Entry #248, August 18, 2010
Moving homes can be an exciting and stressful time. Whether you are moving into a smaller or larger home, the planning associated with it can give you a headache! How about combining households? This could be for marriage, living in a college apartment, becoming roommates in a home, or having a senior come live with you. Combining households is a merging of two lives, and everything that comes with each person.
This is a great article from Apartment Therapy as to how to pack and plan.
Talk:
Seems simple, but it’s seriously overlooked. Make sure you’re on the same page about your expectations. You’ll need to know what each other are planning on bringing especially the big stuff such as furniture.
Plan:
Make a plan. Sit down together and figure out a layout for each room (communal areas for roommates, each room for significant others). If you figure out where things will be placed ahead of time, it will save a lot of arguing and headaches. It’ll also help save your wallet because you might not run out to purchase something if you know you already have a full room.
Expect the Unexpected:
You may be surprised by the extensive troll collection your significant other had tucked away before you decided to move in together. That new built-in shelving in the living room seems like the perfect place to them. Know how to roll with the punches and handle the situation accordingly.
Determine what each person is bringing first
Compromise:
There will be the few things that you will not see eye-to-eye on and that’s okay. My fiance and I had a few things we didn’t agree on, but, he let me have my way on many things because he knew setting up the home meant a lot to me. However, I compromised on the placement of certain items because I knew he really loved them and I learned to live with them!
Mix & Match:
Maybe your roommate moved in with some really great curtains, but you have a set as well. Switch them out periodically to let each voice be heard in the communal spaces! This also works really well for throw pillows and blankets & just throw them all on the couch and see what works and what doesn’t. What advice do you have for merging two households?
Have you had to combine households in your moving lifetime? What tips can you share with other readers?
For more moving tips on Stagetecture, click here.
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I have had two room mates in my lifetime. The first was my brother (17 months younger). We have always been totally honest with each other. By the time he wanted me for a room mate, I had been a very happy bachelor for some five or six years and didn’t care if we roomed together or not. But I did NOT want to argue with him all the time. We sat down, talked out what we wanted, and it worked out perfectly. No problems at all! The other room mate is my wife, and after 34 years, I am still insanely happy with her. The best part of every day is just spending time with her, and we have it so bad for each other that we don’t really care what we do. Cup of coffee and a little conversation is fine! And we know the art of compromise, which is understanding that you get part of what you wanted and part of what you did not want.
Ahhh Joseph, you and your wife sound like the perfect couple! 🙂