Are You Ready To Move In Together?

It goes without saying that moving in together is a HUGE change in your relationship.  It’s a big decision, so it’s something that you really need to think about and discuss at length to make sure that you are doing what is best for both of you.  Moving in together is exciting, but moving out is like going through a divorce so make sure that it is the right decision.

Here are a few questions to discuss with your significant other before you take the plunge:

• Are we doing this because of financial reasons?  This is the biggest mistake that you could make!  Cheaper rent is NOT a reason to move in together.

• Do either of us feel pressured?  Think about who brought up the issue of living together.  Make sure that the other person is just as comfortable with the idea and isn’t being persuaded.  It’s not something that you want to push someone to do before they are ready.

• Have we ever dealt with sharing money?  Moving in together doesn’t just mean that you get to spend more time together…it also means that you have to introduce money issues into your relationship.  Who will pay for what?  What will you share?  Does one of you want to spend much more than the other?

• Do you want to have independent space?  Think about arranging your apartment in a way that allows for you to have privacy.  Sharing all of your space all of the time might be difficult and it could be beneficial to your relationship to create separate spaces for things like desks.

• How will you keep romance in the relationship?  A relationship changes a lot when you taking out the garbage and cleaning the bathroom instead of going out to parties together.  Discuss ways like “date night” where you can make some of your time together special.

• What are your plans for the future of the relationship?  When everything is going well in a relationship you really hate to bring that topic up.  A lot of times it can cause stress and awkwardness if you don’t feel the same way.  But you have to realize that a lot of people see moving in together as one small step before engagement/marriage…so make sure you understand what moving in together means to the other person.

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