Marriage tips can be so cliché and it won’t take long before you think you’ve heard it all. But what about the good stuff? If I could go back in time, here are three marriage tips I’d give my newlywed self.
Congratulations! You’re engaged or newly married to the love of your life. Marriage advice is probably pouring in with tips like “don’t go to bed angry.”
My husband and I have been married for 13 years. We’ve been through plenty of ups and downs and those experiences have taught us a lot that well-meaning marriage tips can’t do. Still, if I went back to give my newlywed self some advice, here’s what I would say.
Be smart with your money.
Spend less now and start building a little savings. A good goal is $1000, but even just a few hundred can be a lifesaver if an emergency comes up.
Money will not buy happiness or fix all your problems, but not having enough can be really stressful. Finances are high on the list of things that couples fight about no matter how much is in the bank account.
If you are incredibly broke right now, it can seem like you’ll never get ahead. When extra money comes along, you might want to treat yourself. After all, you deserve a night at the movies or a new outfit every now and then.
Be patient. Look for free entertainment and ignore that ugly sofa your aunt gave you that you want to replace. Make it fun and challenge each other to come up with creative ideas. Staying out of debt is way cooler than dressing on-trend.
Keep being romantic.
When you’re newlyweds, you are so in love. The cheesy romantic things you did when you were dating don’t have to go away.
Later when you go through stressful times together, those little things will make it so much easier. It is the romantic little habits – like a little note hidden in his jacket pocket – that will keep your relationship strong and remind you why you fell in love to begin with.
Build habits that last.
The things you do now will become the things you do forever. You don’t need to sit down and have a family meeting but talk about things like who will do certain household chores or what holiday traditions you want to follow.
An aunt once told me that she and her husband both hated peas but ate them for 20 years because they both thought the other loved them.
Getting to know each other means getting to know everything!
Marriage is hard and there will be those days that make you want to scream. By being intentional about your relationship, you will grow closer together and build a foundation to last a lifetime.
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Amen to these. I know for a fact that if I had to go back I would have started a ‘family devotion’ tradition… Now it’s hard to get one to going… It’s not in our nature to read together… and I so wish it would of been from the start… And oh the money we would have, for sure!
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It is definitely hard to get new things going, especially after kids! It seems there’s never time {or energy} after work and chores and everything else.