Given all the hype and hoopla around finding The One and getting hitched, we often forget to focus on all the awesome things we can and should be doing for ourselves and our relationship .
1. Travel with your sister(s) and/or closest female friends.
Not saying you can’t do this after you get married, but lots of ladies agree there’s something especially liberating, eye-opening, and bond-bolstering about doing it beforehand.
2. Travel with your future spouse.
Everyone can get along for a weekend, but see if you can stand each other for a whole week, dealing with travel dilemmas, etc.!
3. Suffer major heartbreak.
As one woman put it, “It not only made me a stronger individual coming out of it, but it also showed me never to take love for granted.”
4. Dump someone.
Pleasant experience or not, it’s empowering to be the one who called the final shot in a relationship at one time or another.
5. Get your finances in order.
One of my close friends made it a point to clean up her credit and make some serious sacrifices so that her future husband wouldn’t have to carry around the burden of budgeting mistakes she had made while single. It’s also not a shabby idea to do it for your own peace of mind.
6. Talk about your finances with your future spouse.
Make sure you know where you stand on long and short-term goals and spending vs. saving. Depending on how much either one of you is willing to bend on certain things, money matters can be serious buzz kills for marital bliss — or, at their worst, deal breakers.
7. Live alone. Slash with room-mates.
But not with Mom and Dad. Autonomy is awesome! Plus, as one recent bride put it, having lived alone “makes you grateful for the things your spouse contributes” once they’re in the picture.
8. Live with your partner.
Sure, if you’re old-school, you may not be a fan of this one, but it can definitely serve as a “test drive” before buying the car.
9. Have a summer fling.
Even if it doesn’t last past a weekend, it’s a fun memory to look back on — and makes for a fun story to reminisce about.
10. Learn how to cook.
Not because you’re getting ready to be someone’s June Cleaver, but because it’s reassuring to know that you can fend for yourself in the kitchen.
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