How can you mininize arguments in a boyfriend/girfriend relationship

Well, for starters, in order to avoid a petty argument I would recommend asking for her help while you're straightening things up. "Hey babe, I'm going to rinse these dishes off, can you put them in the dishwasher?" or "I'm going to do a load of laundry, can you gather the towels?" goes over a lot better than "You didn't pick up your towels" or "This pot of spaghetti you made last week grew legs and walked out the door".

The difference between the two approaches is one set is a "team effort" while the other points out a fault which almost always puts a chick on the defense. If you can't figure out how to keep a clean house as a couple chances are you're not going to be able to figure out other more important things as a couple. You can always encourage "neat" behavior by reiterating how nice your place looks after you guys get done cleaning and how happy you are when you guys get things are put away.

I don't know what her home life was like growing up, but my mom almost always did stuff for me and cleaned my messes. It took me awhile to figure out messes don't clean themselves. There's hope for your relationship yet!

Talk with her about it. My girlfriend lives with me at my place and we argue about similar problems to yours. As far as messes and not cleaning after yourself, I don't think that's a good enough reason to end a relationship. Although little things such as that add up, a conversation between you two about your problems should clear things up and determine whether you get more involved or back off.