Moving In Together

Today is Valentine’s Day. For some, it’s a day about silly cards, teddy bears and a good excuse for too much chocolate. For others, it’s about fine jewelry and fancy meals. But at Exodus, we believe Valentine’s Day is a day to think about love in your life and the ones who mean the most to you. Perhaps you have a significant other who it’s time to take that “next step” with. If you have been dating for a while and dancing around the issue, maybe it’s time to move in together. If you have been married for a while and you have been living in clutter, it might be time to face the facts of cohabitation. If you still own two of everything, perhaps it’s time for storage.

For dating relationships and newlyweds alike, moving in together can be a big step. And while many people feel secure in their “couple-hood”, many don’t feel altogether comfortable getting rid of their “stuff”. Some people feel that by maintaining separate sets of things, it can create an automatic “out clause”. Others simply prefer to maintain some sense of individuality even and especially within the context of a partnership. For the most part, everyone spent years alone creating a world full of the things they needed to support the life they had. But when two people come together, this can produce an excess of otherwise useful items. You might just end up with two sets of mixing bowls, two enormous book collections or doubles of anything that makes your home complete. But instead of living in chaos, or worse, not moving in together on account of your hand blown glass elephant collection, perhaps these 3 steps might help in creating cohesive cohabitation.

Take an Inventory

There will be many things in your home, especially your kitchen and living room that you will not need two of in the house. If you are about to make the move to live together or if you already have and these things are stuffed somewhere in the “closet of no return” it’s time to get organized. Decide which one is nicer, which one has more sentimental value or whatever characteristic makes it easiest to get rid of one or the other. Once you have done this, either give the extra one away or set it aside for storage.

Get Storage

If you find that you really do have two sets of everything and it’s simply too much or too soon to donate, perhaps it’s time to get a storage unit. Call Exodus, we would love to help.

Create a Timeline

Set a deadline for when it’s time to clear out. Your extra things can remain stored indefinitely, but perhaps the healthiest thing at some point is deciding when you want to let go. A suggestion in this might be “after 3 years of living together we agree to go through our storage unit and make decisions.” This creates a defined time frame for release and in the mean time allows you to maintain that sense of individuality in the midst of your loving relationship.