Originally Posted by onesnowyowl

I think you do lose some of your freedoms, if only out of respect for the other person. For instance, I can't just drop everything and drive up to my parents' without a moment's notice--being in a relationship and having respect for my partner means telling him where I am going and/or planning in advance, especially for big trips such as that. If I just got up and left the apartment, I think he'd probably be a little puzzled, maybe even a little hurt that I didn't tell him where I was going or what I was doing--though sometimes I do tell him that I am going on a "mystery adventure" and he just has to live with that explanation.

I also can't be as fiscally irresponsible as I once was because I feel that I have another person to think of when spending. I suppose in the end the loss of that freedom is really something gained--I've saved a lot more money than I ever have before.

But yes, I think in the end it is a case of something lost but far more gained, in the right situation.