apartment, as you’ll probably have a lot of cherished keepsakes from that time. There is also the need to store all of your clothes. If you don’t want to closet purge, maybe it’s time to consider self storage options. 

If your long-term goal is to start a family or move to a bigger home, you’ll likely have more space for those things in the future. Until that day, a self storage unit can come in handy.

Here at Price Self Storage, we offer affordable storage units in varying sizes such as a 5×5 or a 5×10 storage unit. Whatever your needs, we offer zero deposit, flexible leases, and even drive-up units. Reach out today to find a self storage unit that’ll simplify your upcoming move! 

Most importantly, congratulations! This is a monumental moment in your life and we’re excited for your next adventure. 

Sources: 

Quartz. How soon do couples usually move in together? https://qz.com/quartzy/1664754/when-is-it-normal-to-move-in-together/ 

Stanford University. How Couples Meet and Stay Together 2017. https://data.stanford.edu/hcmst2017