It’s not just about combining all the crap we both own so that we have two nice blenders and one too many Smart TV’s. It’s about compromising to make some apartment with both our names on the lease into a home we can both feel comfortable and happy living in. But for us both to be happy, some changes will be made first.

1. The mountain of laundry you’ve been putting off for two weeks will become double the size.

They say opposites attract…that may be, but we both hate doing laundry.

2. You now have a binge watching partner in crime.

So when I caught up on The Walking Dead, I could have waited just a few months and not have had to deal with nightmares by myself. And when we re-watched all five seasons of Game of Thrones to pregame for season 6, my boyfriend and I felt all the pain of the red wedding together, yet again.

3. Cooking becomes a fun activity for both of you to enjoy the end result.

As someone who is challenged when it comes to anything kitchen-related, I’m really lucky in that I found a boyfriend who doesn’t just cook amazingly well, but loves to cook for others too. We usually try to make a balanced home-cooked meal together once or twice a week.

4. When one of you is sick, you’ll most likely tag-team the illness back and forth.

For instance, I was sick a month ago. Then my boyfriend had it for two weeks, and now I have it again. Oh joy.

5. One uncompromisable event will occur, however; the DVR will become 97% full.

And while we both agree on keeping the full season of Doctor Who ‘just in case’ we missed something before the season finale, I don’t think he needs to keep the South Park episodes and he doesn’t think I need to keep my series recording of Fixer Upper. Like, I need my HGTV fix and it’s not like they just play reruns all the time.

You’ll have to share a bathroom, and—plot twist—girls do poop. You’ll have to share a bed, which means no more sleeping diagonally. You’ll know all of each other’s weird quirks. You’ll be together constantly, which is great for two people who really love each other. But it’s still important to find your own time for yourself. For instance, when I binge watch Orange is the New Black, I like to do so in bed with the door closed to be alone with all of my emotions. And my boyfriend likes to play videogames. Both are healthy ways to be by yourself just for a bit until your dinner date or day out together. What you should do is find a healthy balance.

There will come a time when all their weird quirks may annoy you, but this is a big step for any relationship. The strong ones will get through the arguments and the fights about compromises. And if I’m being honest, I delete the South Park episodes when he’s not home anyway.