Are you and your partner talking about buying a home together? This is a conversion most couples will have at some point in their relationship. The dreaded mention of ‘living with mum & dad’ will more often than not be mentioned as one option. This can be a great suggestion as it means you can save money faster and get that dream home much quicker than any other route.
Here are some handy tips and tricks on how to survive living with your in-laws.
Own Space
It is vital that you have your own space when living with your in-laws. It can be tricky especially if the house is small in size, it can feel like everyone is on top of each other. If you have your own room, which you should, then the in-laws need to respect that it is your space to do what you wish, when you wish to. They can’t just barge in without knocking first, this has to be made very clear before you even consider unpacking those boxes.
Date Night
Ensure you still make time for each other, moving in with the in-laws will take its toll on most people and can put extra strain on a relationship. Put aside one day or night a week to do something on your own, just the two of you. That can be something as simple as snuggling in bed watching a film with no interruptions or getting out of the house and going to a restaurant.
Establish Rules And Boundaries
Every house has rules and it is your responsibility to follow and respect those rules. You may not particularly like your in-laws but at the end of the day, it isn’t forever so try really hard to be civil and get along. It will make everything run smoothly and keep everyone happy.
With more bodies living together, it is inevitable that there will be more mess and clutter lying around the place. If this is the case and you are finding not everyone is chipping in with the tidying, why not make a written schedule that everyone has to abide by. For example, allocate someone to do the hoovering or to load the dishwasher, this will take a lot of pressure off you and stop you from feeling stressed and irritable.
Respect is so important when sharing a house, if the in-laws are in bed then don’t be playing the television too loud or blasting music for all to hear. Respect does in fact work both ways and you should treat others how you want to be treated.
The in-laws are going to respect you and like you much more if you carry your own weight, help out around the house and respect them and the house rules.
Declutter
When you are moving from your own place into the in-laws you obviously won’t be able to take the whole house with you. You will need to sort through everything from the kitchen to the bedroom and even the unwanted stuff in the loft. Downsize it all and consider putting what you don’t need in storage. Self storage in Park City is a great solution as you know you will not be sharing a home with the in-laws forever.
We hope you find some reassurance in this article that living with the in-laws may not be as bad as you think. Hopefully you can get through it and be in your new home in no time at all.