If you’re moving in with a partner or friends, it can sometimes be tricky to navigate those first few months when you’re not used to living with a new person. Most of us go from living with family to living with friends, a partner or by ourselves.
I grew up in my family home where I shared a room with my sister, then at University I lived with friends, and now I have moved into a small flat with my boyfriend– so I’ve always lived around people.
I love this! But if you’re preparing to move in with someone new, it can always be daunting- and it’s important to know how you can feel comfortable in your new home, as well as get the most out of your time living with new people.
In this post, I’ve come up with 7 tips for moving in with someone new, helping you understand how to feel comfortable and happy in your new home!
First things first, sort out who does what in the house
I think sorting out what everyone needs to do for the house on a regular basis is a great way to make sure everyone is on the same page. This shouldn’t be a super formal discussion or a strict timetable- it’s just a good idea to have a quick chat to make sure everyone understands what they need to do in terms of household chores.
This might mean one person takes a chore each, or the chores are rotated between housemates to make sure they get done.
Whether you’re living with your partner or friends, understand what each of you is willing to do or not do for the house, and make a clear plan so that no one feels unfairly treated.
Secondly, work out your cooking routine
We sat at the dinner table every night when I was living in my family home, and I love the idea of sitting with people while you eat- chatting about your day and relaxing for the evening.
For this reason, I hate to eat alone- and the best situation for me is to make my own meal, and sit down with my partner while I eat. However, other people prefer to cook as a group, take turns making the evening meal, or eat alone.
Work out your cooking routine as soon as you move in with your partner or friends so that there are no issues with space in the kitchen, or people doing more cooking than others. It doesn’t matter what arrangement you come up with- just make sure it works for you!
The same goes for shopping. Decide if you want to do a group shop, or each buy your own food.
Get to know the people you live with
If you’re moving in with your partner you will already know each other well (I hope!) but if you’re moving in with new friends or people you don’t know at all, it can be daunting. Try your best to get to know the people you live with.
This might be as simple as knowing what they do for a living so you can be quiet at certain times of the day, or chatting to them after work.
Finding out more about the people you share a house with is a great way to be more comfortable in your living situation- and hopefully make friends too, if that’s something you want.
Equally, it’s important to recognise that some people might just be interested in a room in a house- and not in making friends with their housemates. This is fine too, so be respectful of everyone and your new home should feel comfortable and not awkward for you and your housemates.
Go on “dates”
I think going on “dates” can be applied to any kind of living situation- and it’s basically a cute way of saying you should spend time with your housemates outside of the house!
If you’re living with a partner, it’s amazing to be around each other all the time, but going out for dates like you did when you first met is a great way to keep the romance alive, and enjoy some time when you’re not thinking about setting up WiFi or taking the bins out.
As housemates, go for drinks together and meals out, and really enjoy living together. It’s likely you won’t be living together for a long time (especially if you’re at University) so enjoy this time with friends.
Don’t shy away from speaking your mind
You might feel awkward speaking your mind to housemates or your partner, such as about household chores, but there’s nothing worse than tension building in a house- and it can lead to pettiness and passive aggression.
Try to speak your mind calmly about things that annoy you, such as loud noises or unfair partition of the chores.
When you live with someone new, there is always going to be something that comes out that you didn’t experience before you were in such close quarters. It’s important to bring up problems before they get worse, but be respectful (and understand that if there’s something that annoys you about someone else- you probably have a very annoying trait too- we all do!).
It’s okay to spend time alone
People think that if you live with people it’s impossible to get time alone- and it’s true that you might need to work a bit harder for your privacy.
But there’s always ways to get a break from the house, or spend some time doing what you want to do without your friends or partner. Make sure you take this time for yourself to recharge.
Chill in your bedroom and watch your favourite show or go for a walk without your partner. This time apart will help you cherish your time with your loved one, and it’s not an insult if someone wants to spend a little lone time.
Meet up with people that aren’t in your house
Meet up with your partner if you’re living with friends, or make time for friends if you live with your partner.
It’s always a good idea to take a short break from whoever you live with, and you’ll enjoy their company even more when you get back.
Do you have any tips for moving in with someone new? Do you live with housemates or your partner? Do you think it’s easy to live with others?
Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below 🙂
Happy reading x
Not-So-Modern Girl 
You’ve shared some excellent information! Date nights and time alone are crucial – both of which I miss right now as a result of a raging pandemic right now in our area. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you Jodie! I think we need them all a lot, I’m so sorry that’s the case for you at the moment I hope you get both of those things back in your life soon x
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This advice is great and a really good way to start off living with someone. Communication is key and I like that you mentioned figuring out and agreeing on what each person is responsible for around the house. Both people have to contribute so it’s good to make that clear. Really useful post!
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Thank you Molly 🙂 I think you need to communicate from the start to really work out how you can all live together. Thank you so much for sharing x
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Really great advice!
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Thank you 🙂
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I like the idea of date nights. 😀
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Thanks Rachel!
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Great advice, I’ve lived in house shares in the past, it’s all about working out routines and each others moods 😂 you end up learning about your own habits too – I had no idea I was incapable of finishing a bowl of cereal until I moved in with my now husband 😂😂😂
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Yes I think so haha everyone will have things that make them mad! That’s so funny, and so true that we all have things that might clash with another person, and there’s nothing wrong with finding your feet
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Love this advice, it’s so important to make time for yourself when living with someone else too! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
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I agree Lucy, thank you!
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Well, yep communicating is key and some lone time is a must, as it would really help to not get too overwhelmed with the whole moving in situation especially if you haved moved in with strangers or just someone new. Thanks for tips and sharing this post. 💜
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Yes I think so too, we all need time alone to recharge and understand what we need from our living situation 🙂 Thank you!
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I’ve lived on my own for nearly seven years now, can’t imagine living with anyone else, one person I did share with when I worked away, I made sign a roommate agreement (like on Big Bang theory) x
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Haha that’s fair enough, sometimes you have to cover yourself!
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Absolutely x
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It’s weird because my boyfriend has been living with me at my parents house for the last 5 or so years, so we’ve already been living together for so long. But we’re hoping to get our own place this year and I can imagine the transition to be very different! Great tips – especially the alone time one. That’s so important ⭐️
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Yes I imagine it will be a bit different, but it’s great that you’ve been living together for a while anyway- even if it is with other people too 🙂 thank you for sharing, we all need time alone to recharge x
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I moved in with my now husband about 8 years ago and it was good fun but also an eye opener. I like your tips if it’s romantic, keeping the “dates” and out of the house stuff up is soo important
Rosie
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Yes I think making sure you’re staying romantic but also doing the “boring” house jobs for each other too x
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These are great tips. Definitely going to keep these tips in my mind for when this happens. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you!
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I was nervous moving into a shared house at Uni and house rules are definitely important. Wet towels hanging about were my bugbares.
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Haha I get that… I think house rules are a good idea 🙂
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These are such good points! I remember first moving in with my boyfriend was such a shock – but not being afraid to communicate is so important when it comes to housemates 🙂
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Thank you! I think that’s so true x
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You’ve shared some great tips! I will certainly be keeping these in mind for the future, I appreciate you sharing these. Thank you so much lovely Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
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Thank you Elle! I hope they help you out x
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These are such helpful tips! I currently live with my mom. I will definitely keep this advice in mind when I live with my partner in the future 😀 Thanks love!
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Thank you! That sounds great x
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These are great tips Eleanor, thank you for sharing them! You have loads of info i would have never considered x
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Thank you! I’m glad that it helped x
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These are some really great tips to think about when you are moving in with someone. I haven’t lived with a partner for a long time, I am with my partner but we don’t live together yet. So these tips will be helpful. Thank you for sharing.
Lauren – bournemouthgirl
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