One of my favorite soapboxes (besides the health benefits of vegetarianism and how Led Zeppelin changed rock and roll) is my firm belief that couples shouldn’t live together before they get engaged. I think my BF’s tired of hearing me talk about it, so I’ll unload my reasons why on you guys, as follows.

1. We all know those couples that live together for years with no end in sight. Which is fine, I suppose, if both people like it that way. But I’ve known too many women who move in with the hope (and expectation) of getting engaged, and then 5 years later the boyfriend is still like, “eh, maybe.” I know, it sounds so cynical and old-fashioned, “why buy the cow?”, right? But I’ve seen too many girls get screwed over waiting for a proposal that never comes, and I think deep down, most of them did want one.

It’s pretty easy to talk and make promises about the future, and to move in with someone, but it makes it more real to get engaged and start planning for the wedding and for marriage. And when you have concrete wedding plans, it’s even more real. Each step is progressively harder to back out of.