Should You Live-in Before You Marry?

My mother's favourite piece of advise to me used to be, "You can never know a man until you live under the same roof". You too might have heard this bit of womanly wisdom from your mother and grandmother many a times. Now I am sure that our mothers were alluding to marriage when they said, 'Live under the same roof'. But don't you think that it is an uncanny pun on live-in relationships.

Before marriage, a couple goes through the courtship period. If they are more or less happy with each other, they decide to get married. And then, the trouble starts. The whole change of set up, added responsibilities and adjusting with each other period is very frustrating. That brings us to main problem with marriage; it means you have to stay together in the same house.

But a live-in relationship also means that you stay together but minus the legal contract of marriage. So it is a good idea to live in together and check your compatibility before marriage? Here is why you should do this.

Know Each Others Habits: Most fights after marriage stem from the fact that a couple is not aware of each others' most intimate habits. When you live-in together, you can decide which habits of your partner you can accept and which you can't.

Being At Home: Staying 24 hours under the same roof is not the same as meeting in a coffee shop during your courtship period. You can pretend for a few hours, but when you are home, it is hard to pretend. So, you will get to know exactly who you are marrying.

Learn To Share Expenses: Splitting the bill into half in a restaurant does not teach to share financial responsibilities. You need to actually sit down and make your home budget. You also need to divide the expenses, and only then you will know if you both are financially compatible.

Divide The Work: The adjustment period in a marriage is difficult because you don't know who will do what at home. But if you divide the work at home and the responsibilities of each partner before marriage, you will have no problems later.

If It Doesn't Work?: Well its like saying, 'If I get hit by a running bus'. No one can predict that a live-in relationship will ensure that you walk down the aisle. But in today's day and age, no one can guarantee that your marriage will work either. So why bother with predictions?

These are some of the reasons that suggest that having a live-in relationship before you decide to get married is a good idea. Do you agree?