Marriage can be a beautiful thing when you meet the right person and you both put in the work. Each year you celebrate an anniversary is another milestone to be happy about, so focus on taking the steps to live each day well. Follow the three tips outlined below to make your first few years of marriage a success and set a great example to everyone looking up to you.

Create Your Own Traditions

An important part of every successful marriage is personal and intimate traditions. They could be as simple as celebrating holidays and special occasions in a particular place or in a certain way. Because different people have been brought up differently and each family probably had its own traditions, it may take some time to find a line of best fit and put different traditions together. As a married couple, it’s important to create traditions that each party agrees with rather than trying to make each other go along with what you’re used to doing. With 40% to 50% of marriages in the United States ending in divorce, you can make some compromises to find something that will define you as a couple and also strengthen your bond, enabling you to do parenting well when the babies arrive.

Get Responsibilities in Order

One of the most common things that couples fight about is the responsibilities and chores that each party should do around the home. This is a touchy subject, and different people will have different views on it. For this reason, it’s a good idea to find a solution that each of you is compatible with. Discuss your expectations of chores and ways to keep everything working well so you can work as a team and avoid many conflicts that would ensue from this.

Do this right from the start, even before the wedding if you get the chance to, and you will find that things work out well for the greater good. On average, the budget for just the reception and wedding ceremony is $28,385, and costs like this can be lowered by sharing some tasks and responsibilities amongst yourselves to avoid hiring paid helpers.

Discuss Financial Goals

This final tip is crucial for your future and will help you do parenting to the best of your abilities. With a whopping 70% of Americans having to seek financing as they don’t have the money in their banks to pay for a new housing unit right away, it’s clear that you need to put a sound financial strategy in place. When you start out with a clear picture of your expectations, responsibilities, and abilities with regard to financing, it will be possible to map a successful path forward.

The skills you develop while doing this will help you set a great parenting example for your children, which is why you need to start right now. Discuss each other’s credit scores and come up with effective ways to pay bills and clear any debts you have accrued, and work together to choose the best home insurance companies you can find. You can open a joint account for common goals while you each keep your other accounts private, but make transparency the foundation so you can grow.

Marriage and parenting may not be the easiest things, but they can be fulfilling if done right. Follow the three tips above and add some more to them which you feel speak to your specific union, as each is different in its own way. When you put the work in, you will soon be celebrating your anniversaries and offering toasts while you share your advice with young couples who are eager to follow in your steps!