5 things i've learnt since living with my partner

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Living with your partner is one of the biggest steps in your life so it can be crazy, scary and over whelming at first. When we first got the green light to move into the home we bought i'm not going to lie, i was nervous. You always hear about couples who are together for years and years and then when they move in together, they can't make it work and break up. Some may call me a pessimistic, i call myself a realist.

Luckily for me and my partner, we are still going strong three years into living together and 5 years into our relationship. Living together has taught me a lot about relationships in general, so i thought i would share my thoughts with you today. Obviously everyone is different so some people will not agree with my five points and that is absolutely fine! This is just a few things which have made living with a smelly man work.

1. give yourself your own jobs
One thing i was really worried about when we moved in together was arguing about stupid house things. Most people argue about chores and people pulling their weight so when we moved in we subconsciously gave each other jobs. I do most of the cleaning and cooking in the house and Cal does all the hoovering and washing up, which is one of the things i hate thank god.

2. don't get stuck in a routine
Some people love routines and find life runs more smoothly when they are in one. Cal and I personally are half and half. We find when we have done the same for a few nights we can get bored, its when we get to this point we plan something spontaneous. Whether it is just a walk down to the local village pub for a drink after work, going out for dinner or even spending the night round a friends house. It breaks up our week and makes it a bit more interesting. I think sometimes we forget that we are only a 25 and 28 year old living a old married couples life.

3. don't forget to have your own space
Both Cal and I are quite introvert people so we can easily spend time by ourselves and some nights we really need that. Some nights when i get home from work and i really want to sit in the bath for a few hours and go straight to bed, Cal just leaves me to it, and vice versa.

4. give each other free rein of the house
Some people don't like to leave the house when the other half have company which is perfectly fine for them. I personally like to have space so if i or Cal have friends coming round, the other person goes out for the night. A lot of people don't feel the need to do this but personally i think its nice to give your partner the space to entertain.

5. having fights about absolutely nothing is all part of the course
You might not be the type of couple who normally argues but that will change when you move in together, and that is totally normal. If you don't argue about the colour of the wall or the Santa on the stairs then tell us all your secrets! Don't worry if you start to bicker about stupid things because that is just life and normally they don't last very long, well so far...