You’ve made the decision to move in together — Congratulations! In order to keep things running smoothly we’d like to share with you our own insights and suggest a few conversations that are worth discussing before you take the plunge and sign your name on that infamous dotted line!
Moving in together is a big step in your relationship. The worst thing to do upon move in date is assume that everything will be smooth sailing. Naturally, with change, there are always a few things that take a little bit of time getting used to. That said, having the tough conversations before you share a key will help to lay the ground work for each of your expectations in the long run.
- Who’s responsible for what: There are a lot of jobs around the house that one person would go nuts trying to do on their own. Figuring out who is going to be taking out the trash, cooking dinner, cleaning the washrooms and doing the laundry (and how often) is key to having a smooth day-to-day life! Once settled, the two of you should sit down and re-evaluate to ensure everything is fair.
- Working through the Finances: Be sure to talk to your partner about finances prior to moving in. You will also want to ask each other who will be responsible for the bills? We suggest that you have 3 piggy banks; one for each of your personal use/saving and one for the joint bills. Whoever is “assigned” to keeping an eye on the household finances should be transparent about the status on a regular basis. This will help eliminate the blame game.
- Personal Time and Space: It is important to designate areas of the house that each of you can go to for your own personal time and space. We believe you when you say you are happily in love, however it is important to determine these areas as we all know that some time apart is healthy for everyone’s relationship.
We can’t make any promises, but we can assure you that you will certainly be better off having had these conversations beforehand. Now get chatting so that you can work together in creating a solid foundation for a life where you both live happily ever after.
