I have labeled myself as being one of the best lay-away shoppers of all time!  I've always liked the option of being able to pay on a high-price object a little at a time.  It's like setting a short-term goal and achieving it.

Jewelry, clothes, furniture are things that you will find on someone's lay-away slip.  However, lately there is a new commodity that has entered into the realm of lay-away.  Love!

Love on Lay Away is a term used for a relationship between committed adults who say that they love each other but one of the partners either refuse or is not ready to commit.  It can also be used for a person who is involved with some one who is not committed to them but they are in a relationship with.

Simply put, it is love on HOLD!  It's stagnated.  It's gone through the initial transition of friendship, courting, and committment but has not gotten to the altar.  I must warn you, however, that some couples will say that they have chosen, for whatever reason(s), to not finalize this commitment at the altar -- Love, on Lay Away.

There are many reasons for cohabitating and they range from economic issues to not wanting to be alone. Some of these reasons are the same for couples who no longer love each other but have consciously decided to remain in the same households.

Economics

The ability to share mortgage/rental payments, grocery bills, utilities bills, and car payments. Healthcare costs are another consideration. One partner may not have medical or dental coverage while the other partner does.

Relocating

It costs to re-establish yourself somewhere else, whether it is time or money. Staying close to one's job location is key when contemplating such a move.

Lifestyle

Most people will not be able to maintain the same lifestyle if one of the partners leave. They may share responsibilities as dropping off children to daycare facilities or school. They will be required to downsize from a larger home to a smaller home. Their circle of friends will often change. Who wants to continually be running into their ex all over town and at dinner parties.

• Fear of Divorce
• Trial Run -- See if relationship will work out before taking the step to marry.
• Compromising with a partner that "simply" does not want to be married but you love him/her.

Religious or Moral Beliefs

Love on Lay Away situations can span years! This causes great difficulties for those who come from a religious background. The nagging angst of living as a married couple becomes a bone of contention in the light of God's Word.

The partner is torn between their love of God and the committed relationship. However, often the partner will convince themself that maybe next month or next year they will end up at the altar in union before God.

The Co-Mingling of Assets

In these types of relationships you have two single people living together while sharing finances and obligations.  This can become a sticky and difficult situation if or when it's time to go their separate ways.

The Children

Some keep love on lay away because a child(ren) have been born to the union.  This may cause some couples to remain together for long periods of time without finalizing their committment.

55% of different-sex cohabiters do marry within five years of moving in together. 40% break up within that same time period. About 10% remain in an unmarried relationship for five years or more. - Smock, Pamela. 2000. "Cohabitation in the United States." Annual Review of Sociology.

Delaying a final committment steals valuable time from a partner if the relationship falls short of finalization.  The bible speaks about redeeming the time.  Time is something that we cannot retrieve, save, or replenish.

We must be wise with the time given to us.  Sometimes we've tied ourselves to someone who will eventually decide that they no longer love us anymore and move on to finalize a commitment to someone else and in a much shorter time span.

Love on lay away prevents us recognizing another promising prospect because we are already committed to another.