5 Tips for Living with Your Significant Other

Hey y'all!

My boyfriend, Michael, and I have lived together for over a year now. It's not every day that you meet a college student that lives with her significant other, but I honestly wouldn't trade it for the world! It makes me so much more confident that this is the man I want to marry.

I know a lot of couples are skeptical about moving in together before they're engaged or married, but I couldn't recommend it enough. You'll learn a lot about each other's habits and I definitely understand why some people break up after they move in together. Fights are easier to have when you're in a close space, but at the same time, they're over a lot faster because, at the end of the day, you end up in the same bed so it's easier to forgive.

Now I'm definitely no love expert, but I figured I'd share some of the tips that have made living together for us a huge success! Hopefully, you can use them yourself when the time comes around to move in with your boo.

1. Assign Chores

No one wants to do the dishes, vacuum and do all of the laundry. That's why Michael and I split up the chores that need to be done in the apartment. If the chore doesn't get done, we know which one of us to blame. It makes things a lot easier! 

We have it split up like this: I do the dishes, clean the apartment (like vacuuming, dust, etc), and cook the "gourmet" meals. Michael does the laundry, cleans the litter box, takes out the trash, and makes the easier meals. If one of us is having a lazy day, of course, we'll help each other out, but usually, we stick to this list.

2. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (and it's usually all small stuff)

One night I came home from class and cried because there was a sink full of dishes that I had asked Michael to do. Yes, it's so easy to get frustrated and angry, especially when you've had a long day, but fighting over something as silly as dirty dishes is just a waste of time and energy. 

Although we rarely fight, when we do, it's usually over the smaller things. But the best part is that it's easier to get over. When you're in a relationship that you're not living together, you could easily just get so mad and break up. Or you could storm off and ignore them. But when you live together, you end up in the same bed at the end of the night, and neither of us really like to go to bed angry. 

3. Learn How to Apologize

Bare with me through this tip because it sounds a little like teaching a first grader how to apologize, but it's so important. There are 3 steps to an apology. The first step is the actual apology, so basically saying the words "I'm sorry." The next step is admitting fault. It's so easy to just say "I'm sorry I offended you" but that's not even admitting that you did something wrong. So I always say "it was my fault." Lastly, this is the most important step that I think so many people forget. Always ask "what can I do to fix it?" This shows that you're listening to the other person's feelings and that you actually care that you hurt them. 

"I'm sorry. It was my fault. What can I do to fix it?"

You'd be surprised how much better this form of an apology is that just a regular old "sorry". This doesn't just have to be used with your significant other. Try it out the next time you did something wrong and need to apologize for.

4. Balance Time Together

It's so typical for people to say that when someone gets into a relationship, they drop all of their friends just to hang out with their boyfriend/girlfriend. This is also true whenever you live with them. It can be so easy for me to stay at home to hang out with Michael after he gets off work, instead of going out to dinner with my friends. Although it's okay to sometimes pick your boyfriend first, it's still important to remember that you have other people in your life as well. 

This also helps with having stuff to talk about. If you spend 24/7 together, then you'll run out of things to discuss. But if you spend time apart, you can talk about what you did. Also, don't text your significant other the whole time you're out with your friends. That's annoying and rude.

5. Do something other than "Netflix and Chill"

Michael and I are currently working on this one. It's so easy to fall into a routine of just sitting on the couch and watching old episodes of The Office. This, my friends, is how you gain weight. Because when you live together, you'll eat a bunch of food and just sit on your butt. Work on finding a hobby that you both enjoy. Most of the time, we walk our dog to make sure we get exercise / some outdoor time, but I'd really like for us to find something more creative to do. If you have any suggestions, leave them down below!