Congratulations! You’ve wrangled yourself a somewhat-steady man. Maybe he’s your boyfriend, or “pretty much” your boyfriend, or that guy you refuse to label as “boyfriend” even though everyone else has. No matter what you want to call it, he’s here, and your life is a little different.
1. The amount of money you spend on hair removal increases exponentially.
Waxing and sugaring is expensive, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do when her nether region is going to be receiving a steady stream of *ahem* attention. You can’t pull the ol’ “Oops! I didn’t have time to shave!” when your guy knows you’ve been sitting around watching Scandal all day, so you might as well sack up, and smooth down.
2. Hello unhealthy food.
If your guy orders a pizza, you’ll have a slice or two. If he wants to go out for wings, you’re right there with him. FroYo with your girlfriends is replaced by casual stops for chicken fingers and those tiny hamburgers which don’t seem as bad for you as they actually are. You drink more beer just because it’s there. Even if you order a side of fruit with your meal, he probably has fries, and you’re probably going to casually eat them off of his plate until he suggests that you order your own.
3. You spend less time with your girls.
You say you’re not going to let this new guy come between you and your gal pals, but it’s going to happen to some degree. They’ll want to go out when you’ve already committed to date night. You’ll get the text about movie night at a friend’s house when you’re already snuggled up at his place. He’s bumped a friend out of your Snapchat top three, and he’s the only person you text more than your roommate.
4. Going out is less thrilling.
We all love the excitement of getting dolled up and going out with our best girlfriends for a night of dancing, flirting, and paying for zilch. There’s the distinct possibility of meeting someone new — the next guy du’jour. But wait…you’ve already got a guy. And he isn’t here for the dancing/flirting/drink buying responsibilities. So what do you do? I say do what you want if you’re still in that undefined stage, let the cute guy buy you a drink and dance with you. But if you’re in an actual, exclusive relationship I recommend buying your own drinks, dancing with your friends, and texting him when you’re home safely.
5. You’ve got a built-in formal date, New Year’s Kiss, and Valentine.
While the majority of your sisters are in panic mode a few weeks before formal, because they haven’t found a suitable date, you’re more concerned with the dress and his tux, because you’ve had a date since before formal was announced. New Year’s Eve is no longer a countdown to the potentially embarrassing moment when everyone else around you is liplocked and your lips are to a bottle of champagne. Valentine’s Day is 74% less annoying, because there’s someone you are in love/lust/like with in your life. Even if you share in my mindset that the holiday is an outrageously stupid attempt by the greeting card and chocolate companies to whip us into a consuming frenzy, it’s still really nice not to fall into the bitter “I’m going to die alone” trap that consumes so many girls during this time of year.
The beginning of most relationships is the best part. Enjoy your new man, but don’t let him change your life too much. No matter how great he is, don’t let your relationships with your girlfriends suffer too much. They were here before he was, and they’ll be there after he’s gone.