For most people, there comes a time when they move in together. Living together can also be very pleasant, but there are always a few points that one will have to take into account. In this article you can read tips about living together.
Buy or rent?
If neither of you has a house yet, you will have to choose between buying or renting a house. It is wisest to rent for a few years initially to see how things go together. Finally, with an owner-occupied home you are tied to contracts and one person may no longer be able to pay the mortgage if the other were to leave. In principle, one can easily lose a rental property through housing construction.
If you rent, certain things will also be repaired for you, for example a kitchen will not be at its best, but a leaking roof should be resolved quickly by the landlord, while if you own a house you have to take this into account yourself.
The move
Men and women often have a different home design in mind. Men usually prefer white while women want to create more color and thus atmosphere. Try to find a middle ground here so that both feel at home. For example, choose calm colors or choose white but with a photo wall or something similar. During the move, one person often appears to be more technically inclined than the other. This can give the technician the feeling that he/she has to do everything and the other person can feel guilty. Try to help each other, ask if there is anything you can do or make sure a nice lunch is ready.
Financial
At first they did everything for themselves, but now costs will be shared, which means that finances also have to be discussed. Topics to discuss around money include:
- do we take a joint account?
- How much does who deposit into the joint account?
- what do we pay from the joint account?
It is smart to make a budget every month, especially in the beginning, so that you can see exactly where which money goes and how much people have to spend. If you are short on cash for a period, you can easily see where you can cut back.
Household
Perhaps this was initially partly done by parents or you were completely on your own. Usually, household tasks are automatically divided based on, for example, how much time someone has left besides work. Keep it a bit varied, even if you can’t cook, your roommate will still appreciate it if you try to cook something. If something does not go as expected, talk about it together in order to resolve it in a calm manner.
Annoyances
Over time, people always get small irritations from each other, even though it is sometimes something that someone cannot do anything about, such as snoring. Some behaviors can be adjusted thanks to a good conversation or perhaps they can at least be limited. You may also have to adjust your own behavior, respecting others is the best thing you can do. Some things are just part of a person and it is important not to always turn a mosquito into an elephant.
Shameless
Some housemates burp and fart in front of the other person, often this initially comes as an openness and falls under the guise of ‘we have nothing to be ashamed of together’. However, if this is so easy, people may eventually become less attractive to each other, after all, that woman/man you were so in love with at first was not the one who immediately farted when you were around. Make sure that you remain attractive to each other and that there are sometimes surprises left, for example, choose not to get dressed in front of someone else for a while so that it becomes exciting again.
Time for each other
When people start living together they think they will see each other more often, this is often the case, but more and more planning is being done now that it is possible, a hobby here, working there and visiting friends. Make sure that there is always some time left for the two of you. For example, try to plan a day together at least once every two weeks, even if it is only for a refreshing walk in the woods so that you can catch up in peace.