Maybe you know your partner’s birthplace, favorite football team and hobby of choice…but do you know how he or she lives? You can figure it out by thinking about how your partner acts when you’re together. Does he pick up after himself immediately, putting trash, dishes and clothes in their rightful spot right away? Or does he leave them strewn across the floor or counters for hours or even days?
Does your partner go to bed early or late? And does she let her dog sleep in bed with her? Does she have to play music or watch TV to fall asleep, or does she need silence? These details will affect you, so make sure you talk about them before you schedule your San Antonio moving company–because they won’t radically change once you two move in together!
Communicate
Talking about your habits is a start. But you’ll need to communicate about far more than bedtime when you shack up. For example, whose furniture will you use, and where will you put it? And who will clean which rooms of the house once you’re all settled in? Communication is important no matter who you’re going to live with, even when you’re moving in with roommates, though the whole experience is admittedly not quite the same as moving in with a significant other!
You’ll also need to talk about financial considerations. If you already have a joint account, you can pay household bills out of that. But not all couples have joint accounts. If you have separate accounts and want a simple way to pay the bills together, consider opening a joint account where you each put in money to pay for household expenses. When you do this, you’ll have to decide if you should put in equal amounts, or put in a percentage of your income if one earns significantly more than the other. Just be sure the technique you choose works for both of you.
Prepare to Compromise
This is probably the most important part of successfully shacking up. No matter how well you get along, you’re going to come across some potential issues. Keep in mind that it’s not just your house. You’re sharing it equally, so you’ll need to compromise.
For example, you might not like your boyfriend’s old ratty chair he loves to watch the game in, but that doesn’t mean you have the right to take it to Goodwill when he’s not home! Instead, let him know the chair doesn’t quite work for the family room and would look better in the den or master bedroom. Just don’t be surprised when he asks you to remove that pretty flower painting from the wall because it hurts his eyes. Decide if it’s worth it to argue your point, and maybe start looking for a better spot for it.
Discuss Storage Options
Combining two households means you’ll probably have two of several items, from bedroom sets to kitchen appliances. So pick the best of what you both have and then determine if you should rent storage space or donate to Goodwill.
If the relationship is still fairly new or you’re just not sure how it’s going to work out long term, it’s okay to store your furniture in a storage unit in case you need to move again in the future. Our San Antonio moving company offers portable MOVITs storage in this city, so this is a simple option if you’d like to avoid selling or donating your belongings for now.
Set Some Ground Rules
Just because you’re not living in your parents’ house these days doesn’t mean you don’t have rules. You should set some guidelines for you and your significant other to live by. Sure, you won’t get grounded if you don’t follow them, but you can expect some arguments, so it’s best to stick to the rules!
For example, when is quiet time in your house? This is a good idea if you ever need to study or work at home and don’t want to listen to your partner’s loud music or conversations with friends. When will you and your partner go to sleep and wake up? And is there room in the house for each of you to have a little corner to yourselves for when you just want to be alone?
Once you talk to your significant other about these moving issues, you should be all set to schedule San Antonio movers to come help. In fact, hiring movers is one of the best ways to avoid arguments on moving day, since you won’t be nearly as stressed as you would without assistance. So contact the San Antonio location of 3 Men Movers today!
