You meet, you fall in love and you think it’s time to move in! You’re both tired of packing overnight bags and driving back and forth from your own homes. You’re basically together all the time so what could the sleep over just be different?

If you’re used to living alone, sharing space with someone can be a little bit tricky. Living together can be awesome, and if you’re compatible with your partner, it could be like endless sleepovers with your best friend; you get to watch movies late at night, go out for fast food, have all your clothes in one place and cuddle at night as much as your heart desires.

There are definitely certain things you need to be aware of and questions you need to answer before living with your partner. Living together definitely takes compromise, sacrifice, and communication. There are certain challenges you can face, and for a fragile couple, surviving the “living together” test could be difficult. If you don’t know what some of the challenges of moving in are, here are a list of 15 stupid things you can fight about when you first live together.

15. The Mess

You’re lucky if both of you are messy or super OCD; but if one of you is neater than the other, you’re in trouble. Let me paint a picture: you come home from work and you are absolutely exhausted, you run to the bedroom and take your clothes off and put them on the hamper and throw yourself on the bed! Your partner comes home and neatly takes of his clothes, and comes to put them in the hamper to find your clothes on the top *queue grunting and argument.* You got yelled at today by an annoyed customer and the last thing you want to hear about are the stupid clothes. Tip: Put them in the hamper, it’ll take you 4 seconds longer and you’ll avoid the silly argument.

14. The Space

The big closet argument (yes women can have that many shoes and absolutely need them all.) If we can put up with the magazines, the video games or the collectibles that we don’t get, you can put up with the shoes, purses, the makeup and all the accessories. Be fair, give him half the closet, and respect his side! Leave each other’s stuff alone, and if you have a problem with one another’s things, calmly talk about. The last thing your partner wants to hear is you screaming about his comic books and that they’re taking too much space.

13. Sharing The TV

If you have one big screen TV you can expect arguments over that; she wants to watch the bachelor finale and you want to watch the hockey game or the latest episode of Walking Dead, and so the battle begins. If you have only one TV you might want to look at getting another one! TV could be sacred, alone time, and anyone coming near that is an issue. Try taking turns taping your shows and watching it later, or set a schedule and alternate. Make sure that you don’t escalate the problem by only looking at getting what you want.

12. The Decor

He wants to put up his Wrestling posters in the living room and you “accidentally” want to step on them 80,000 times while he’s out with the boys. And he does not necessarily care for the floral patterns that somehow exploded everywhere in your shared living space. If your man has been living alone for a while it’s normal that he feel territorial and less willing to give up his bachelor pad so be patient. Try to find a middle a ground; don’t turn the bachelor pad into a barbie house and in return he should respect the little changes you want to make! Try to respect his personal space; leave a room or space in the apartment or condo for him! Let him hang his posters, have his comic books, his yearbooks and anything else he wants to have. Consider that space sacred and don’t come near it!

11. Who Takes Out The Trash

Not just the trash, but the chores in general could definitely start an argument. Make sure you’re dividing the chores equally; if she does the dishes, you should take out the trash, and if she’s been doing the laundry for the last couple of weeks, you should help clean the bathroom. If you’re both working long days then you’re probably exhausted by the time you get home, and the last thing you need is a messy place. Tip: Find out the chore that your partner hates the most and if you don’t mind, take over!

10. Who Ate The Last Cookie

You get a craving at 2am, and you’re dying for the last chocolate chip cookie to find out that your partner ate it. The sane part of you says you should go back to sleep or grab a spoon of nutella instead. However, the insane part of you wants to wake your partner up and ask them where the last cookie went. Yes, you can have a fight over a cookie. Good news is that you can avoid it. Here’s a good rule to follow: if you’re going to eat the last of everything, let your partner know, maybe you should even leave a sticky note to remind them or yourself to buy some more. 

9. Where Certain Things Belong

You’ve both lived apart for so long and you’re used to things being in certain places; one of you thinks the toothbrush should be next to the sink, but the other one wants to put them in the cupboard by the sink. Regardless, remember that these are very small things that shouldn’t affect the bigger picture. Let’s face it, you can’t have everything your way, so pick your battles! You might think the most important thing is where the towels belong, so don’t go arguing over every single item. If things get heated, sit down and talk about it, don’t start screaming at each other, it won’t get you anywhere.

8. The Morning Alarm

Are you both snoozers? Does one of you wake up earlier than the other? Ouch! The last thing you want to wake up to is an alarm, let alone someone else’s alarm when you still have 45 minutes until you have to get up. It might be tough to find a solution to that one so you just have to take comfort by thinking of your partner’s cuddles when you want to smack them after the 4th snooze. The truth is, you’ll have to give up or get used to certain things. Don’t sleep in a separate beds, or in a different room. As much as you might miss starfishing in that bed, sleeping together is a big part of intimacy.

7. The Noise

Whether it’s the TV, the cell phone, or just scrambling around trying to organize things at 2am while the other one tries to sleep will be a sure thing to cause a little argument and frustration. If you’re both used to living alone, you’re also used to doing whatever you want whenever you want, which means that you could organize your pots and pans cupboard at 3am if your heart desires. Be considerate of your partner’s needs, so if your partner has an important presentation the following morning, keep the noise to a minimum, or if they’re taking a nap because they’ve had an exhausting day, avoid watching The Voice on volume level 54.

6. The Toilet Seat

For girls who grew up with brothers, it may not be the biggest deal, but for girls who didn’t, the toilet seat will cause a fight, or one, or two, or 18. Let it go ladies, and just put it down yourself, it’s just one of the issues you have to put up with when you’re living with a dude. Think of it this way, you have annoying habits too that he has to put up with; leaving your makeup everywhere, all the clothes and shoes you have, and you’re probably thinking of 10 more annoying things as you read this. Like I said, pick your battles.

5. Bathroom Time

You only have one bathroom *cue horror music* and you have to get ready for a wedding; he wants to shower, and you need the bathroom for your hair and makeup. He hates to be rushed and wants to take your time too! Learn to share and communicate. Let him know when you’ll be needing the bathroom and respect each other’s time. The last thing you want is getting into a stupid argument before a big event and pouting or creating an awkward vibe between each other for the night; it’s not worth it. Learn to let things go, if you get into an argument, don’t sulk and bring it up all night.

4. Date Nights

When you don’t live together, you usually make a bigger effort to go out for pizza night, take a nice walk when the weather is nice, or go for some ice cream on a nice, hot day. Unfortunately when you live together and you see each other all the time you start missing date nights, and you make less effort to set days aside just to spend some time together. Don’t get into the habit of living like roommates, forgetting to keep that fire alive. Don’t get too comfortable and make sure to be the boyfriend/girlfriend your partner fell in love with.

3. Groceries

If you’re going grocery shopping for both of you, you should probably take a list. The worst thing that could happen is forgetting the peanut butter your partner asked you to buy. Life is busy, and you can have a crazy week at work, along with car repairs, a hair salon appointment, or errands you have to run for the kids, so obviously some things will fall through the cracks. The easiest way to remember all the things you need to do is by writing it all down. If you make a mistake and forget the peanut butter, just apologize, there is no need to have an escalated yelling match over freaking peanut butter.

2. Finances

Sometimes it’s easier to manage your finances when you’re living alone, but once you live together, it can be a bit tricky. Money and bills can be the number one thing that can split up a couple or be the cause of major fights, so it’s definitely an issue you have to discuss before you live together! There are so many questions you should ask yourselves; are you dividing the bills evenly? Will you have a joint account? When you go out, are you taking turns paying for meals together? Make sure you have everything out on the table because the last thing you want are fights over who is paying the internet bill.

1. Babies

Adulting is difficult enough, so if you add to it little people who want love and attention 24/7 you might find yourself just a little bit overwhelmed every now and then, and when you can’t yell at the baby, you take it out on your partner! Stay patient with each other and try to communicate. Remember that kids are a blessing and that it is normal for it to get overwhelming. Remember to take a break, always talk to a friend if you need to vent, and don’t forget the quality time you need to spend with your significant other.