Moving in with a significant other is a major step forward in a relationship. This could be the precursor to getting married or just proof that youâre in this relationship for the long haul. Living with a romantic partner is light years away from living with a roommate or a family member. Adjustments will have to be made. Hereâs what you can expect.
Organize Your Stuff
Whether youâre moving into a new place or one of you is moving into the otherâs apartment, you’ll instantly be doubling the amount of stuff that youâre living with. This is going to require some judicious âeditingâ of all your things. You might find that you have doubles or triples of certain items where you only need one. Youâll want to declutter as much as possible in order to get organized. Always remember that everything needs to have a proper place and thatâs where it belongs when not in use. You should also make sure that everything gets unpacked in a timely manner. On the Move suggests that you should be unpacked within 1-3 days. Very few things are more stressful than living in a partially unpacked space for an extended period of time.
Set Rules About Fighting
You might have gotten along wonderfully while dating, but now that youâre living together, there are going to be arguments. It’s vital for the health of your relationship that you set some ground rules about fights. Creating separate spaces that each person can call his or her “own” and where he or she can go for alone time can be very healthy and an essential part of cultivating a healthy relationship in this new situation. This can be as simple as designating the extra bedroom as one person’s home office or a walk-in closet as a reading nook or gaming space.
You might also discover that your partner comes home mad but not at you. He or she might need to process something that happened at work. You could be well-intentioned with offering support, but that support might mean letting him or her vent. When you set ground rules about fights, then those fights shouldnât escalate.
Decorate Together
You probably got a good sense of your partnerâs decorating style from the last place that he or she lived. Now that he or she is moving in, his or her decorating style has to mesh with your style. Perhaps the decorating doesnât matter to you, but you should still be involved with the big decisions. Decorating the apartment can be a nice coupleâs project that’s done in phases. Finding personalized quality products can bring the two of you together. Donât hesitate to dislike things; just be nice about what you say.
Living together as a couple means that private moments will be rare. The upside is that youâre building a life together with someone you care about.