Living together before you get married is a good idea, given that marriage as an institution seems to be going down south. Let us look at whether it makes sense to live together prior to marriage.
- Reality sinks in when you do not say goodbye at the door. As you live together you learn more about your partner and her/his chinks. During courtship not knowing what you are getting into is hardly possible. As you shack up together, you get to know each other better. You are also able to figure out whether you are compatible sexually, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
- Splitting bills together instead of paying rent separately makes more sense. As you live together sharing responsibilities like cooking, bread winning, shopping, cleaning becomes a normal fact of life. As you build a life together, you understand what needs to be prioritized.
- This is the time where you can figure out whether you are meant to be together for the long haul. You will be able to gauge whether your partner is the one for you or whether it is time to call it quits. The advantage is that you don’t have to go through a messy divorce but split without the hassle of paperwork or what have you.
- If you are a religious person, chances of living together prior to marriage may not be what you want, even if your partner wants to, which can be a dilemma. You may be thrown off guard making you go against your principles. Unfortunately, if you give into a partner just to please her/him, you are not facing reality and factoring your needs. That should be the writing on the wall.
- When couples work crazy hours meeting each other can get difficult. Living together in this context makes sense. It gives you a broad idea as to whether the person is the one for marriage. Since you can end it without having to go through a divorce, it is a way better option, if both want the same thing.
One glaring point – if your partner has no plans to ever get married, do not cohabit if you are looking for a ring.