How to: Live with someone else?

Six. Six is the number of times we have moved in 2.5 years. Four is the number of places we have lived together as a family of two. One was the number of times we lived with someone else, in their home. Until December 3rd. After our adorable niece was born and the job hunt for my husband was not going well, we decided to move back to our home roots. We missed our family and close friends. We would be blindly jumping into dangerous waters. My husband had no job, and I would be quitting mine. We were prepared to live on our savings, if that's what it took. Except, if we were going to rent our own place, we would have very little leftover to live on. So, we decide to take up an offer to live with my Mother-in-law (MIL)!

No matter who you're planning on moving in with, it's always a little nerve-racking. You're not sure if you'll get along after a few weeks, you don't know if your schedules will clash, how will sharing the fridge work, etc. And even though I love my MIL to bits, I was still nervous, and embarrassed! 

The first or second week after we moved in, I decided we needed a few groceries. My Husband took on a temporary job, which really lifted the burden of money, so one afternoon while he and his Mom were at work, I hit the grocery store. I picked up a few basic things: eggs, milk, yogurt. You know, simple stuff for lunches and such. I got home just before MIL and was putting my things into the fridge, when she got home, also with grocery bags. It was at this moment I realized we bought almost the exact same items. Boy was I embarrassed! For some reason, I felt like I was invading her space. This was the first lesson I learned about living with someone else: communication. 

Living with my Husband's parent is HARD. Not for the reason you might think, but because she wants to spoil us! My Husband installed one new sink faucet for her, and she insisted on paying him. A lot. And did I mention she won't let us pay her for utilities or extra groceries she provides? She probably enjoys it, but we feel like we're invading. So this has turned into a back and forth game of seeing who can do something special for the other person first. She gets us giftcards for doing small tasks, which we try to refuse and she gives us the Mom eye. So then I cook dinner and insist she eats some of it instead of peanut butter. Or I clean her house while she's at work (she still doesn't know about some of things I've done hehe)

Living with another person in a three bedroom house and sharing most of the space can be difficult, and even awkward, but learning how to live with someone else has taught us a great deal of patience. It also gave us the freedom to pay off our debt faster, and grow back our savings! Who knows, maybe move number 7 will be into a house?