In today’s modern world, moving in with your partner before marriage is not seen as a negative thing, in fact, millions of couples worldwide are now living together before marriage. It is seen as a very normal and natural progression for a committed couple to take. So common in fact that a report which surveyed married couples, concluded that 4 out of 5 couples who married in the year of 2017 in Australia lived together before getting married.
It is also important to bear in mind, just because living together is a big trend at the moment, it doesn’t mean it is correct for every couple. Maybe some couples still like the old fashioned idea of waiting till they are married before making a home together.
Here we have listed a few of the pros and cons of living together before tying the knot of matrimony.
The pros of living together before getting married
Spending more time together
When you are living with your partner, you are obviously going to be spending a great more time together. You will be seeing them first thing in the morning, and when you get home from work. You will be enjoying meals together, and getting ready to go to bed together. A great benefit to living together is, that it reduces travel time between one and another’s’ homes, thus freeing up a lot of time, to spend together.
A good test of your relationship
Some couples use living together before getting married as a way of testing their relationship to see if they are compatible with living together. This could be a great way to find out what each other’s habits are, what their moods are like, and what their routines are like. Another great thing a couple can work out is, if their quirks fit in with the others, after all, it is an exciting thing finding out one another little quirks. Many couples see living together as a low risk scenario, as if it doesn’t work out, a simple breakup, is so much more simple than a lengthy divorce.
Romance
Living together will let you see how compatible you are in the bedroom, your sex life will be more of that of a married couple and so will your romantic patterns. Many couples tend to create a lot more energy and excitement when they live under the same roof.
Sharing the cutlery
When a couple lives together they share everything (including the cutlery), this can lead to a deeper connection between the couple. And if you do not enjoy sharing the simple things while you are living together, you certainly won’t enjoy sharing things when you are married.
You get to see them for who they are
When you live with your partner you will get some time to flavour who your partner really is. This is a brilliant pro to living together before you get married. It will let you decide if you are actually a couple who are going places, and whether you want to spend the rest of your lives together.
Sharing the finances
Living together as a couple makes so much more sense than living in separate homes. The pros of sharing the finances means you can split the rent, and the utilities, hence living together is far more affordable, and lets you spend more time doing the things you enjoy, such as travelling, shopping, and enjoying meals out. Plus saving up for the deposit for that home you both have been dreaming of seems so much more realistic.
Some of the cons of living together include
Annoying habits
While you spend time living together with your partner you will start to notice their habits, some of these habits can be endearing. However, can you cope with the bad habits such as leaving the toilet seat up, and maybe burping all of the time? Some of these habits are learnt behaviours, so your partner may be able to stop these with some help. Communication and time are key to fixing bad habits.
Renting together may bring unwanted stress
Renting a property together is a very large step to take in a relationship, it puts automatically in joint finance status, this may inbalance your joint finances. Which may add unwanted stress to your relationship, also, what would happen if you decide it is not working out, who would carry on the lease for the property?
Lessen the excitement of getting married
Living together before getting married may take away the excitement of getting married. As not a whole lot will change, apart from the wedding rings. But the vows may certainly add a difference to that.
Conclusion
There certainly are a few pros and cons of living together before getting married. It may be a good idea to sit down together and have an honest discussion with one another to find out what you both want for the future. From there you can work out whether it is a good idea to try living together, and whether it will be a good idea for the growth of your relationship.