I am old – and old school – if you are a couple, and want to live together, get married first.
Some say that living together lets the couple get to know each other prior to making a commitment to marriage. I think that the next time we are looking for a house – I am going to suggest to the owner that we live in the house, for a year (for free), before deciding if we really want to purchase it. I have also read – that living together before marriage – leads to a higher risk of divorce. So, I guess if we live in that house for a year – before buying it – then we probably would end up walking away from it. This might be a slight inconvenience for the seller.
I have also read that living together can help with financial strain – not certain there is less strain than the financial strain in a marriage. Money in – Money out would be the same either way.
I have also read that living together can build maturity into the relationship before committing to marriage. I say – if you are not mature enough to get married – then maybe it is not time for you to get married or live together for that matter.
Anyway – I think living together is just a cop out – it makes it easier to walk away from a relationship. In essence – one or both parties are just taking advantage of the other person. Splitting up is never a great experience – but in a marriage – couples might be more inclined to work things out and not take the easy way out.
