By now we’ve all pledged our undying love, commitment and loyalty to Netflix, for reasons that we’re all too aware of. The fact is that dating these days begins with a few scattered Tinder messages and usually ends up with a Netflix binge, except now you’ve got a cute guy sitting on your couch next to you. But is that really such a bad thing? Do we really have to expect super elaborate and romantic dates? Once you’ve got a boyfriend, it’s not the worst thing in the world if the two of you love to chill out and relax in your apartments. Here’s why staying in is the best thing for your relationship.
- Romance is for fairy tales. I’m sure that somewhere out there, romance isn’t actually dead and guys show up for first dates with a bouquet of red roses and painstakingly plan every single subsequent date. But I’m not 100 percent certain that truly exists. In the age of Tinder, it’s hard enough to find a nice person to spend time with, so if you have, consider yourself lucky. That’s not to say you can’t expect some bigger gestures from time to time, but there’s nothing wrong with enjoying each other’s company without it being super grand.
- If you can’t stay in, why are you even going out? Picture yourself and your significant other spending 48 hours locked in your apartment together. Could you handle that? Would you guys kill each other? Or would it be awesome because you’re so in love you would be happy to have the alone time? If you can’t get along, why would you think your relationship could survive a trip to Europe or even a weekend away?
- Life is crazy. Your relationship shouldn’t be. We spend our days running around, working the equivalent of several jobs at once and stressing about everything from whether we really like kale (confession: I don’t) to fitting in time for that yoga class we keep skipping. With all of us living such crazy lives, it can be a total comfort to know that at the end of the day, you can come home to your BF, some take-out and a TV binge. It takes all the stress out of your relationship because you’re confident that the two of you have such a solid bond that you don’t need fancy candlelit dinners to prove it.
- You will be up on all the latest TV. We would always be caught up on our favorite shows… if it weren’t for things like work and buying groceries and working out and, oh yeah, having a social life. Add going out to dinners and events and so on with your boyfriend and when are you ever going to finally finish watching Breaking Bad? That would be never. So multi-task by hanging out with the person you love and indulging your pop culture obsessions at the same time. That sounds like heaven, really.
- You’re not trying to impress anyone. Social media has brought a lot of fun into our daily lives, from inspiring Instagram posts to the latest news on Twitter. But with social media’s popularity has come the annoying side effect of girls who love to brag about how totally awesome their boyfriends are and how amazing their relationships are. And let’s not even get started on the engagement ring photos. You don’t care if someone you went to college with thinks your boyfriend is impressive and you know that there is no one age to get married. You just want to hang out with your guy. That’s all.
- We’re all broke. Let’s be real here. None of us can afford to go out to dinner every night of the week and to pay for all the cool cultural things you can do in any given city or town. Maybe we’re saving for our dream vacation or to buy a condo — or we’d rather go on a shopping spree at Urban Outfitters and cook cheap meals at home (guilty). So why spend your hard-earned money going out all the time when you can have just an awesome time hanging out at home with your BF?
- Getting drunk gets old fast. By now, we’ve all partied enough and had enough nasty hangovers for a lifetime or two. It can be tempting in the beginning of your romance to go to trendy hipster bars all the time but eventually you’re going to want to stop drinking so much so you can actually remember that awesome conversation you guys had the next day. Besides, you can always enjoy a beer or glass of wine at home and it will be much cheaper.
- It’s like pre-moving in together. Some couples move in together ASAP, others take their sweet time and let two or three years go by before taking the plunge. Nothing’s wrong and it’s all good. But if you two stay in a lot, then it’s like seeing what it’s like to live with each other without having to take the risk. It’s like the Netflix era equivalent of moving in together before marriage.
- You’re setting yourself up for your future. Okay, babies might not be on your brain just yet, but eventually if you and your guy end up together, you might want to raise a family. And guess what? Babies and little kids don’t love going out to loud clubs every night. They basically are homebodies. If there was a baby version of Netflix, they would be all over it.
- You will know if he’s The One. Anyone can seem fun and super attractive when you’re always surrounded by other people when you’re out and about. But you will know pretty quickly whether this guy’s the right one for you when you start spending time alone and staying in more often. If he’s a jerk, he can’t hide his true self. But if he’s still capturing your interest when it’s the two of you and the flickering lights of Netflix on your TV screen, well, you’ve probably met your match.
