I love you

My boyfriend and I usually say "I love you" as we're heading out the door on the way to work and before we drift off to sleep at night. We tend to end any phone calls to each other that way too. It's a habit, but not one that has become meaningless. When I'm having a rough day at work, hearing him say "I love you" brings a smile to my face, even though I KNOW he loves me whether he's said it or not. It's just nice. My ex wasn't big on saying "I love you." I said it once for no real reason other than that I felt like it, and he looked at me and said "we have a car." I said "what?" completely confused, and he explained that we didn't need to say I love you because it was obvious, just like he didn't have to tell me we had a car because it was sitting outside the house. Logically I could see his point, but I still think "I love you" is nice.