After debating the idea in your head for a while, you feel that your relationship has reached the point where the next logical step is to take the plunge and move into your first place together.
Before you even start house-hunting, make sure you consider these 5 tips to help prepare yourself for cohabitation with your significant other.
Your finances should be an open book
From the moment you decide to move in together, you both share the burden of the regular upkeep of your home, plus paying for the utilities, groceries and all of the other fun things that come with renting or buying a home..
However, don’t move in with your significant other if you are wary of them knowing just how much you make (or how much money you spend). Money stress can be a major reason why people separate, and being able to carry your own weight financially is important when starting your lives together.
Do you want to split everything 50-50? Proportionate to income? Merge all money into one single account?
These are financial aspects of living together that you need to consider and agree on prior to signing on that dotted line.
Spend plenty of time deciding how you want to decorate
This means sitting down together and discussing what stays and what goes from the stuff you already own, as well as deciding on the overall décor and ambiance of your new home together.
Respect one another’s demands during this time and try to find solutions that will benefit the both of you. An open line of communication without getting frustrated or angry is very important when it comes to differing opinions about taste. Remember, we all have to compromise sometimes.
Divide household chores equally and don’t get discouraged if they haven’t been done yet
When you start living together, it is imperative that the two of you divvy up all the household chores as equally as possible. Even if you keep your end of the bargain, there will be times where it seems like you’re doing all the work. The best solution to this problem is to keep a dry-erase board on the fridge to help keep track of daily and weekly chores. Alternate the chores – you take out the trash one week, while they do the dishes and then switch off the week after. Be patient if the chores haven’t been completed. Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not getting done.
You will need personal space and time away from home.
This also means you will need to respect your partner’s personal time away from you.
Sharing the same roof is an exhilarating thought at first, but there will be days when you just feel the need to get away. Find a quiet corner in your new home to fall back on for your personal time. Go out to the movies with your friends without your significant other. Go to yoga and the gym. Don’t stop doing the activities or going to the social events you love because you are shacked up!
Also, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that definitely applies to couples who live together as well.
Make time for each other
Equally important to doing your favourite things solo, as you are now part of a couple, it is important to continue doing things together that bring joy to the relationship. Now you can do fun household things together like: gardening, cooking and entertaining. Make time for each other so you don’t fall into the day-to-day blahs. Have a “Date Night” so you both have a chance to take a break from the stresses of everyday life and just have fun with the person who’s closest to you.
Moving in together is a big step in your relationship. Remember to always keep the lines of communication with your partner open and follow these 5 simple tips to better prepare you for the move ahead!
About the Contributor
Before Heather Rovet started matching people with the right home, she spent many years putting people in the right clothes as a wardrobe stylist for the television and film industry. Both are very much the same to Heather – it’s about listening to functional needs and understanding a person’s vision – and she brings those two key elements together to find the right solution. With a love for the unity of beauty and order within a space, Heather feels that our homes are the place in which this can be reflected and defined.
Published: August 19, 2011
Last Updated: January 18, 2023
