Shacking Up: The Smart Girl's Guide to Living in Sin Without Getting Burned

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1: You're Thinking of Doing What?!?
Yes, the unthinkable has happened. After all those years of dating hell, you've found a man who appears to be a candidate for a long-term relationship. (We'd say 'Mr. Right,' but we don't want to jinx it.)

Chapter 1: You're Thinking of Doing What? Part 2
Don't forget, ladies: Once you shack up, the fantasy ends and real life begins. 'Typically, when you're dating, you don't have a whole lot to argue about,' says Jordan, twenty-nine, who has been living with her boyfriend for a year.

The must-have guide for any woman who's ever thought about saying "yes" to the other big question: Will you move in with me?

More and more couples are choosing to live together before tying the knot - for convenience, to save money and, most importantly, to see if they're compatible. While living together can be an exciting way to take your relationship to the next level, it can also present a host of new questions and challenges.

With its fresh, girlfriend-to-girlfriend manner, Shacking Up walks you through every step of the cohabitation process, from making the initial decision to breaking up or getting married. Beginning with a readiness quiz to help you decide if you and your honey are prepared to take the plunge, authors Stacy and Wynne Whitman provide a wealth of hands-on advice from lawyers, psychologists and financial planners as well as entertaining, true-life stories from couples with shacking up experience. Topics include: breaking the news to your family; managing and merging your finances; protecting yourself legally; real-estate decisions; and day-to-day dilemmas such as chores, privacy, and keeping the spark alive. Whether you opt for wedding bells or decide he's not the one for you, Shacking Up is a stylish, empowering handbook for staying smart, savvy, and true to yourself along the road to happily ever after.

A writer for national magazines including Shape, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan, Stacy Whitman recently married her live-in boyfriend of several years..

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