by Theresa Carbone

Created on: November 30, 2008

Couples should definitely live together before getting married for several reasons. Certainly, in "ancient" times, this was just ridiculous sounding, no one even thought of it. In more modern times, couples living together before marriage is more and more common.

First, there's a renewed sense of security and stability that having that additional income brings. Living together can encourage new saving and spending habits. For the frivolous spender, having someone to worry about may encourage one to put money aside for those "rainy days." An extra income also means less to worry about. One can also learn the true financial habits of a person before jumping in for the long haul.

Second, it is vital to learn the habits of your partner before you commit to a life time with this person. Your partner may seem well organized on the outside, but when you get them comfortable enough they become much more frivolous about their cleaning habits, for example. You never know what you are going to get until you view it for yourself.

Third, couples need time to grow and learn together in order to make sure they mesh well. During the courting phase of a relationship, one tries to impress their partner. However, when they become more comfortable the real person comes out. Maybe they're not so romantic or as innocent as they had first seemed. Maybe just being confined to a more intimate space creates aggravation and emotional strains on the relationship. Imagine having to go through an entire lifetime with an annoying person attached to your hip. It would end up being disastrous.

Last, just knowing those tiny details about someone could make your marriage much more deep and meaningful. Spending more time with a person can go one of two ways: you can fall deeper in love with this person or you can learn that this person changes your whole view on marriage. Maybe you learn things about yourself that you didn't know. Maybe living together makes you feel a stronger sense of security and stability. This time is vital in determining whether a marriage will be your happily ever after.

In conclusion, living together before marriage is ideal for the people who are thinking of marriage but don't know whether or not their partner is the one. Creating this bond will make or break the relationship. Living together before marriage can reiterate the notion of the sheer love and passion that one might have felt the moment they "knew" that their partner was the one. In these times of failing economy and terrorist threats a little sense of security can go a long way.

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