When my husband and I bought our house in 2019, the real-estate agent knew the house two doors down from us would eventually be up for sale.<\/p>\n
My husband and I joked that his parents would buy it when it was.<\/p>\n
Two years later, it was listed \u2014 and they did (after asking permission from my husband and me, who greenlit their purchase before they even made an offer).<\/p>\n
I am fully aware I wouldn't have to look hard to find someone saying you couldn't pay them enough to live next to their in-laws, but I never felt that way and have a good relationship with mine.<\/p>\n
My husband and I lived with his parents for 15 months after I graduated from college, and that arrangement gave me no reason to think living two doors down would do more harm than good.<\/p>\n
Compared to the 20 feet apart we used to sleep, 200 yards seemed massive. Plus, we knew that it'd be nice to live near family when we eventually had kids of our own.<\/p>\n
For the past five years, living in such close proximity has certainly had perks \u2014 but it's come with some unique challenges, too.<\/p>\n
Take a smarter break in your day – and see how far you get.<\/p>\n
My in-laws have devoted hundreds of hours to the care of our home in the form of yardwork (including cutting down entire trees) and house projects. Honestly, they have paid for a lot, too.<\/p>\n
We are beyond appreciative for all of the help we get from them, often without having to ask.<\/p>\n
They've also helped us avoid extra expenses by caring for our pets when we're away. In the last five years, this has probably saved my husband and me thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n
When we're in a tough spot, it's also been great to be able to rely on our in-laws for help with our two children.<\/p>\n
Both my husband and I work full-time in corporate jobs, and our kids attend a local day care five days a week. With the staggering tuition comes the inevitable fevers lasting over 24 hours, snotty noses, and stomach viruses out of nowhere.<\/p>\n
When one of our kids has to skip day care, we can usually work from home and switch off as needed. There have been a handful of times when we have had in-person meetings or one of us is traveling while a child is home sick, though.<\/p>\n
In these instances, being able to get a couple of hours of help from my in-laws in the middle of the workday is crucial to help us meet our deadlines and maintain our sanity.<\/p>\n