As a newlywed, you’re likely looking for ways to make your marriage a successful and happy one. Here are five tips that you would be better off keeping in mind. Read them and share them with your spouse so you can create a fun and loving home to live in.

1. Communicate Well

The very first thing you need to do is to communicate often, clearly, and openly. Doing this will ensure that there are no issues under the surface that are eating away at one of you while the other is blissfully ignorant of them. If there’s anything you want to say, say it clearly and before it grows into something that will be much harder to handle. With more than 90% of people in America and other Western countries getting married before they reach 50 years of age, it’s important to set a good foundation early enough with good communication.

2. Maintain Healthy Boundaries

Another important tip for newlyweds is to remember to keep healthy boundaries. These should help compartmentalize work, family, your marriage, and your own self. When you have healthy boundaries, it will be possible for you to stay fresh and focussed at all times. You won’t feel like you’re burning out trying to keep everything around your life working as it should be. In this case, you will be able to pull away from anything that will become too demanding and fix anything that may be suffering from lack of attention. This way, you will manage to keep your marriage afloat, and not do so at the expense of other aspects of your life.

3. Talk About Money

Money is a big part of our lives, even if it’s an uncomfortable subject for most people to raise. To ensure you have a happy and fully functional marriage, ensure that you talk about money. Discuss savings plans, debt, and expenditures with each other so that you’re always on the same page with each other. This will help minimize the fights you may end up having over finances. With 41% of buyers saying that they regretted their purchase despite never thinking that they would do so and 30% regret their decision despite being neutral prior to buying, you need to work with your partner towards a financially stable future by discussing all money matters with them.

4. Practice Gratitude

Another tip that will help you enjoy your marriage is to stay grateful. It may be too easy to see your partner’s shortcomings and complain about them all the time, but surely, there was something you loved about them at the start. With this in mind, make sure to always take time to find something about your partner that you can say you’re grateful for. Voice your gratitude to them and they will be likely to keep working hard towards being a great partner to you.

5. Keep Romance Alive

Finally, it’s important to keep the romance alive at all times. Just because you’re married and settled, it doesn’t mean that you don’t need to try and romance your partner anymore. If there was an adventure that you enjoyed sharing before you got married, find a way to keep it going. This will keep things fun and fresh, and you will have many more years of joy and growth. The U.S. Census Bureau shares that the typical American marriage that ends up in divorce, on average, lasts eight years. Ensure that yours surpasses this timeline by making the most of each other and maintaining the traditions you enjoyed before getting married.

With these five tips, you can get to work building a strong, happy marriage. Make sure that you’re working as hard as your partner, because this way, both of you will enjoy having played a role in a successful marriage.