How to Survive the First Year of Living Together

Expect friction over habits you never noticed during date nights -- how they load the dishwasher, when they need silence, what "clean" means to each of you. Discuss chores, personal space, money, and alone time before you move in, not after the first blowup. And when that first big fight comes -- and it will -- remember it's not a sign of failure. It's two people learning to share a life in real time. The couples who last aren't those who never fight; they're those who fight and then fix.