How to Co-Habitate Before Marriage

The days of couples living together only after marriage are long gone. Today, unmarried couples decide to co-habitate for a number of reasons--they want to spend more time together, share expenses, or see if their living styles are compatible enough to make them marriage material. Still, it makes sense to agree on a number of issues before you and your sweetheart shack up.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• patience
• a sense of humor
• good communication

Keep these things in mind, and domestic bliss will follow!

1. Talk to your family. Sit down with both of your parents and explain to them why you want to live together. More traditional parents may have a hard time accepting your decision to co-habitate before marriage, and it can be tempting to try to hide the truth from them. Don't do it. Eventually, it will take a huge toll on your relationship, and your family will find out, then feel hurt that you didn't let them know.

2. Talk about money. How are you going to divide up the bills? Who pays for groceries? Who pays for cable? Money can cause big relationship problems, so talk about it well before you sign a lease. You should discuss how much each of you bring in a month and how you plan to cover your expenses.

3. Talk about chores. It's also super-important to talk about how to divide up the chore workload. Brainstorm a list of all the chores related to the household, including grocery shopping, cooking, yard work, pet care, and cleaning. Then, agree on how often these things need to be done, and who will do them.

4. Ask yourselves what it all means. Sometimes co-habitating couples run into problems because they have different ideas of what moving in together means. Some people see it as just one step on the road toward marriage, while others see it more as a temporary arrangement that doesn't necessarily have future implications. Talk about it.

5. Take time to enjoy. Between cleaning up after the dog, paying bills, and shoveling the front walk, it can be easy to forget why you decided to move in together in the first place. Remember: it's because you love each other! So, take time to do the special things you can't do if you live apart. Bring him breakfast in bed. Make her a romantic, candlelight dinner. Throw a party!