diff --git a/.emacs.d/init.el b/.emacs.d/init.el
index 7e7f9ac..f5cde64 100644
--- a/.emacs.d/init.el
+++ b/.emacs.d/init.el
@@ -39,6 +39,10 @@
 ;; configure packages (taken from https://r0tty.org/git/dotfiles/emacs)
 (require 'use-package)
 
+;; file used for storing customization information
+(setq custom-file "~/.emacs.d/custom.el")
+(load custom-file)
+
 ;; set auth-sources
 (setq auth-sources '("~/.authinfo.gpg"))