Moving in together is a big step in relationships. It’s known as the millennial test trials for marriage. Signing a lease is a precursor to the prenup. However, many people feel unsure about when they’re ready to move in together. The big concern is for many is, “Yes, I love you, but am I going to love you when your dirty laundry is all over our bedroom?”
It’s scary to take that big step. If you haven’t thought about if you are ready to move in together with your partner, consider it carefully! When people rush into these things, there are broken hearts, broken homes and sometimes you just go broke. Use these points to decide if you’re ready to move in together.
5.) You’ve Confessed to Your Grandmother You Are “Living in Sin”
You’re announcing your relationship to co-workers and other family members who have no business knowing your personal business. You’ve taken yourself off the market across the board. Everyone knows you two are seeing each other romantically, and they can’t stop that relationship.
Why? Because you seem happy, weddings are fun and you would look cute with a baby. When millennials started to get older, they realized the smartest decision was to move into an apartment with their significant other — as long as they were ready to move in together.
What family members may not understand is that rent and the cost of living is much more than it was 20-30 years ago. Tell your grandma and grandfather that you and your partner are trying to save money to get married and have the perfect fairy-tale wedding. If the family doesn’t understand, they will learn to accept it.
If you’re blowing your trumpet for all the world to hear, let your horn lead the way to the next step.
4.) You’ve Both Passed the Fart Barrier
In the beginning, it’s a game of who farts first. You’ve spent months staying away from your gassy foods, holding it in or letting it out really slowly while sitting on a cushy surface, creating the allusion that your body produces nothing foul. Then when the other person lets it rip, all eyes are on you. When you do, it’s almost a celebration. When you both have done it, you’ve officially got over the fart barrier.
Everything is fair game. You know you are in love with someone when you start to do gross things in front of them! We are human; farting and other normal things happen on a regular basis. If you both love each other, neither of you will care much!
That’s healthy. It’s healthy to be healthy together, no matter what it smells like. If you are ready to move in together, you’ll be able to go to the bathroom in peace in your own bathroom without worrying about embarrassment.
3.) You’re Spending a Ridiculous Amount of Time Together
If your friends have come up with a mash-up name for you and your significant other, that’s a good indication that you two attached at the hip. If you can’t remember the last night you spent apart, or you remember it because you fell asleep talking to each other on the phone, it’s time to increase the time you spend together just to see what happens.
When you are spending a lot of time together, we think it’s a good sign that you are ready to move in together. One of the ways to tell you’re ready is when you feel like your significant other is not annoying you. You feel like you are not hassle to them, and vice versa. One or both of you may feel sick of feeling alone in your bed at night. You may also feel that your partner does amazing things for you, or you’re already planning romantic vacations and weekend getaways as frequently as you can.
Eventually, you will start making plans with your old friends and wanting “me time.” At some point, you need to shake it up and see what real constant contact can provide from a roommate situation.
2.) You’re a Frequent Guest
There is always that late-night decision to sleep in the same bed that leaves one person driving around endlessly looking for parking at the other person’s house. Then risking a ticket in the morning because you didn’t remember it was a street cleaning day. Or, if you don’t have a car, someone has to ride public transportation with some pretty sketchy characters.
You are still a guest, so you have to ring the bell, waking up the roommates who are in their jammies and angry that you’re there — again. Or, if you have a key and someone is sleeping, they could think you are an intruder.
If you are a frequent guest at their apartment, you may be starting getting used to their weird habits. They are starting to see yours too. Sometimes bad habits drive couples apart, but if you feel comfortable with your partner with your weird habits, then it’s a plus and a great sign you may be ready to move in together.
You should start going from guest to living together in no time! No matter how comfortable you are as a guest, you might still feel weird about checking the fridge or taking a shower and swear someone’s listening to you go to the bathroom. When you’re living together, some of this weirdness goes away.
1.) You Live Out of a Backpack
You enjoy the adult sleepovers and are having a great time falling asleep next to each other. Except, you don’t have a place to put your stuff. Maybe there’s a corner or a drawer or that pile of dirty clothes, but other than that, all your belongings are living somewhere else while you visit your 2nd toothbrush every other night for after your date together.
All you have is a little backpack or overnight bag big with enough for a day’s outfit. The trip home every day to change wardrobe is costing you gas, time and grief. Laundry may be something you’ve scheduled when your main squeeze has their mom in town. This life can be a mess.
Eventually, you may come to the conclusion that you are living in two places and some people don’t even have one place. And now you might feel bad. If you see yourself pack an overnight bag more frequently than not, you may be ready to move in together. Having your toothbrush and your clothes all in one spot may be easier than trying to live at two places at once.
Do You Think You Are Ready to Move in Together?
If you read through this article and think you are ready, go ahead and start the conversation now with your partner! Don’t fall out of love if you don’t think you are ready. If you cohabitate, it might end in disaster, or happily ever after.
Either way, living together is a great test to see if you should or you shouldn’t say, “I do” in the future. You’ve already seen each other naked, so how many more surprises are there? Go to the next article to check out what the deal breakers are in a relationship!
