The Moving-In Playbook

Moving in together means a lot of decisions at once: who pays which bill, whose name goes on the lease, what "clean" means, and what happens when one of you needs a quiet evening. Most couples drift into answers. The ones who talk first argue less later.

The Moving-In Playbook is a 34-page guide for having those conversations calmly, before you sign. It gives you seven conversation guides with the questions to ask, three ways to split shared costs with the math worked out, and plain-English checklists for the lease, renters insurance and changing your address, plus a chore system, space and guest agreements, an eight-week move-in timeline and a calm just-in-case plan.

Unlike generic moving checklists or couples workbooks, it connects the feelings and the paperwork, and every fact about joint accounts, credit, leases and insurance is checked against official sources such as the CFPB, FDIC, NAIC and USPS. It's written for every couple, married or not, and it includes an Excel planner that compares cost splits for you.

Who it's for

Couples in the US moving in together for the first time, or who have just moved in, whatever your genders, ages or incomes, married or not.

What's inside

• Seven conversation guides: what moving in means to you, money history, splitting costs, chores, space, guests and the what-ifs, each with questions, what to agree and what to watch for.
• Three ways to split shared costs: equal, proportional to income and hybrid, with a worked example, a comparison chart and four questions to help you choose.
• Accounts, credit and paperwork, explained: what a joint account really means, how joint cards and authorized users affect credit, lease liability, renters insurance and address changes.
• A chore system and space agreements: a chore menu that includes the invisible work, rules that keep it fair, alone-time signals and guest rules.
• 7 printable worksheets and a quick-reference card, including a one-page house agreement, a who-owns-what inventory, a move-in timeline and a just-in-case plan.

Good to know

• Format: 34-page PDF (US Letter, US edition), plus Moving-In-Planner.xlsx, a spreadsheet with a cost-split calculator (equal, proportional, hybrid and custom), a shared monthly budget and a chore rotation. It opens in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers or LibreOffice.
• Delivery: instant digital download. Nothing is shipped.
• Printing: you may print it for your own household.
• This guide gives general information for couples. It isn't legal, financial, tax or insurance advice, and your own lease, bank and insurance documents are what apply to you.