There comes a time in a successful relationship when you and your partner need to combine households. If you are a little older and have both been maintaining your own households for some time, one of the challenges of moving in together will be dealing with all of your stuff. From extra furniture to extra kitchen utensils, the sheer volume of it all can be overwhelming! But you should never let your things keep you from enjoying this special time in your lives. Here are some ideas to help make moving in together more feasible when you just have too many things.

Catalog everything you have duplicates of.

Go to one of your homes, together, and start going through your items. For every item you come across, think whether or not you have a duplicate one. If you do have a duplicate, write it down. Eventually, you will have a long list of items that, between the two of you, you own several of. Next, you can start going through that list and deciding which of the two items you're going to keep, and what you are going to do with the other one. For instance, if you find that you have two sofas, you can decide to keep the comfier one and then sell the other one on an online yard sale website.

Rent a storage trailer.

Even after you get rid of some duplicates, you will probably have too many things for a single household. Getting rid of the extra stuff all at once can make you feel overwhelmed and exhausted. A better solution is to rent a storage trailer and keep it in your backyard for the first few months you live together. You can switch things between the home and trailer as needed until you arrive at what you really need in the house and what is extra and belongs in the trailer. After a few months, you'll feel more at-home in your home together, and you can take the next step -- which is getting rid of the items in the trailer. For more information, contact companies like Mar-Rube Trailer Rental.

Let family members keep some things.

Sometimes people fear that if their relationship ends and they have given up their items, they won't be able to leave because they no longer have their own stuff to support their own lifestyle. You can ease some of this worry by leaving your big and valuable "extra" things with family members. For instance, you could leave your extra bed with a family member so that if you ever need it, you know it's available. They can use it as a guest bed in the meantime with the understanding that if you end up having to leave your relationship, you will need it back.