Moving in with your significant other is a huge life decision, and one that you shouldn’t take lightly. There are lots of factors that you and your partner should consider before taking this big step, even though you probably can’t afford to think too hard about them. But here are some elements about your relationship to consider if, by chance, you’re not making the decision to move in together based on financial necessity.
Are Your Lifestyles Compatible?
Are you both early risers, or are you night owls? Do you love entertaining guests, or do you prioritize privacy? If you were both fabulously wealthy enough to easily afford your own apartments, it would be important to consider whether you and your partner live in a similar way. It might not sound sexy or exciting, but these practical elements will be of massive importance in the years to come, though ultimately of less urgent importance than the fact that you are forced to do this because you might not be able to make rent this month.
Do You See A Future With This Person?
Moving in together is a giant leap in any relationship. While it doesn’t mean you have to stay together forever, it’s important to try to imagine a future with this person if you make enough money to have the luxury of only living with them if you can envision one. If you can see yourself being happy with this person for years to come, great! If you can’t, and you’re not extremely wealthy, you’re gonna have to hope the doubting voice in your head is wrong, even though it absolutely isn’t.
Have You Travelled Together?
If you have never spent more than a few days in each others’ company, it’s important to get a sense of your compatibility before making the full commitment. If you’re rich, take a vacation to figure out whether you can stand spending significantly more time with your partner. For the rest of us with hourly wages, it comes down to frantically adding up the hours you’ve worked in the past two weeks than subtracting your best guess of how much will be taken out for taxes to see if you’ll be able to scrape by or be forced to move back home for a few months.
Moving in with your partner is a big, exciting step that you should spend a significant amount of time considering if you have the cash for stuff like that. Here’s a good rule of thumb: if you have enough money, live alone! You can not do dishes for one night when you’re reallllllly tired, and it doesn’t have to turn into a whole thing! But if you don’t happen to have extravagant means, do what you have to do and tell all your friends it’s true love.
