6 things to get out of your system before your significant other moves in

This is it. My last weekend of “single” freedom before my boyfriend and I move in together.

I’m actually as excited as a little kid who knows Santa is coming. But I’ve become increasingly aware that I have a bit of work to do before the U-Haul unloads his stuff at my doorstep.

Note to self: Here are six things to let go of before moving in with your significant other.

(1) Your love of coming home to an empty house.

Ah, the sweet, sweet relief of yanking open the front door and letting it suction shut, shutting out the noise and bustle of the city and all of the people in it. You dump your bags and shoes in the entryway and fling yourself onto the couch.

Time to get used to: Opening the door to clattering in the kitchen, the TV on — the sweet sounds of your special someone who has arrived home before you.

(2) That sloppy habit of leaving laundry in the dryer for days.

You’re so, so good at throwing your dirty clothes in the washer and transferring the bundle to your dryer. But that extra step of folding and hanging on busy work days is just so glorious to ignore. Your dryer is your clean clothes drawer until the next cycle.

Time to get used to: The need to get your life and laundry together so your new roomie can do the wash, too.

(3) Your ample closet space.

There’s no way you have too much clothing or miscellaneous crap because all of your closet doors close with ease. Right? Besides, who knows when all of those remnants from college dorm life and your first apartment as an adult will come in handy?

Time to get used to: Sharing the space. Seeing that half of what you own might actually be expendable and you have mere days to sift through process the emotions of kicking it to the curb. Why couldn’t you just be a minimalist?

(4) Pride in your pre-existing possessions.

You waited years for your mom to decide you were sophisticated enough to handle those nice plates and bowls she finally gifted you as an adult human. You lovingly fill them with salads and soups and takeout.

Time to get used to: Hearing your significant other say he loves you but just absolutely does not like the aesthetics of your dining ware. But it’s OK, it’s mutual. You hate his couch pillows.

(5) Obsessive control over your space.

Everything in your place is precisely where you want it to be. The blanket draped across your couch, the pots and pans in the kitchen, the tilt of the apples in the fruit bowl on your dining table. Life is in order.

Time to get used to: Coming home to find that there is a new bookshelf in the living room and all of your precious novels and memoirs have been arranged in some new intricate design to align with the boxes (and boxes, and boxes) of books your significant other is contributing to your cozy home. The house plants have shifted, too.

(6) Wondrous nights alone.

The introvert inside you cries for a night alone with the glow of a movie or a book light, and a glass of something to curl up with and sip on. No sound of voices. No sound of someone else breathing. You recharge.

Time to get used to: Someone else constantly lingering in your periphery, asking questions, offering jokes and smiles, pulling you deep into deep conversations, turning the TV on, playing music and, God forbid, trying to get to know the ins and outs of your messy, OCD, sometimes mildly psychotic self in every way possible.

Actually, that doesn’t sound so bad.

Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP

This story was originally published June 1, 2017 at 9:00 PM.