oars
by rantywoman
I’m in discussions about a future roommate situation with a friend that, while it won’t give me the full benefits of marriage, may at least give us some of the same economic wiggle room:
…for all the controversy over marriage lately, there has been virtually no public discussion of the role that marriage plays in economic success…
…I will tell you that what I have learned over time is that the benefits of marrying my Phi Beta Kappa classmate, whom I met at orientation freshman week, are not merely that she is fun and beautiful, but also that it’s like having another economic oar in the water. When I was getting a PhD, she was working. When she wanted to start a software company, I had a steady income. When I wanted to take a year off to write books, she had a steady income… you get the pattern.
—10 1/2 Things No Commencement Speaker Has Ever Said, Charles Whelan, pp. 41-42
thebitterbabe 
I’m happily living alone right now, and have for pretty much my whole adult life ,but along the same lines, but for the medium-long term, I am also increasingly open to the idea of sharing a house with someone – or better yet, becoming involved in some sort of small scale intentional community. Both for the economic and social aspects….although being kind of the neat freak that I am, I’d have to be extremely cautious in choosing my roommate(s)!
You may want to look into something called “co-housing”– it’s an interesting idea.