Run a washer and dryer The day after we got married, my wonderful husband had to show me how to use his two very nice machines. In the first few months, I did make a couple bad laundry mistakes (dyeing my husband’s white tee shirts and new Carhartt pants pink), but thankfully nothing too horrible.
Drive a car When I lived at home, getting my driver’s license wasn’t a massive priority because I didn’t need to go anywhere by myself (all stores were at least 45 minutes away and we girls loved shopping together - Mum included - so we always made a day of it. My two married sisters lived within walking distance, and later when we were working, we worked as a family). When I started courting, a new urgency took over and I tried to get in more driving practice. But at the time, there was just so much on my plate (working full time, teaching piano, cleaning houses, babysitting, being in a relationship, then planning a wedding in 8 weeks) that we decided it would just be easier all around if I waited until after the wedding to get my license. Looking back now, I really wish I hadn’t put it off, but I’ve got my license now and everything is good. :-)
Cook basic food Okay, this is actually one that I learned the year before even starting a relationship with Kris thanks to my family’s job cooking lunches. I had (and still do) lots more to learn in the cooking department, but that previous year kind of took the fear out of cooking for me. Being able to cook most of your meals from scratch as a newlywed couple is such a wonderful skill to have! I would recommend having at least five different meals that you know how to cook really well before getting married then as you cycle through those, you can add variations and new dishes.
Planning a menu and shopping list on a budget Before getting married, my skill in this area was very, very small and I really didn’t know what I was doing. This sounds really, really daunting, but with practice, it gets easier. Really!
Make a budget Ouch, are we really talking about this? Young couples generally don’t have a ton of money rolling in. When you keep an eye on where your money is going and designate how much you can spend in each category, you’ll find such freedom! Instead of just telling yourself to “spend less”, you’ll know exactly how much you can spend, helping you make better choices. Kris and I are still working on the whole budgeting thing, but we’re making progress! The thing about creating a budget is that it’s always changing - you figure out what works and what doesn’t and adjust accordingly. And it will change as your life and needs change.
How to unclog a toilet It happens to all of us and while embarrassing, you can’t just leave it.
Basic cleaning skills Like washing dishes, cleaning the shower and toilet, dusting, vacuuming, etc. This is one area that I was, thankfully, pretty familiar with before getting married. But with things like this, you really learn by trial and error and you figure out what works for you and what products you like to use. The more you do it, the better you get.
Basics of taking care of a baby “First comes love, then marriage, then comes a baby carriage!” (Or something like that…) We as women used to be experts in the field of child care, but now we have no idea what to do with a screaming baby or a messy diaper. A skill like this is best learned through practice and the knowledge of those who’ve been there, so find some kids to babysit, offer to change a diaper, and talk to moms about pregnancy, childbirth, breast feeding, etc.
The reproductive process You don’t need a full blown sex ed program (those would probably just give you a wrong idea of how it’s “supposed” to work), but a general knowledge is helpful. As you get closer to marriage, read good, Christian books on the subject and talk to other married women. It is a huge myth that it all comes together naturally on your wedding night.
We are so fortunate to have so many resources right at our fingertips thanks to the internet, library, and other skilled people around us that learning these things shouldn’t be too difficult. With each of these areas, the more you do them, the better you get. And even if you didn’t learn all these things before marriage, Google is your best friend and can help you out in a pinch (trust me, I know.)
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