Author:
Ellen Moore
Date Of Creation:
20 January 2021
Update Date:
27 June 2024
Content
Living with your best friend / girlfriend will only benefit you. Not only can you split the rent equally, but you can also enjoy the company of your boyfriend / girlfriend 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, things are not as easy as they seem. But, there is another side of the coin - the dark one. You can also harm your friendship, as living together will put your relationship to the test. You will be able to discern those sides of your boyfriend / girlfriend that you never dreamed of. To begin with, learn to be the kind of friend / girlfriend you want to see in your companion.
Steps
1 Discuss your move. Make sure to carefully discuss your thoughts, ideas and opinions with each other and not just scratch the surface. Sit down with your best friend / girlfriend and try to come to a consensus about whether you can or should live together or not. You will need to consider issues such as rent, house rules, and purchases that will benefit the household and the home in general. Also, it is helpful to discuss the following: the purpose of the rooms, when you can and cannot bring guests into the house, as well as cultural and religious etiquette. Make sure that you fully understand each other and that you can come to a common agreement before taking such a big and responsible step - living together. What seems like a small problem now can lead to huge disagreements in the future. 
2 Start planning your move. Once you definitely decide you want to live together, start planning your move date and other matters such as furniture, renovations and / or room assignments.You may want to have a separate room for receiving relatives or friends, while your boyfriend / girlfriend wants to make a study out of this room. Agree on your plan and come to a consensus. If you are not going to move with your boyfriend / girlfriend or vice versa, it's time to look for suitable accommodation. 
3 Start living together. When everything is settled and you are both happy, you can begin the move process. Help each other with home improvement and make sure you want it 100 percent.
Method 1 of 1: Living Together
1 Respect each other. There are many things to consider when living with your best friend / girlfriend. One of them is respect. You should not only respect your boyfriend / girlfriend (which you probably already do), but also respect his / her personal belongings and personal space. Do not revise his / her personal belongings without asking, even if your boyfriend / girlfriend said "all that is mine is yours." He / she may still get angry and there will be a conflict between you. Naturally, you will spend a lot of time together, but if your boyfriend / girlfriend is busy with something or someone and does not want to be disturbed, respect his / her personal space and leave him / her until then. until he / she is free. You should also respect his / her personal views to avoid problems if you have not discussed this issue before. However, if, for example, he / she forgot to say that he / she does not eat pork for personal reasons, and you have fried some bacon, sincerely apologize and do not upset your boyfriend / girlfriend about this again. 
2 Take care of your personal hygiene. Personal hygiene is not always viewed as a potential problem when planning to live with a boyfriend / girlfriend, as they expect the boyfriend / girlfriend to take care of themselves. However, you may be quite surprised when you find out that your roommate, as it turns out, is not a fighter for cleanliness. The same goes for you. What you find acceptable may be perceived by your friend as imprudent or bad form. Unwashed dishes, dirty underwear, juice packs, used disposable razors, food dishes and other items that pose a threat to your health can cause unwanted guests that are potentially dangerous to both of you. Be careful and think twice before leaving dirty cutlery in the sink or rinsing the tub after you bathe. Get each other to clean up immediately after one of you messes up and don't be afraid to make a comment if something doesn't suit you. If you are not too worried about this, you can sometimes clean up after your boyfriend / girlfriend, but do not let your kindness and patience be overused, as this can become a habit if it is not already. If your relationship is not going well and your boyfriend / girlfriend is a slob, you should be extremely assertive, but do not hurt his / her feelings. Some people cannot do anything with their character and cannot change anything. 
3 Respect each other's eating habits and needs. You should have already discussed likely eating habits as a result of personal beliefs and / or health reasons, so make sure you don't forget what you agreed on. You are lactose intolerant and your friend doesn't mind if the refrigerator is filled with dairy products but doesn't want any kind of meat stored in it, you must stick to your initial promise. You can give several reasons and try to change his / her opinion. But everything related to allergies must be taken very seriously, especially if any of you are allergic to nuts. Your boyfriend / girlfriend may not approve of what you cook or eat (for no religious or cultural reason), so try to respect his / her tastes when your boyfriend / girlfriend is around. Also, it is important to remember that you do not live alone and cannot eat everything that is in the house.If your boyfriend / girlfriend does this, bring it up tactfully, so that your roommate doesn't have an eating disorder that you haven't heard of before. Be careful with products not purchased by you. Given the fact that you live together, you should share food without making childish scenes out of it. But, if your boyfriend / girlfriend doesn't want to share, you have to accept his / her decision. Make sure your boyfriend / girlfriend respects your requirements as well. 
4 Do not forget about each other's "points". We all have some things that get on our nerves and which we usually do not touch until we see / hear someone doing something that annoys us. Try to discuss this topic appropriately, if the need arises, and do not consider the issue out of context. If you are furious when you see that the toothpaste cap is not in place, try to express your displeasure correctly and clearly. Although your boyfriend / girlfriend may not take your remark seriously, take it as a joke and continue to do so despite your displeasure. 
5 Respect versus tolerance. You must understand the difference between respecting your friend and condescending to his / her habits. You may be able to tolerate the late drumming, but he / she must also understand to be respectful towards you. For example, even if you don’t express your dissatisfaction, it doesn’t mean that he / she can continue with his / her studies whenever he wants. Again, if something bothers you and you find the friend's behavior inappropriate, talk to him / her about this topic. If your roommate disagrees with you, you can put up with some things, but if you put up with a lot, reconsider the question of cohabitation.
Tips
- Remember the following "respect and courtesy, tolerance and approval." You may become a better flat / housemate.
Warnings
- If your boyfriend / girlfriend is engaged in illegal / deviant activities in the house and it bothers you and gives you discomfort, consider moving to another place.
- It's easy to think that you know a lot about someone - especially if that someone is your best friend / girlfriend. You should live with this person for a week or two in order to understand that this is a completely different person. Circumstances should not be the reason for the collapse of your friendship. But you may discover things that you shouldn't have known from the very beginning.
- From time to time you will quarrel and if one of you likes to argue, it will not help the case.
