How To Successfully Merge Households

How To Successfully Merge Households

When households merge, it’s the joining together of lives, and the belongings of those people who will be living together.

Discuss The Process

Merging households can be an exciting, life-changing event. However, some big decisions might need to be discussed during the planning process of the move. Make sure any differences, if any, are resolved prior to moving day. This will make the merging together so much smoother and enjoyable.

• Discuss each person’s expectations.
• Talk about each person’s belongings, and the importance of any item they wish to keep, or bring with them.

Get Organized

• Purge – Start sorting through your closets, storage areas and personal belongings, deciding what to keep, discard or donate. It’s always a good idea to let go of things before moving. It will also create space, whether the merging of homes will take place in a new house, or into an existing home.
• Documents – Organize and go through your files, paperwork and any official documents. To make space, get rid of documents that are no longer relevant. If any contain important, confidential information, make sure they are disposed of in a secure manner, such as being shredded.
• Duplicates – Make an inventory list of each person’s items. It may be necessary to get rid of some of the larger pieces of furniture, such as beds, couches, etc., if there is more than one of each. It will depend on the size of the space and the design layout you decide upon. If however, there are multiples of items such as: kitchen appliances: microwaves, toaster ovens, washer, dryer etc., and kitchen supplies, you might want to consider only keeping one. This will also need to be applied to other items in the home, such as light fixtures, linens, and any other items that are multiple.

Once everyone has gone through their stuff, it may then need to be packed, stored or donated. If it has been decided that some of the items will be stored, either together in one unit, or in individual storage units, find out how to Prepare Your Items for Storage and what you need to know when choosing a Storage facility. If you have items to be donated, find out Where to Donate Items Before Moving.

Creating A Space Together

• A floor plan – Having a layout of the new or existing home with only the walls represented, allows all occupants an input on where things can be placed. Make sure the room measurements are to scale and this information is clear on all drawings.
• Furniture placement – Before you move any furniture to a new home, take measurements and make a rough sketch on the floor plan of any desired placements for the pieces you are thinking about moving. This way you’ll know if it will, or will not fit in the new space.
• Decorate – If the decor is important to everyone, work on creating a home where everyone living there feels at home! If the move is to a new house, begin from the beginning and create a decorating scheme. If the move is into an existing home, consider freshening up some areas as needed, or adding some small touches around the home, making it everyone’s space.

Having to compromise might be a necessary component when merging households together. When achieved with understanding and respect, having to let go of certain ideas and belongings is much easier, and makes way for new experiences, ideas and belongings.