Wed, Oct 09, 2019
By: Patrina Sykes
Moving in with your significant other is a big moment in any relationship. It means that you’re blending your lives into a new, shared life. And, while it’s a happy moment and something to be celebrated, it can also be quite stressful if you don’t approach it properly.
At Gilmore Services, we’re moving and packing experts. One of the most common questions we get from couples is this:
What’s the best way to pack moving boxes to make my move easy?
That’s an important question to ask. Here are 5 tips to help you make the move to your new, shared space as stress-free and easy as possible.
#1: Be Realistic About What to Bring
The first thing you both need to do is to sit down and decide which of your belongings will come to your new place. If you’ve both been living independently, the chances are good that you both have certain staple items, including:
- Dishes and flatware
- Cookware
- Beds
- Linens
You don’t need two sets of everything. Sit down and talk about what you’ll bring. If one of you has a new bed and the other has a mattress that’s five years old, you’ll probably want to keep the newer mattress. Items that have sentimental value – such as your grandmother’s china – should take precedence over items with no personal attachment.
#2: Pack Boxes with Your New Home in Mind
When you’re packing moving boxes, it’s best to coordinate and label everything according to where it will go in your new home. If you’re both organized with your packing, then unloading moving boxes and unpacking them will be easy at the other end.
We suggest using color-coded labels. Choose one color for each room. Attach a complete list of the contents of each moving box to the side. When you get to your new home, you’ll be able to organize the moving boxes and unpack them efficiently.
#3: Have a Plan for Dealing with Clutter
It’s inevitable that even if you go through your belongings beforehand, you’ll probably feel that you still have too much. That’s because you’ll each have items you want to keep even if they’re not necessarily practical.
It’s a good idea to sit down beforehand and hash out how you’ll deal with clutter going forward. You can agree that you’ll go through your shared belongings and decide what you’ll keep, sell, donate, or trash. You should both be respectful of the other person’s needs and work toward a solution that feels good for both of you.
#4: Talk about Storage
We highly recommend talking about storage before you move into your new place. If your new home has limited storage space, you may not have room for everything you want to keep.
You may want to consider renting a shared storage space for items you love that don’t fit in your new home. You can always use them later if you move into a bigger house (or upgrade from an apartment to a house.) If you decide to rent a storage space, label those boxes clearly as well. That way, you’ll be able to find them when you need them.
#5: Keep the Dialogue Going
One of the biggest issues that couples face when they move in together has nothing to do with moving boxes or packing. Open communication is at the heart of every good relationship.
We suggest making time to talk regularly about issues related to your living situation. Whether you need to put your heads together to make a plan to deal with clutter or rethink how you split expenses, it’s essential to talk about problems as they arise instead of allowing them to fester.
Conclusion
Couples moving in together face a lot of challenges. The five tips we’ve outlined here will help you navigate the potential pitfalls and settle into your new life together.
Need help with the move to your new place? Click here to find out what Gilmore Services can do for you!