Should I live with my ex?

Question: "I recently broke up with my long-term boyfriend. The break-up was mutual and we have decided to stay living in the same house until the lease runs out in a few months' time. The night we broke up he introduced me to one of his work colleagues who tracked down my mobile number that very night and started to call me. We have also seen and slept with each other a couple of times.
My question is this: since I am now officially single, is it OK to see other men while we are still living in the same house? And should his work colleague be off limits even though I really like him and would like to think I have future with him? Very confused" ...

My thoughts
Something's happened to modern women. For some unknown reason, despite our independent, go-girl, I-don't-need-a-man mantras that so many of us like to repeat, we've let ourselves believe that, at the very first sign of any type of commitment from a man, it's OK to move right on in together. Suddenly we don't mind becoming symbiotic, co-dependent creatures, relying on our boyfriend (or bonk buddy as they no doubt would see us) for survival, half the rent and taking the dog out to poop while we stalk our ex on Facebook.

But in your circumstance (and almost any circumstance in which you're under the same roof as an ex) I would say move out - immediately. Pack up your stuff, get a removalist truck (or mates with big biceps and a spare day to help you out), and go and live with some friends, your parents, your boss - whoever. Just get the heck out of there. Because the longer you stay under the roof of your ex, the worse things are going to get, especially when he discovers that you're bonking his work colleague. Plus, the longer you leave it, the more insurmountable the task of moving out (and moving on) will be for both of you.

Times are indeed changing. Shacking up without a ring is no longer deemed "living in sin" but living in times of the credit crunch, expensive shoes and high rent rates. Hence the reason so many jump so quickly into it without weighing up the consequences. My advice, however, is that, in order to avoid circumstances like this in the future, more of us should be more careful about making such decisions.

I'm not saying people shouldn't live together with someone before marriage - in fact I highly recommend testing the waters before tying the knot just incase you discover their revolting habit of chewing their toenails that you just cannot bear to live with - but just taking a little more precaution with exactly who we let ourselves share a toilet brush with wouldn't go astray.

But there's another issue at hand here: the fact that you're shagging your ex's work colleague - that you met through him. Now, depending on how close these dudes are as friends, I say the best bet is either to get your new man to ask your ex for permission to date you, or for you to ask your ex for permission to date his work colleague. That way he feels part of the decision and can't be too bitter about it when he sees you two feeding each other strawberries at the next work function. Slamming him with details of your rampant sex life together (possibly going on under his own roof) is going to knock the wind out of him and possibly break his heart firmly in two.

So go easy on him. And don't forget to start packing ...