How to Handle Living With Your Boyfriend
Making the decision to move in with your boyfriend is the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in your relationship. Living together can be a lot to handle, as you will need to share everything from living space to groceries with your live-in love. Keep the transition as seamless as possible by maintaining a realistic outlook on living together and by keeping an open mind.
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Instructions
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Create open lines of communication. While this is important in any relationship, it is especially important for couples who live together. Being able to share openly with each other will help alleviate a lot of stress. Emphasize the importance of telling each other what makes you feel comfortable and what drives you crazy. Set up a time of day, whether it is dinnertime or bedtime, when you talk about your day.
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Compromise with each other. This is key to living together because, although you are in love, it does not mean you both love the same things. Everything from TV shows to the thermostat may require compromise from both of you. Pick your battles. Small habits, such as leaving mail all over the counter, should not be the breaking point. Remember everyone has idiosyncrasies, and your boyfriend may be compromising for you as well.
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Have a financial game plan. Moving in together means sharing space as well as bills. Openly discuss how you will divide the bills, who will do the grocery shopping, how much your budget should be and all other pertinent house issues. Laying it all on the line will make it easier to discuss money issues in the future while giving each person equal responsibility.
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Share with each other. You will have to share everything from the bed covers to the bathroom with your live-in boyfriend, so go back over those sharing lessons from kindergarten. Moving in with a loved one is different from living with a typical roommate. Sharing simple things like food and the TV can open up communication even more and allow you to enjoy quality time and have more in common.
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Don't hold a grudge. One of the hardest aspects of living with a boyfriend or girlfriend is that if a fight occurs, you can no longer run away to your own house. Try hard to work out your differences. Learn to forgive him for little mistakes, such as not cleaning the dishes, and even more significant transgressions. Once you forgive him, let it go. Don't bring past incidents up. Truly move on from the situation.
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Have a backup plan. No one wants to think of breaking up or moving out, but sometimes it happens. Although it seems odd, discussing what would happen if you broke up is important. Decide where you each would live, who would move out and how you would divide possessions. This is not about dwelling on the negative, but rather planning for the worst-case scenario.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep in mind no one is perfect.
Give each other some space. Let him have nights out with his friends. Do the same for yourself. You need time to miss each other.
References
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