Making the decision to move-in with your partner is an exciting and meaningful part in any relationship. Starting the experience off with the right expectations and wisdom is important and can make a big difference.
For someone who has never lived with a partner before, it can be very difficult to adjust to the new lifestyle. In the beginning, you may feel uncomfortable due to the lifestyle change. You will have to adjust and adapt to the new situation to make things work. Flexibility and communication are the keys to success. Follow these additional tips to make the experience with your partner positive and memorable.
Be Considerate and Over-Communicate
Once you move in with your partner, you should be considerate of them with the decisions you’re making. They might be at home with a surprise dinner prepared expecting you to arrive right after work, so be sure that you’re considering them if you’re going out for drinks with friends or running errands. Communication and flexibility are key.
It’s important to always strive for effective communication, and flexibility if plans don’t work out as you hope.
Pack Ahead of Time
The first thing you and your significant other should do is determine which items you consider valuable, and which items others might consider valuable. Once you have done this, make a list of all your valuable items, and take a picture of them. This way, nobody can dispute their original condition, or their presence when you move. Apps like Sortly let you snap photos of your belongings and categorize them. You can also use the checklist provided by Metropolis when you submit a quote.
Purge Your Belongings
Remember, the more stuff you both have, the more you’ll have to move. This can be especially tricky in New York City, as every square foot of space is to be cherished and utilized. When combining two people’s belongings into one apartment, it it necessary that each partner only bring the absolute essentials. Decluttering your belongings is one of many ways to minimize stress during moving, but it can be one of the most cost-cutting moving strategies too! Utilize Craigslist and eBay to sell belongings, or consider donating them.
Be Honest About Finances
Be sure to have an honest and open discussion about finances with your partner. The financial landscape has changed immensely since the times when one income could sustain a household. Be considerate and judgement-free of each other’s finances, but also be considerate of your partner when spending. Do you really need that new phone? Is that going to make it difficult for you to make your portion of rent or groceries? These are all decisions that need to be mutually considered when cohabitating with your significant other.
Keep the Spark Alive
It is important to have realistic expectations when moving in with your partner. You will certainly become closer, but always being with one another can make the relationship seem more predictable and less exciting. Be mindful of this, and make plans to go on date nights and spontaneous adventures. Thankfully, New York has plenty of world-class entertainment options to keep you and your partner entertained, from cinemas and theatres to bars and pizza joints. It is also an endless sprawl of neighborhoods of all different flavors, cultures and experiences. Having new experiences with your partner will keep the relationship new and exciting.
Spend Time Apart
It is equally important to maintain your own sense of identity and have hobbies, activities, and friends aside from each other. It usually doesn’t come to couples at first when they are in the honeymoon phase, but eventually couples realize it is healthy and necessary to spend time apart. This way, you can both come back to each other with unique experiences and pieces of wisdom and keep the spark alive by continually learning more and more about your partner.
It is also important to maintain a separate identity within your new living space. Make sure that you each have space that you can call your own within your apartment. Whether it’s your own bowls or glasses, a writer’s desk, or a favorite blanket, maintaining your own identity when sharing an apartment can lessen the chance of any resentment building up between you and your significant other. Living in a smaller apartment as New York City usually requires makes this extra important for getting along and having a pleasant living experience.
Hire Professional Movers
Whether you’ve got two apartments worth of belongings or are only bringing the bare essentials, moving can be more stressful than a divorce. Don’t put your relationship through even more stress by trying to move all by yourselves or with the help of friends. You need professional, attentive moving professionals who understand the complexities of a New York City move. We have earned a 5-star rating on Yelp for being one of New York City’s most reliable and straightforward moving services.
