One roof, two twenty-something adults and one cat equals new territory and responsibilities to be explored. 

Like trying to decipher a treasure map, we think there is some clear goal to be found -- if we dig enough, we’ll strike that box of gold, right? Living together means accepting the fact that the gold we seek may just be a clean sink, completing your month’s work of laundry, or, dare we say, discovering the surface of our dining room table? I found mine this morning -- it’s a medium brown wood and needs to be washed desperately. 

I feel that living together before marriage is important, or at least sharing enough time together that it is as if you are living together. Sharing responsibilities and understanding each other’s quirks takes time. Who wants to come back to a new home after a blissful honeymoon only to find out neither of you can cook, clean nor keep your bills organized? 

Living together forces a couple to realize one another’s strengths when it comes to running a household (and of course, it also points out our weaknesses!) 

A recent MSNBC article discussed the implications of living together before marriage. Contributing writer Brian Alexander throws at the reader a lot of statistics, such as pulling from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which states that “51 percent … who do move in together wind up married within three years … About two-thirds of cohabitators get married within five years.” 

Over 70 percent who took their poll admitted to living together before marriage, but it doesn’t really capture the nuisances that come along with it. Not all cohabitations work out, but those that do may produce a lot of growth for the cohabitators. In the course of the last two years, I have learned to cook dozens of meals I probably would have never tried on my own. Ramen noodles and spaghetti would have been the extent of my cooking repertoire; however, I’ve made some good steps into cooking beyond the boil and drain method. Microwaves are wonderful too. As is the baking option in my gas oven -- I never realized how easy fish and chicken are to cook. 

Did you live with your significant other before marriage? Did you wait to combine households until after you said “I do.” 

Or perhaps marriage is just not the path you’ve chosen. Any other opinions on this MSNBC study?