Congratulations on your wedding, and welcome to the married life! Living together as a married couple is a lifelong journey of learning, challenges, and great memories. The initial years are often fun and exciting, but problems will always find their way to test your marriage. The challenge lies to the couple on whether they will face it or let it ruin their partnership.
The household arrangement of any young marriage is full of changes and requires plenty of adjustments. The early days of marriage are when you and your partner will learn to adapt to new roles and establish specific expectations. These include housework, savings, daily expenses, and finances.
It All Starts at Home
Home improvements will also cause concerns when it comes to domestic responsibilities. Suppose you bought an older home with an unknown electrical system that requires fixing or upgrading. That means you’ll have to hire an electrical repair service to do the work or do it yourself and risk your safety.
Married life involves a lot of considerations and conflicting priorities. It’s up to you and your partner about how you will handle these things as a couple. That’s why it’s important to discuss your marriage responsibilities to ensure a healthy marriage. With that in mind, here are the things newlywed couples should prioritize:
Household Chores
Marriage is a lifelong partnership that involves the practical aspects of managing the household. These include home maintenance, grocery shopping, cleaning, planning, and childcare. Knowing how to handle these aspects smoothly will bring more peace and harmony within a marriage.
Start by setting your priorities in the household. Most couples have different expectations for splitting up chores, so it’s essential to ask your spouse what they value the most. For example, some people don’t feel bothered by the domestic disorder. But those who value cleanliness won’t appreciate a messy house. In this case, you and your partner should compromise and select priorities.
Regarding food, discuss your preferences between quick meals, homecooked meals, or dining out. Find out what they feel about the idea of dust, a messy bed, unkempt lawns, and bill deadlines, among others.
Anticipating roadblocks is also critical when assigning household chores. Both of you should be aware of your preferences and dislikes in household chores. For example, if both of you hate washing the dishes, find a way to compromise this unpleasant task. Finding out each other’s body clocks is also essential. Some people might love working in the morning, while others are more productive at night. Make sure to know each other’s working styles and establish the right timing for each chore.
House Hunting
Finding your starter home as a couple is one significant milestone of any young marriage. Nothing feels more exciting about the idea of moving in together and growing your own family. The challenge? The financial and emotional aspects of homeownership.
The money talk is about to get tricky once you decide whether to rent or buy a house. For this part, couples should think deeply and critically about what motivates them to buy a home. Are you both financially prepared? Do you want to live in the city or the suburbs?
Discussing what you want for your home as a couple will help you identify your reasons and understand your partner’s preference. Homeownership can be fulfilling, but it involves a lot of serious commitment.
Before you start house hunting, discuss your considerations about your future home. These include the location, price, size, amenities, and age of the house. Ready yourself for a heated argument since both are likely to have conflicting expectations of every detail. Whatever happens, your goal is to compromise without fighting over it.
Money Matters
Money talks are stressful and a major turnoff for couples. We cannot deny that money factors (e.g. bills and retirement) are always present in every relationship stage. But when it comes to marriage, money matters are about to get severe and challenging. There are plenty of ways to make financial check-ins a little less of a burden. Don’t be afraid to invite your partner for light and open-minded money discussion.
In the first stages of your marriage, be honest about revealing your debts, savings, and salaries. Being honest will help couples assess their expenses, bills, and plans to keep them on the right financial track. Planning for unexpected scenarios, such as hospitalization and job loss, is also a part of financial wellness. As a partner, you have to approach the matter with compassion instead of judgment and blame.
Married life is beautiful yet sometimes emotional, troubling, and downright complicated. Even a healthy marriage is prone to many trials that can sometimes challenge your relationship with your partner. Remember, the key to every successful relationship is having the dedication to make things work.
