Moving In Together – A Guy’s Point of View
The Big decision
So you’ve been dating your girl steadily for over a year now, and things are going great! You’ve thought it over, and decided that it’s time for a big decision. “Let’s move in together !” you proclaim. She says yes, and you’re on your way – piece of cake, right? Reality check – you now realize that you have two of almost everything! Two beds, two couches, two dining room sets, two toasters, etc.. You need to discuss what will stay and what will go. This will require compromise – She may not be as crazy about your life-size cigar store Indian as you thought she was, and it’s probably time to tell her that you don’t really envision her doll collection in the living room of your new apartment. You may need to bring in an impartial third party to referee this discussion.
Time to Sort Things Out
The first course of action should be to comb through all of your belongings for items that you simply will never use again regardless of your relationship status. You may find that you have a number of sentimental items and legal records that you will want to keep, but will not have space for. You must also deal with the dilemma regarding duplicate items. You could just list them on Craigslist and sell them, but what if, just what if, things don’t work out. Do you really want to have to go out and buy everything all over again? It would be nice to keep them somewhere nearby, but out of sight. You can always sell them later – right?
Storage tips
Size up your items and head on over to your local self-storage facility. You may want to rent a storage space that is slightly larger than what you actually need to accommodate your items. This will allow you to access your items more easily when needed. Cover your furniture items with plastic or blankets to protect them. Place any items that are still in the original packaging, with the description or picture facing out. Other smaller items should be stored in sturdy boxes or plastic containers with labels describing the contents. This will make it easier to find what you need, when the time comes.
Problem solved, sort of…
At this point you might be thinking “Well, this solves the problem of consolidating two apartments full of items into one, but if I’m really committed to this relationship, shouldn’t I just get rid of all my duplicate items? Am I betting against this relationship working?” To these questions I would answer that there’s nothing wrong with being practical and/or cautious, and by the way, don’t be surprised if your girl suggest this course of action before you do. Happy nesting you lovebirds!
