[dropcap]M[/dropcap]oving in with a significant other is a major step in any relationship and one that should never be rushed into. Before you throw caution to the wind, make sure you and your relationship are ready for such a leap.
After the jump, 16 things every couple should do before they move in together.
- Agree on who will pay for what.
- Agree on how to handle an unplanned pregnancy.
- Decide if they’re both on the same page when it comes to marriage (in general, and to each other).
- Come up with at least one reason to move in together other than finances and convenience.
- Consider some of the realistic challenges cohabitations might create.
- Meet each other’s “people,” including close friends and family members.
- Know each other’s financial situation.
- Agree on a three-year plan.
- Say “I love you” to each other.
- Decide whose bed you’re going to keep.
- Use the bathroom for #2 in each other’s respective apartments.
- Spend more than two nights in a row together.
- Experience heartbreak on some level.
- Celebrate at least one major holiday together.
- Discuss how to divvy up household chores.
- Pick out at least one new object of some value — financial, aesthetic, or symbolic — for the home together.
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