“There are no rules that dictate when a couple should take a relationship to the next level. The decision on when to move in together varies with each person. However, there are some things everybody needs to consider before they go apartment hunting with their significant other.

Sarah Dwinnells, junior speech pathology and audiology major, said she her boyfriend lived with her for a short period of time during the summer. There was a three week difference between his two leases, so she decided to let him stay with her.

Dwinnells said there were pros and cons to having her boyfriend live with her. She said she was never bored and always had someone to hang out with.

“There wasn’t a lot of privacy and that was a little annoying,”Dwinnells said.

Dwinnells said couples who plan on living together need to invest in a big bed. Her bed wasn’t big enough for two people to sleep in, so they took turns.

There wasn’t a lot of bathroom space, Dwinnells said. Her boyfriend had to carry his bathroom needs back and forth every day.

Dwinnells said she thinks it’s important for people to look for a spacious apartment. Being in a different room than each other helps ease some of the tension that comes with being around each other all the time.

Being able to talk about things is another vital factor of living together, Dwinnells said.

“If there’s a problem, talk about it,”she said. “Bottling it up only makes it worse.”

Josh Foehrenbach, junior physical education major said couples need to discuss boundaries before they move in together. Couples need to decide how the finances are going to be split. Bank accounts and investments should be kept separate until the couple gets married.

He doesn’t recommend splitting the cost of big appliances. If the relationship doesn’t work out, it might be difficult to split everything down the middle. If one person buys the television, there won?t be any argument about who takes it with him or her.

Foehrenbach said he thinks a couple should date at least six months before they decide to move in together.

“It depends on how you feel about each other and how long you?ve been dating,” he said.

Foehrenbach said he?s knows what it feels like to want to jump into a serious relationship. During his three-month basic training for the army, he said there were days when it got lonely. Sometimes its nice to know you?ll have someone to come to or someone to write to you.

Though he wanted a relationship, Foehrenbach said he knew jumping into it wasn?t a good idea. The same concept applies to couples who want to move in with each other before they’re ready.

Contact

Rachel Hagenbaugh at [email protected].