I'm assuming from the story above that there are no children involved. Some good advice my mom gave me was that I needed to know what it was like to "own" myself before I could give any part of me away. That meant finding skills I was good at, learning what my interests were, determining how I liked to run my home when there wasn't anyone else in it. THEN, I could fully give what I owned once I got married. I could give me. Who I was, and that person would have to accept that. Yes, marriage is a give-take thing, but it is not meant to totally erase who you are, you should compliment each other, kinda how 1+1=more than 2 if you do it right. Once I moved out the first time, I did all in my power to not move back, yes that meant I had to work. BUT I wasn't willing to not work until I knew that I was in a stable relationship where my husband appreciated what I would do at home all day. He doesn't feel I'm "living off him" because he knows what I do for him. He knows of the relief he feels from knowing someone is taking care of the budget, the shopping, the house keeping, our family's appointments, etc. And then he can concentrate on his job. We compliment each other this way, and are successful as a family.

So I guess the advice I have is figure out what you want before attaching yourself to someone else. I see you're dating someone, but perhaps if you can't agree on this kind of stuff yet, it's not time to live together.

I also agree with Anhata's comments, having a backup plan is essential.