Welcome home.
Talk specifics before the move—don't save it until after you show up!
"One big thing about moving into somebody else's house or apartment is that the space is now both of yours," couples therapist and author Lori Gottlieb tells BuzzFeed Life. "And there's a big difference between what feels like home for two people." You might have different ideas about sleep hours, keeping the lights on when you leave the house or watching TV during dinner. Set up a game plan before you move so that you both have some control going into it.
Ask the person moving in, "How can we make this space more yours?"
Would they like to add a shelf to display their most prized possessions? Is there a piece of artwork that is important to them? "Moving in together is a metaphor," New York-based individual and couples therapist Irina Firstein, LCSW, tells BuzzFeed Life. "The more you let that person into your space, the more you are opening up your life to them."
Put their name on the mailbox.
"You want the person moving in to feel like they have joint ownership of the space," Firstein says.
Encourage them to bring over as much furniture as they want. You can sort through it together.
Moving in with just a suitcase and a few odds and ends might feel like you're just passing through. "Bring over everything you'd like to keep, and you can both decide what fits where and if something is worth replacing," Firstein says.
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