In this kick-ass modern world where everything is accepted with enough reason, living-in became a normal set up between boyfriends and girlfriends. It’s quite convenient. The guy doesn’t have to drive far to go to the girl’s place means no consumption of the ever increasing cost of gasoline. If both are renting apartments, there is a big chunk saved as apartment rent, electricity, water, cable, internet connection bills are cut. Time is also saved which is self explanatory.
And of course, there is the great anonymous saying that “a burden is lighter when shared”.
I went to University of the Philippines Los Banos where most students live in apartments, hostels, boarding houses and dorms. Most of my friends with boyfriends or girlfriends lived together, if not sleeping in each other’s apartment. It was normal then and no one could be bothered as families are far and friends are too supportive with relationships that the set up was even celebrated.
Now that I am in Thailand, one close friend lives with her boyfriend for seven years. They are very happy, the best couple there is. I love them both.
But with me, living-in is NOT an option. In as much as I want to “share burdens” and save, I don’t want to give up my own place, my own space. It’s the beauty of being single, to have your own corner in the universe where you can have a “me time” and an “I want to be ugly today” time. I guess it also has something to do with my last attempt of singleness preservation, reality-check that I am still my own self and no one owns me, yet. Then there is THE Biblical reason, which is most important but I don’t want to elaborate on.
You’d ask me, how about love? Love will make me think, care, and as crazy as it seems, live or die FOR another. But it won’t lead me to the convenience of living-in. I’d say (and this is the ideal me talking) that the convenience of living together only comes with marriage and nothing else. Love leads to marriage; marriage brings two individuals to live together… Simple!
it's a whole new argument 
