How to Deal With All the Extra Stuff When You Move in Together

You’ve probably gotten all excited about basically having a sleepover every day with your significant other. But before you get to that joyous stage, you have to go through the dreaded task of actually moving. And if you thought that was hard on your own, prepare for an even bigger challenge. Now, you have to decide whose stuff to keep, what to get rid of, and how to mesh your styles in one space. Not to mention, you'll need to figure out what to do with duplicates. Do you both have your own coffee makers? Each of you has a kitchen table? Start making a list of the duplicates in your inventory. This gives you a good starting place so you can get a whole picture. Then, you basically have three options for these duplicates: You can keep both, keep one, or get rid of both. When to keep duplicates: 1. If you’re moving into a bigger home. Let’s say you’re moving from two individual one-bedroom apartments into a three-bedroom house, or even a much larger apartment. You’ll have plenty of extra space to keep both of your beds and couches. 2. You signed the contract for a starter home. OK, maybe you’re not moving into a big house yet, but you know you want to eventually. In that case, you might want to hold onto big-ticket items like furniture or electronics. If you don’t have enough space for them, put them in storage or ask friends or family to keep them for a while. 3. Hold onto things that get frequent love. This might not apply to all furniture  and decor, but do you really need two coffee tables for one living room? And, it might be a very useful rule for smaller items. For example, do you end up using all your mixing bowls all the time? Does your S.O. go through coffee mugs like crazy? If you have the space, go ahead and keep them. 4. You both use items separately and often. Even when you live together, you’ll need things that are your own. You should still hang onto your own clothes hangers, your own tablets, and laptops. When to keep just one: 1. If your new home is tight on space. Sure, you’d like to keep your couch and your partner's loveseat, but if your new living room just can’t fit both, then there’s no use in keeping them. 2. When they totally clash. Your IKEA-style black bar stools and his white vintage ones might make your space look rather eclectic and not in a cool way. 3. One is way nicer (or newer) than the other. It might be nice to have a TV in the living room and the bedroom. However, if one is a state-of-the-art flat screen and the other is a giant box passed down from your grandparents, then you’ll save yourself moving costs and energy by only keeping the sleekest one. When to get rid of both items: 1. If you don’t use it. Moving in together is the perfect opportunity to take a close, hard look at what you actually need. When was the last time you actually used that DVD player? Has your blender ever been taken out of the cupboard? If not, donate or sell it. 2. When you’re mixing styles. Compromising on style is a key part of moving in together. Sometimes it’s better to start with a fresh slate instead of forcing clashing pieces to work together. Toss the incompatible pieces and splurge for new stuff that you pick out together. By the way, you and your sweetie should make these decisions before the move. That way, you’ll have only a few big items to transport.