Newlywed

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!

Announcing Our August Newlywed Giveaway!

It’s time for our August newlywed giveaway! What to give the girl who got everything for her wedding…how about over $350 worth of custom photo thank you notes?! Etiquette encourages one to send out thank you’s within a month of the wedding, and we thought we’d help some lucky newlywed reader by providing the notes. We’re happy to announce that our August Giveaway includes 100 of the fabulous notes shown in this post’s photo, customized with the winner’s wedding photo.

Our friend and fellow wedding vendor Beth, of Forever Friends Fine Stationery and Favors has teamed up with us to provide this month’s Thank You Note giveaway! She’s your best source for fine quality personalized printed products, offering stationery for every budget and occasion (wedding, baby, greeting cards and graduation—to name a few). She even offers brand names such as Chloe B, Disney and Red Leaf Papers! “Our representation of the nation’s leading printing companies allows us to provide you with the best product at the best prices, says Beth.” If you have a product to print, they will print it!

Anxious to win our awesome August giveaway? Leave a comment on this, or any of our thank you note posts on Mondays this month and you’ll be automatically entered to win. Tell us how many notes you need to write or why you’ve been procrastinating on the project. The randomly selected contest winner will be announced on August 31^st!! If we don’t hear back from the winner within 2 weeks, we will randomly select a new winner to make sure someone ends up with this great goodie!

Why Saving Doesn’t Mean Stop Living Your Life

Hoping to understand why saving doesn’t mean an end to having fun? Saving money to buy a house after marriage can be equally as exciting as getting married, but costs astronomically more than your wedding. An overwhelming thought, I know! Once you and your partner decide to start saving your money you may feel like you can’t afford to do anything. We’re here to tell you it’s not true.

While it is important that you think about exactly how to allocate your money and keep track of your monthly expenses, you shouldn’t forego all extra-curricular activities such as going on out on dates or making small purchases once in awhile. When couples decide to save all their money it leaves little room for having fun through experiences…or just plain living life!

Don’t get me wrong, you can live your life at home and enjoy yourself, but after a while you’ll be sick and tired of the same-old-same-old all the time. Think about it, how often can dinner and a movie on your couch be the most fun you’ve ever had?!

Here are some helpful tips on what you and your partner can do (socially) while still saving up for the biggest purchase of your life!

Plan a monthly happy hour or dinner with friends. It doesn’t have to be at the hottest spot in town to be a great time! You could host a pot-luck dinner at your house and ask each guest to bring one thing, keeping the cost down for everyone. The perks are that you don’t have to pay high prices for your dinner, cocktails or leave a tip at home! A great site for party planning themes, tips and recipes is hostesswiththemostess.

You and your spouse can go out for a lunch date, rather than a dinner date (since lunch prices tend to be lower than dinner entrees). This allows the two of you to enjoy quality couple time out without paying higher prices– often times way over-priced, without sacrificing your dates all-together. Depending on where you go, tips may not be necessary (i.e. any place that you don’t have a waiter/waitress serving you)! While these places may not offer a romantic ambiance, what they do offer is a place for the two of you to catch up and simply enjoy one another’s company.

If you’re the active type; you may be interested in participating in a charity event (spending money, but on a good cause—BONUS: tax write-off!) A great site to search for events is active.com allowing you to select the type of event you’re looking for and a specific date range, displaying all the events for your region or in the country!

If you are dead set on saving every penny, then the two of you could do some research using the internet or read your local paper to find out about free local events. Many communities have free festivals, concerts, church socials, etc. especially during the summer months!

What are you and your partner doing to keep things interesting while saving for your dream house? Share your stories or tips and help out other newlyweds in the process!

Newlywed In Bed

Newlywed in bed? Now that you’re sharing a house, life and possibly a last name…you’re also sharing a bed…every night. While there are some definite benefits to sharing a bed with your mate there can also be a few adjustments too. Here are a few common newlywed bed complaints and fixes.

1.Snoring
No matter who in the couple is the culprit, snoring can wreck a good night’s sleep and cause some serious resentment in the morning. Try to figure out what causes the snoring: allergies, dry air or laying on his/her back and then fix the situation. Simply popping a decongestant or buying a humidifier could be your solution or one of you may need to get some ear plugs. If, after trying some of our suggestions, the snoring situation is still leading to sleep deprivation make a doctor’s appointment. There are medical conditions that can cause snoring and you want to make sure your best beloved is diagnosed and treated.

2. Cover Stealing
Anyone who has ever woken up at 3:00am freezing cold and looked over to see their partner cocooned in all of the blankets knows how annoying cover stealing can be. Fortunately, there are a few alternatives to an all night game of cover tug of war. One thing to try is tucking in your side of the sheets and blankets to anchor them in place. You could also consider buying the next size up in linens (ex: buy King size sheets for your Queen size bed) to have more “coverage” available.

3. Miscellaneous Pets
It’s enough to share a bed with your husband, but what about the combination of your pets? One of you may be dead set on letting Fluffy sleep with you, but there are a few things to consider. Does the animal disrupt either partner’s sleep? Is there a possibility that Fido has fleas or ticks that could end up in your bed or on you? Does a pet in the bed decrease your likelihood of getting it on? Here’s an article that covers the pros and cons of sleeping with your pets. At the end of the day, you need to make a decision that results in you being a well-rested and happy couple. If you’re feeling really guilty about giving a pet the boot out of the bedroom, you can always buy them their own fabulous bed!

4. Snooze Addicts
As a single person, it is completely acceptable to hit the snooze button on your alarm several (okay more than several) times each morning. As a newlywed it is insanely rude! Unless your spouse gets up before you or is an absolute saint, you need to find a way to decrease the number of snoozes. Going to bed 15-30 minutes earlier in the evening may make waking up the first time the alarm goes off easier. You could also try positioning your alarm clock across the room so you have to get out of bed to turn it off…thus decreasing the likelihood that you’ll roll over and go back to sleep.

Do you have a newlywed in bed pet peeve or story? We’d love for you to share it with us and our readers!

Newlywed in New York: New Requirements at the NY DMV

Newlywed in New York? There is one thing that will forever remain the same –the DMV– with its long wait times and complete chaos at the office! This 3-letter acronym is dreaded among most and is always spoken about with anything, but enthusiasm! However, one thing you can be sure to count on with your DMV, is they constantly update rules, restrictions, and forms, which can cause you more unnecessary stress and aggravation.

Since the DMV is the only office that you must visit in person when changing your name due to marriage, it is important to have all of your ducks in a row before you make the trek to the office! One trip is bad enough; let’s not have to make a second! So if you reside in New York, please read on…

Public safety and security has tightened all around us, for obvious reasons. When changing your name it is especially important for you to properly identify yourself and prove that you really are who you say you are.

Some state’s DMVs have already implemented the 6-point ID requirement system and now New York has decided to implement the same system.

New York 6-Point ID Requirements for Name Change

Before a NY state DMV will issue any photo document (learner permit, driver license, non-driver ID Card) for the first time, or if your document expired more than 2 years ago, you must show the following points of identity:
-Proof of your date of birth
-4 points of proof of name along with your Social Security Card, OR if you are ineligible for a Social Security Card, 6 points of proof of name plus a letter of ineligibility from the Social Security Administration that they (SSA) used to determine that you are ineligible. All proofs of name must show the same name.
-If you already have and can show a valid NY DMV photo document, that is all you need as 6 points of proof of name to get a new or different photo document. However, if the DMV has no record of your Social Security Number, you will have to show your Social Security Card too.

For more newlywed in New York information, please see the list of acceptable documents to show proof of identity found on the New York DMV website. For more help with your name change, check out our 20 step name change check list!

Co-habitation: Newlywed Surprises and Compromises

Cohabitation can be full of newlywed surprises and compromises. If you’re moving in together after the Big Day, you probably can’t wait to start married life together. What could be more romantic than sharing a home, waking up together and never having to wait to see each other? With all of this built up anticipation, the challenges of early co-habitation might catch you off guard. There are several things to consider as you plan your move-in to help smooth the transition and ensure newlywed bliss.

If your partner is moving into your house, make room for him. Empty a closet (this can include a painful trip to Goodwill) in your room for his clothes, and if room permits, give him a room that is “his”. These small acts will show your man that you have made room for him in your home and in your life. He will sincerely appreciate the fact that you don’t expect him to squeeze himself and his stuff in a corner. Added bonus: the man room can be a great place to put any of his bachelor “décor.”

If you’re both moving to a new place after the wedding, consider how much space you’ll need based on how much stuff you both have. If neither of you can part with the majority of your furniture, you might need a much larger place than you anticipated. This brings us to potentially one of the harder parts of living together…combining your stuff. Try to be as rational as possible when approaching the big merge. If you have a ratty old couch from college and he has a new sofa, concede that his should be the one you keep (even if it is orange). Make trades, such as “I’ll get rid of this lamp if you get rid of that recliner”.

If you can’t come to a decision you both feel good about, consider donating both items and buying a new one together. It’s important to realize that with the addition of all of your wedding gifts, it is virtually impossible to keep all of each person’s belongings.

Living or moving somewhere with two bathrooms? I highly recommend starting a marriage with your own bathroom. Learning to live with someone can be stressful, and allocating bathrooms allows you to keep your current morning schedule without interrupting each other. It also circumvents any disputes about cabinet space and leaving seat up vs. leaving the seat down. Small amounts of personal space allow you both to breathe and adjust to living together.

No matter where you’re living or moving to, communication and planning are key. Try to hash out the majority of major co-habitation decisions before your move. Take into account both partners’ current schedules, commutes, belongings and ideas as you come up with a mutual plan to co-habitate and start your journey of married life together. A little planning goes a long way towards happily ever after!

Do you have any funny co-habitation newlywed surprises and compromises? We’d love to hear how you accidentally used an expensive bottle of “his” wine to make spaghetti sauce or how he ended up washing his hair with your fancy body lotion!