I was listening to class 95FM and the DJ mentioned that a study has been done recently showing that finance and social are the top 2 stressors for a marriage.

This reminded me of what happened yesterday over dinner with my relatives. One of my cousins wanted to go overseas for holiday. In the past, when I was her age (about 17), I would wonder why it was so difficult to ask for an oversea trip.

My parent always mentioned that just work hard so that I could pay for the trip myself.

Now as a husband, I understood that there is more than the working hard.

It involves financially savvy for the family.

Let’s say you bring home $2,000 per month. Your wife takes about $700 for the household expenditure including marketing, buying household items like detergents and washing powder.
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There are many reasons why a wedding is cancelled and these are some of them.

1. Disapproval by parents
2. Unable to commit by husband
3. Uncertainity of bride
4. Insufficient finance
5. Unable to stand either party
6. Can’t tolerate husband’s weird habits
7. Unable to come to a compromise in choice of wedding theme
8. Groom can’t be bothered about helping in weddding tasks
9. Death of the groom
10. Bride met up with an accident
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I received a bad news today from one of the brides who broke up before their wedding.

Sometimes, I wonder is it a good news or not that break up does happen before the actual wedding ceremony.

It saddened me alot to hear the news as this bride had been actively planning her wedding for the past 9 months. I have been liaising with her through emails, giving her support through phone calls and she shared with me how excited she is about her own wedding.

However, the husband-to-be wasn’t very active in planning and giving her support. From the interpretation of the frustration she shared with me, it seemed that her fiance couldn’t really be bothered about his wedding.

It doesn’t look good.

Wedding planning may at most last for a year or two. Marriage lasts for an eternity.

The success of it is dependant on the proportion of effort and committment put in by the wedding couples.
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Here are my 37 Ways to Live With Your Spouse Daily: (I will be compiling this list to 101.)

1. Kiss each other good morning
2. Make breakfast for her
3. Close the door if she is still sleeping so as not to disturb her
4. Go for morning breakfast together
5. Go for a morning jog
6. Read the morning newspapers together
7. Plan the day’s activities together
8. Do house chores together
9. Let the husband sweep the floor while the wife mobs the floor
10. Make the bed together
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Some of us have fantastic mother-in-laws from heaven while others come from hell. As a daughter-in-law, (or son-in-law), you will need to be strategic in your management.

Sometimes, it feels sucky to be squeezed in the middle and feeling helpess.

Here are my 37 Ways to Deal with Mother-in-law: (I will be compiling this list to 101.)
1. Be respectful to her
2. Be polite when talking to her
3. Be sensitive to her different needs
4. Be sensitive to her emotional changes (she may be going through menopause)
5. Be aware of her sense of loss of a daughter
6. Bring her out once in two weeks
7. Take her to her favourite restuarant
8. Remember her birthday
9. Send her gifts that she really like
10. Remember her wedding annivesary
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