Hasta La Ideas

Reader Caroline submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

Erin, you addressed this a little bit in your 2008 post about mismatched couples, but I wonder if you could do a post about preparing to combine households. My fiance and have decided on a very short engagement … But I’m also nervous that I’ll move my clutter into our shared home, which will make him feel burdened. I suppose this could be a good opportunity for us to talk about what we want our home to be like after we’re married, but how do we have conversations about things like … whose towels to keep… or what we hang on the walls?

Congratulations on your engagement! I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together.

As far as combining households is concerned, I suggest keeping a few things in mind:

1. Get rid of your clutter before you move. There must be things in your current place you don’t even like or want to move, so get rid of this stuff immediately. Donate the good stuff to charity or give it away on Freecycle or sell it on Craigslist, and recycle or trash the rubbish. Don’t move your clutter into your new place.
2. Unpack your boxes together in your new place. Have a glass of wine, play upbeat music, and have as much fun setting up your new place together as you can. Whose towels do you keep? Talk about it while you’re unpacking the towels. Do some of the towels go better with the colors of the bathroom? Are one set of towels better quality? How many towels will you need and which ones do you both like? Figure out these decisions as you unpack, together.
3. If you need to, call in a professional. Professional organizers are fantastic to have on site when setting up a new place because they can help you organize and unclutter as you work. If you have interior design questions (What should we hang on the walls?), call in an interior designer for a few hours. Having a third party present is also great for keeping emotions in check. It’s difficult to raise your voice in front of a stranger.

I also suggest that you put a night’s sleep in between moving in boxes and unpacking them. Moving is incredibly stressful, and you don’t want the physical discomfort of moving to influence setting up your place. Unpack the essentials — toothbrushes, bedding, change of clothes, a towel — the day you move boxes, but leave the rest for the next day when you’re refreshed.

Also, be sure you’re well fed. No one makes good decisions when she’s hungry.

Thank you, Caroline, for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column. Good luck on your move, and congratulations on your engagement. Also, check the comments for even more suggestions from our readers.

Do you have a question relating to organizing, cleaning, home and office projects, productivity, or any problems you think the Unclutterer team could help you solve? To submit your questions to Ask Unclutterer, go to our contact page and type your question in the content field. Please list the subject of your e-mail as “Ask Unclutterer.” If you feel comfortable sharing images of the spaces that trouble you, let us know about them. The more information we have about your specific issue, the better.

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