Moving Home – When You Are Ready and Your Spouse Isn’t

Posted on 12/09/2016

Every now and then there is a boss who is happy to offer one of his or her employees a new position with new responsibilities and a new pay. Where is the catch? Well, that employee has to load the moving van and ride off to a new location. Moving house is always the sacrifice you make for more opportunities and at a certain time of your life you could be facing this decision. And most of the times you will be ready to say yes before the question mark even leaves the phonetic order of the sentence.  The difficulty? That would be your special someone.

When you are in a relationship, there are things you have to compromise on as the two of you don’t always meet head to head on given subjects. And moving home could be one such subject. Even if you are ready to call the man with van service over and leave as soon as today, that view might not be shared by your spouse. So when the two of you sit down to talk it out, you better have good arguments. And here are some guiding questions which will be of use both to your spouse in deciding and to your own rationale concerning the house removal.

Do the finances get better?

In many ways, a decision whether to stay or go depends on the finances. Never let romantic notions lead your way. Do the math and see how your budget looks now and how it will look after the house relocation. If the new opportunity comes with a pay rise and the cost of living is covered by what you will earn, that is a huge plus, so you can be as romantic as you want.

Are there many job opportunities?

Don’t forget that you are not the only busy bee in the family. Maybe your spouse also wants to do something with his or her life and wants to be as active as you are. But does the new location offer good job opportunities for others besides you? A certain ‘yes’ will tip the scales quite a lot in your favour.

Is the new location in accordance with your current lifestyle?

Maybe your spouse doesn’t want to move because he or she likes the life where the two of you are right now. Maybe a man and van won’t make things better and the shake-up might lead to a worse personal life. Think about how much you will change from your current lifestyle post-move.

Is the new location family friendly?

Maybe you have a family, maybe you are planning on expanding the family. Does the new location offer good school opportunities? How is the education situation there? Is there a day care centre? Think about the big picture and see if the new location can be a good background on that picture.

How about entertainment?

You will need entertainment. Even if you are a stand up comedian and your spouse is the most hilarious person ever, you still need to go out and face some venues and other culture as well. So does the new place have enough places for entertainment and recreation? Does it have leisure spots? Will there be enough places where you can have fun together?

The more yeses you get on the questions above, the stronger your argument about moving house will be. And don’t try to charm your way or guilt your way into moving – it is just as practical to be sure you want this move yourself, so do proper rationalising. Sweet talk can get you only so far, but misery in the new environment is not something you want to face just because you were hyped about moving. And when both you and your partner are convinced you want this, then call the man with a van team. It’s time for some moving arrangements.