Tips to Surviving the First Year of Marriage

You spent days, months, even years creating a bond with your spouse that made them fall in love with you enough to marry you. However, once the wedding is over, sometimes the spark is easily lost. There are new problems you will be facing as a couple, such as finances, that you probably never had to worry about before. In order to keep the flame alive, you need to continue doing the things you did from day one that made you fall so madly in love with each other.

Communicate with your spouse. Remember when you first started dating and you would sit on the front porch together talking for hours? Remember when you would drive around just to listen to music and have good conversation? Don't let that end just because you got married. Keep talking to each other just as much as you did before you said your vows. Communication is key in relationships, and you should be able to fit in even more now-especially if you weren't living together until after your wedding.

Avoid arguments about finances. When you're only dating, the subject of finances doesn't come up very often. Whereas before the wedding, you could go on a shoe shopping spree whenever you wanted, you don't have as much freedom after you're married. Once you start sharing finances, you have to start making decisions on how you will spend the money-together. Finances are one of the main causes of arguments between newlyweds, so it's best to combat them before they arise. One of the best ways to do this is to create a budget together. For tips on creating budgets for newlyweds, see NewlywedFinances.com in Resources.

Don't stop dating each other. This is very important-especially if you don't already have kids, because once you start making babies, your time together will be very limited. It doesn't have to be anything expensive such as a steak and lobster dinner at a fancy restaurant. Something as simple as a romantic slumber party for two will do the trick. For 50 great date night ideas for you and your spouse, see Financial Learn in Resources.

Don't sweat the small stuff. Arguments are inevitable. You might have had a bad day at work. Perhaps something malfunctioned on your car unexpectedly. There are all kinds of things that can put you in a bad mood, but don't take it out on your spouse. Also, don't pick a fight just because your hubby still won't pick up his towels off the bathroom floor. And men, don't make any snide comments when your wife burns dinner for the first time. Nobody likes to argue, so save the arguments for more important issues. Don't argue over petty problems.

Express your love for each other. If you want the romance to continue long into the marriage, you can lose sight of it early on. Continue you to do those little romantic things you did when you were just trying to win each other over. Surprise your wife with flowers every now and then. Ladies, give your hubby a back massage when he has a bad day at the office. It's the little things that make a big difference.