Show me the rocky.

I am hearing a lot of, “On the one hand,” and, “On the other hand,” issues here. There’s some truth to the old saying, “Why would a man bother to buy the cow if he’s getting the milk for free?” But at the same time, why would any woman want to get hitched to a guy before she’s had a trial period of living with him? Certainly you don’t really “know” a person until you’ve shared a bathroom!

What I’m thinking is that if you really want to get married to this fellow and you absolutely don’t want to be just a live-in girlfriend, you should become engaged before you move in together. A formal engagement, replete with a significant ring is called for to signify the seriousness of the endeavor—to give it “intent.” Besides, as his publicly recognized fiancée, you’ll have the right to demand he get rid of a lot of the terrible stuff he’s no doubt been living with as a carefree and unfettered bachelor. If you guys can sustain your love, lust and good humor throughout the redecorating process, you’re probably meant to be together, so by all means, go for it. But get that ring on your finger first!

Eve Marx is a graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University. She is the author of: Read My Hips: The Sexy Art of Flirtation; What's Your Sexual IQ? and The Goddess Orgasm. She is a former editor of both Penthouse Forum and Swank Magazine. Marx also has edited for High Society and Celebrity Skin magazines and she was a producer for Penthouse Phone Sex Tapes.