Newlywed Needs

Looking for name change advice or some tips for newlywed life? The MissNowMrs experts have created state-specific name change articles and checklists for you. We’ve chronicled our recommendations for how to travel while changing your name AND how to handle voting during the transition.

We’ve also compiled our best guidance for how to handle difficult sister in laws, holidays as newlyweds, the ever-annoying baby questions, and much more. Why? Because, while we are name change experts, we’re also newlywed wives, moms, and sisters.

We hope our name change advice articles help smooth your transition to your new name, and a whole new phase of life. Congratulations and best wishes from the entire MissNowMrs team!

Buying Holiday Gifts for Your In-Laws

Holiday gifts for your in-laws… where do you start? Whether it is the first holiday with your spouse or the tenth, it can be intimidating to pick out gifts for your in-laws. If you have felt uncertain when shopping, then rest assured that you are not alone. With the many fun, but scary things that come when saying ‘I Do’, there are a whole host of new holiday-related questions to be answered. But, shopping for your in-laws doesn’t have to be intimidating. Consider these few pieces of advice before you head out to the stores.

Find Out What They Like The first step to finding the right gift this holiday season is to determine what things are most likely to be well-received. In order to do this, you might have to a little covert investigation. Carry a small notebook with you next time you are with your in-laws. Take note of things said or noticed around the house. Is there something missing in the kitchen that one of them would surely love to have? Did someone mention something seen in a catalog, online, or in a store? You might even be able to start a conversation that leads down this path. Mention a cool commercial you’ve seen recently or talk about your own shopping adventures.

Set a Budget Once you have some ideas in mind, it is time to sit down with your spouse and talk about the financial end of the holiday affairs. How much can your household afford to spare? This number, whatever it happens to be, needs to be split between all gift-receiving individuals. To avoid hard feelings, it is often best to spend the same amount on each parent. Some couples decide to pay for their own parents gifts, respectively.

Shop Smart & Be Creative If you, like many Americans, are feeling the financial pinch this holiday season, don’t worry. Everyone is aware of the economic status and the vast majority of people will understand if you have to cut holiday spending down this season. Even those with little or nothing to spend can afford to create fantastic gifts. Consider baking cookies or biscotti. If you have an artistic talent, use it to make something personal for your in laws. Small, inexpensive tokens are often better received and more meaningful than impersonal ones that cost a small fortune.

What holiday gifts for your in-laws are you purchasing this year? Do you have a tried and true system that works? We’d love for you to share in a comment!

Family Gift Giving 101: Newlywed Holiday Etiquette

Newlywed holiday etiquette, it’s so important! The holidays are filled with happiness, love, good food, great friends, and the creation of many wonderful memories. However, for many, this time of year also comes with great stress, as one is forced to consider the etiquette of gift giving within a new family.

It is absolutely wonderful to give a gift and enjoy the look of thrill that comes with opening it, but giving a gift to a person who wasn’t expecting it often means giving a handful of guilt as well. When you are the one on the receiving end, with nothing to give in return, it can be horribly embarrassing. So now that you’re part of a new family, how do you know who you are supposed to buy for and how much to spend?

Who Should You Be Buying For? This is often the first question asked in new marriages. While it might be obvious what gifts need to be purchased on your side of the family, because you are very familiar with the traditions, it can be far more difficult deciding which relatives of your spouse will expect a present. One of the easiest ways to figure this out is to inquire about the annual holiday events. Is there a big get-together with the extended family? Who attends it? Are gifts exchanged and how?

In many families, especially large families, it is nearly impossible to get a gift for every member, so names will be drawn from a hat so each person buys just one gift. Others may choose to have a gift swap for which each person brings one or two wrapped gifts and names are drawn deciding the order in which participants choose from the table of presents.

Knowing what happens at your spouse’s holiday gatherings can often save you a great deal of worry. If you are still unsure of the situation, consider stockpiling a few small items wrapped and on hand for unexpected circumstances. Consider small ornaments, kitchen gadgets, scarfs, candles or other items that anyone might enjoy and if someone gives you a gift who you haven’t shopped for, use one of these standbys to prevent an uncomfortable situation.

How Much Should You Spend? This question should not have a universal answer. Each family faces a different set of financial circumstances. Staying on budget with your holiday shopping should be the primary goal, rather than worrying about what others are going to shell out for gifts. Create a budget for what you can afford, who you need to buy for, and divide the total among them. That way, there will be no question as to whether or not you have spent enough – you have spent what you can afford.

As a final note, in some families, there will be a price limit set for gifts. If that is the case, abide by the guideline, even if you feel that it is really too little. This avoids embarrassing those who can’t afford to spend more.

Are you anxious about holiday shopping for your in-laws this year? Hopefully our newlywed holiday etiquette explanations helped. Stay tuned for our Top 10 In-Law gifts post later this week!

3 Steps to Setting a Holiday Budget as Newlyweds

Have you considered setting a holiday budget? The holiday season is here and that means many things. Happy music, good food, great friends, and fun-filled gatherings are certainly on the long list of things that come with this time of year. Unfortunately, though, not all thoughts are happy during this season. While giving a gift to a person you love is undeniably wonderful, paying for it isn’t always so easy. If you are like millions of Americans who are finding it more and more difficult to set aside money during this economic downturn, then this might be a good time to consider budgeting for the upcoming shopping spree.

Step One: What Do You Have to Spend? The first step in budgeting for anything is to look closely at what you can afford. What are you bringing in each month and what is being sent back out the door for bills, utilities, mortgage, loans, etc? Once you have a clear picture of what is left over and what you might already have stocked away, you can move on to step two.

Step Two: How Far Does it Have to Go? The money that you have accounted for will likely have to cover all holiday spending. This is something that many people overlook, and therefore, those people end up spending more than they planned by the time the first of the new year rolls around. Stop to make a list of everything that you will need to buy for the holiday season – wrapping paper, ingredients for dishes to pass, decorations, etc. This list should also include the names of everyone you need to have presents for (don’t forget his side of the family). When your list is complete, move on to step three.

Step Three: Allotting For Each Category With your list in hand, you can begin to break down the money that you have budgeted, dividing it up by categories – food, gifts, accessories – and then within each category. At the end of this step you should know approximately how much you can spend on a gift for each person on the list. Keep in mind that you will generally spend more money of gifts for a spouse than you would on a gift for a friend. Those distinctions really matter and will allow your budget to be stretched more efficiently. Create a chart with the names of each person and the budgeting allowance for the gift. Label a third column as ‘money actually spent’ so you can keep close track of how you are doing during the shopping process.

Have you started setting a holiday budget or wish that you did? We’d love to hear your solutions for shopping smartly this season!

Newlywed Holiday Card Happiness

It’s here…the spine tingling anticipation of holidays! Are you celebrating the season as a newly engaged couple or newlyweds? What better way to share your good news and engagement/wedding photos than with a card?

We’ve scouted a few sites and come up with a few of our favorite card templates that allow you to add your own photo and a custom message to family and friends. On the family and friends note…be sure to order enough cards for your family and friends AND his!
For the Romantic
Was your wedding a dream come true with all of the details coming together to make a magical event? Share the love with one of these enchanting cards.

Merry Kissmas
Ornate Charm
Holiday Sweethearts

Classic
Do trees, holly, snowflakes and some Bing Crosby sum up your perfect holiday? Give the gift of good cheer with one of these cards.

Classy Wishes
Holiday Cheer

Modern
Is your style simple and sleek? So are these great cards that showcase your love with minimal fuss.

Simple Celebration
Happy Hanukkah

For the Procrastinator:
Know you’re too busy to get a card out in time for Hanukkah or Christmas? Why not send out a New Years card wishing everyone a wonderful 2012?

Banner of Dreams
New Year Bubbly

Are you sending out cards this year or did we inspire you to? We’d love to hear what your cards are like in a comment!

48 Hour Sale: Save 50% off the MissNowMrs Name Change Service & Gift Cards!

It’s a 48 hour sale! Listen up newlyweds and brides-to-be…we’re having a HUGE sale on the knot/wedding channel deals! For 48 hours you and your friends can save HALF OFF our online name-change service for brides! What does the service have to offer? Well, how does saving 13 hours of hassle and skipping the majority of long office lines sound?

For the sale price of $14.95, MissNowMrs.com will help you auto-complete & file your Social Security, U.S. Passport, IRS 8822, USPS, state driver’s license, vehicle title & registration, and voter registration forms! We’ll also help you notify of all of your banks, credit cards, insurances, mortgages, medical providers, investment companies and professional license boards of your new married name.

Yet another perk of our service: access to our name-change experts. They can help you understand your state’s name-change laws, assist you with complicated questions and generally make your entire name change a million times easier than trying to sort through an enormous stack of government forms on your own!

So what are you waiting for? Take advantage of this amazing sale and save money, time & stress on your name change! We can’t wait to help you go from Miss to Mrs.! Already a Mrs., but have a few friends who are getting married in 2012? Use this sale to stock up on gift cards at half price!