by Charlee Kleve

Created on: October 01, 2007

Meeting someone new is a wonderful and uplifting experience. It causes all kinds of emotions to run through us. With emotions running high, people are known to make snap decisions. Well, we like each other so much after one month, let's get married. DUMB idea. I think these snap decisions are helping our divorce rate climb. There are so many benefits to living together and taking it slow before committing to someone for the rest of your life.

First thing to consider is long term compatibility just in the living condition. Does he leave the seat up? Can you handle the snoring in the middle of the night? Do the dishes make it to the sink? Do the clothes he takes off stay on the floor where he changed? While some will say these are all things that can be worked on and if you love someone you can get past them. Truth of the matter is that leopard do not change their spots completely. Yes, some things may improve, but it is little things that split up marriages. 10 years of picking up someone else's underwear can bring you down. It is a whole lot better to take the time to find out all the little things that each of you do that bother the other person and see if you can live them or change them.

Second, give yourself the time to get to know each other. It is a whole lot easier to get to know someone whom you spend more time with. Not having to schedule time in for the other person makes things a lot easier. To know that you are going to share dinner with that someone every night and not have to worry about running home to your house takes a ton of pressure off everyone. Not to mention having to decide whose house you are going to or where you are going to eat out.

Which brings me to the next point. Money! Yep, it is a reality. Dating is expensive. If you know this person and think you are going to spend the rest of your life together, but are not ready to take the next step, living together makes a ton of sense financially. Yep, save some pennies for fun things to do together. Does it really make sense to you to pay for two of everything? One rent, one grocery bill, one utility bill. It will save money in the long run that you can put towards that wedding of your dreams.

It may not be a highly thought of idea by our parents, but reality is that living together will save everyone heart ache. Taking the time to get to know everything about someone before marriage will help us keep marriage sacred.

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