Unifying two lives into one apartment or house can come with its struggles: whose items should be kept, whose should be tossed and how to fit both of your clothes into the closet are just a few that you’ll face as newlyweds. So how can you do this with as little arguing as possible? Here are five tips from the experts at Secure Self Storage to help you and your loved one seamlessly merge households. No arguments here.
The couple that purges together stays together.
Before even thinking about merging your belongings, it’s best for both of you two to go through your own items and throw out any old, unworn, not-worn-in-awhile clothes, shoes and accessories. From there, you can go through everything together and try and eliminate even more items. Remember: moving in with one another is a team effort—just like marriage!
There should be one…and only one.
There’s no need to have duplicates, so be sure to pare down before moving in together. Two microwaves? Decide which is the “best” one, and donate the other. When it comes to furniture, while you may need two (or more) dressers, if the furniture isn’t cohesive, it’s best to just donate or sell the pieces and start with a new collection altogether.
Make a list.
It’s important to sit down together and decide what your “must-haves” are, as well as your partners. When doing this, be sure to respect their wants and needs—you may think their comic book collection is as absurd as they think your shoe collection is. Respect what one another has to say and try to find a middle ground, and if that means storing some items, then be sure to find a facility that’s open 7 days a week, so you or your partner can access it at any time.
Plan ahead for the closet.
Oh, the closet. Perhaps the hardest part of a home to merge. Before moving in together, measure your future closet space and search for cubbies, shelving units and shoe racks that will enable you to get the most out of the space. Use wall and door space for things such as scarves, ties, belts, bags and shoes to open up hanging and floor space. Also, be sure to buy thin hangers so you and your loved can maximize hanging space as much as possible.
Utilize a storage unit.
When in doubt (and to avoid unnecessary arguments), rent a storage unit. This will make the transition of merging your lives together into your new home/apartment less stressful because you won’t have to decide on (or argue about) what stays and what goes right away. Just be sure the unit is climate controlled, so you can rest easy knowing your belongings (and your partners) will be in the same condition when you retrieve them as they were when you stored them.
For more tips on how you can effortlessly merge furniture and belongings after marriage, contact the team at Secure Self Storage.