- More couples than ever are cohabitating before getting married.
- If you're already spending a lot of time with your partner, it might not feel like a big deal to take the next step.
- I moved in with my partner and wish I had known what to expect and how to navigate the transition.
When you're in a long-term relationship without no ending in sight, it's natural to get to a stage where moving in together makes sense.
But signing a lease with both your names opens your relationship up to a whole host of potential issues and experiences.
While I don't regret my decision to move in with my partner of eight years, there are a few things I wish I had known before packing up my studio apartment and making the change.
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Your space is no longer your own.
I'd had my own room or space pretty much my entire life.
It didn't matter what my place looked like because I was the only one living in it. Once I moved in with my partner, I had to confront the fact that I was no longer the head of household and I could never consider our place as only mine.
It was a rude awakening for someone who had never shared living space with anyone in my life, save for my freshman year in college.
Your partner probably won’t appreciate your clutter.
Your partner's sensibilities will be somewhat different from your own, and this could be a source of tension unless you make peace with it.
As a writer and a big reader, I was used to being surrounded by books and papers. My love of cooking meant I had an outrageously large pantry full of ingredients which needed a place in our shared kitchen.
My partner, who's more of a minimalist, struggled to cope with my cluttered but creative approach to home life, and it took a while to find a happy medium that didn’t drive us both crazy.
Small kitchens aren't made for two people, but cooking for two is better than cooking for one.
If you’re lucky enough to live in a huge house with a sizable kitchen, I envy you! Navigating a small kitchen was no big deal when I was living on my own, but sharing one with my partner quickly became a frustrating experience.
Thankfully, we eat dinner together most nights, and cooking for two is so much better than making food just for me.
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