Lists - Dear Wendy

17 Things Every Couple MUST Discuss Before Getting Married

I’ve been writing an advice column in some shape or form for over twenty years now, and I can say with confidence that at least 75% of the letters I receive from married people are about issues that could have been avoided if the couples had better communicated their expectations about married life before tying the knot. Letters in which a husband and wife have drastically different ideas on where they’d like to raise a family are, sadly, not uncommon. But they’d be much more of a rarity if couples would discuss these 17 issues before getting married:

15 Red Flags You Should NOT Ignore

Whether you’re in a brand-new, not-even-defined-as-of-yet relationship, or you’ve been together for a while, there may be warning signs that all is not rosy and you should MOA. Based on many forum threads, former columns, personal history (my own as well as people I know), here are 15 red flags you should absolutely, positively, definitely NOT ignore if you see them waving in front of you.

How to Make Friends After College

Friends are harder to make once we’re immersed in the adult world, but they remain as important as they were in our childhood. Here are tips on how to find them and how to keep them.

8 Things You Need to Do Before You Move For Love

Many years ago, I met Drew, my now-husband, on a blind date while I was visiting New York for the weekend. I lived in Chicago, and a year and a half after we met I decided to leave my friends and home in Chicago and close the gap in our long distance relationship. These days, we’ve been married over 15 years and have two kids together, so it’s safe to say that the transition was a successful one. To help those of you who are in long distance relationships yourselves and are contemplating whether such a move will be successful for you, too, here’s a list of eight things you need to…

15 Things Couples Should Do Before Moving in Together

Yesterday, we had a letter from a young woman who had some concerns — mostly financial — about moving in with her boyfriend of a year. For those of you who are also considering a similar move forward in your relationship and hope to avoid some common pitfalls and a potentially disastrous living situation (and even a breakup), here is a list of 15 things you and your significant other should do before shacking up together, after the jump.

8 Tips For Transitioning out of a Long Distance Relationship

Transitioning from living far apart to living in the same place can be a little bumpy, but there are things you can do to ensure a smoother ride.

15 Tips for Surviving a Long Distance Relationship

Maintaining long distance relationships is more common than ever. My own relationship with my husband began as an LDR and I like to think I learned a thing or two about maintaining a successful one. After the jump, 15 tips that may help you, too, survive a long distance relationship.

Our 8 Best Break Up Lessons

Last week, I shared with you my best breakup lesson ever and invited you to share your own in the comments or over email. You all had some great ones, and in the interest of helping other avoid broken hearts in the future, I’ve culled some of the best ones here in one easy-to-read list, after the jump. Feel free to print it out and keep it somewhere safe for the next time you need a reminder.

52 Cheap Date Ideas

The other day I wrote a post called “8 Ways to Keep the Spark Alive.” One of the tips I offered was to go on regular dates, to which a commenter asked if I had any “cheap date” ideas. Well, I do. I have 52 of them, as a matter of fact — one for each week of the year. So, after the jump, discover (or be reminded of) some fun ways to get out and about – in great weather or bad — without breaking your budget.