Expectation: You’ll lose a lot of weight, because now that you’re making dinner for two instead of one you’ll be more inclined to buy healthy food and cook every night.
Reality: You’re starving by the time you both get home from work and wind down for a bit, and it’s much easier to go out for dinner instead of cooking. Now not only are you paying for dinner out three times a week, but you’re also paying for groceries that sit in the refrigerator until they spoil.

Expectation: You’ll encourage one another to workout every day so that you can live the healthier lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of. Maybe you’ll even sign up for a half marathon for a little extra motivation.
Reality: Netflix marathons are so much more enjoyable with your boyfriend cuddling up behind you. Surely he won’t notice if you’ve gained a few extra pounds from your completely sedentary new lifestyle.

Expectation: It’ll be no different than the way you were “living together” in college except now you won’t have to deal with a smelly dorm, apartment or frat house, not to mention his friends.
Reality: When you lived together in college, you also never had to deal with his dirty laundry strewn throughout the apartment or his complete inability to put the toilet seat down. Those days of “living together” in college don’t seem so bad now.

Expectation: Now that there are four hands to help pick up the apartment it will stay a lot cleaner. Plus you can make her do the dishes since you absolutely hate that chore.
Reality: Twice as many people means twice the mess, plus a sheer lack of motivation to pick up anything that isn’t yours. You’ve never lived in such a pigsty before.

Expectation: Your boyfriend has always paid for like 90% of your dates since you met him. Surely this means that he’ll continue to pay for 90% of your expenses and you can chip in on food sometimes when you haven’t spent your entire paycheck on the newest fall trends.
Reality: Now that you’re officially living together, he expects you to pay your half of rent, plus electricity and gas. What kind of madness is this? This was definitely a wakeup call.

Expectation: Since she is moving into your place, she’ll just have to be okay with your furniture and decorations. Surely she’ll realize that her red throw pillows don’t go with your orange couch and get rid of them.
Reality: The orange couch went to the dumpster, along with the rest of your prized possessions. You managed to keep one box of your college shit, but apparently there will be no more beer bongs, Playboy posters, or moldy shower curtains in her apartment.

Expectation: He will realize that you don’t have to be at work until 9:00am, and will be quiet and courteous when he gets up at 6:30am to shower before leaving.
Reality: He will be irrationally angry that you get an extra hour of sleep and will sing in the shower, bang around in the kitchen, and scream goodbye before he walks out of the door. You never get your extra hour of sleep.

Expectation: The full-size bed you bought shortly after graduation will be large enough for the two of you to share.
Reality: She lays spread-eagle across the entire thing and you manage to get one small corner close to the wall each night. A king-size bed will be your next purchase.

Expectation: Now that you’re living together you’ll have sex more often.
Reality: After smelling what just happened in the bathroom, sex is no longer an option.

Expectation: This is the next logical step in your relationship. It will be an opportunity for you to learn whether or not you can see yourself marrying this person and living happily with them forever.
Reality: If getting married means having to live with someone for the rest of your life, you want no part of it. Ever.