Are You Really Ready For a Live-In Relationship?

Living together is often considered a trial run for couples before making it official and getting hitched. But let’s be honest, it’s pretty much like being married without being quite so legally bound together.  It can be a glorious time (sleepovers every night!), but even though you’re not looking at messy and expensive divorce proceedings if your relationship goes south, it’s a definite game-changer.

Here are some points to consider while weighing whether or not you are really ready for a live-in relationship:

What Are Your Reasons for Living Together?

• Many couples who decide to cohabitate make a spur of the moment decision. They just “feel” like it’s the right time to do it. This is a risky thing to rush into, and the ramifications could be devastating. Deciding to live together should be done after a sincere discussion, not after a wild night of partying with your friends.
• You should spend enough time together as a couple to really get to know each other before you make this decision, and even do some trial runs by going away together on trips. It’s one thing to hang out together for a few hours a few times each week, but completely different to travel with someone for a week or two, 24 hours a day. By spending this much time together you might find out that you guys really gel or… not…

Are You Mature Enough Emotionally?

• Though you’re not legally husband and wife, you and your live-in partner still have much the same responsibilities that married couples do.
• You need to be prepared to share your home with another person. This is different than having a room-mate that just does their own thing most of the time.
• You need to be prepared to consider your partner’s needs. From sharing household chores, giving him/her space when desired, and making them feel welcome.
• Fellas, you will no longer be living in a bachelor pad, you are now staying in a place together with a lady so living in a dimly-lit room eating only potato chips and beer day in and day out is out of the question.
• Ladies, bathroom counter space.
•  You’ll be sharing certain expenses like the rent, electricity, hydro bills, food, and others. You need to be able to divide up the responsibilities and keep up on your end of the bargain.

Are You Prepared For Some Adjustment Arguments?

• You may not like how she does certain things or she may not like some of your favorite things. Disagreements can and will come up so you need to be prepared for this. You need to be able to keep your emotions in check.
•  you don’t necessarily have the choice to just walk out of the door every time the two of you have a misunderstanding. You need to be able and willing to work on your problems when they come up and find constructive solutions.

Do You Feel Ready?

• Upgrading your partnership to live-in status means taking your relationship to a whole new level, so make sure you’re ready to take that on and grow through whatever challenges you’ll face. If you have that mindset then you’re not only set up for success, you’re setting yourself up for happiness as well.
• Does thinking about living together plaster a huge goofy grin on your face?