Later this year I will take the plunge. After 31 years of bachelorhood, I will finally tie the knot. As a tech writer, I’m always looking for ways to put my smartphone to use. The two don’t seem to mesh, matrimony and smartphones, but there has to be a way. After looking around for a bit, I’ve found four apps that I feel will make my marriage, or at least the first year of it, run as smoothly as possible.
1. Zillow
Chances are you and your new spouse have already found a place to live before getting married. But did you find the ideal place? Many newlyweds I know have rented an apartment for a year, so they can take a better look at the housing market. After all, they were pretty busy planning a wedding for the better part of a year.
Having looked for housing myself, I can attest that Zillow provides an excellent resource. While the website is great by itself, the mobile app is quite amazing. When you’re out scouting neighborhoods and see a for sale sign, you can just punch the address into the app and find all the vital information.
After finding both an apartment and a house using the Zillow mobile app, I’m happy to recommend it to anyone in the same situation. Newlyweds will find it saves them plenty of time and effort in finding their first home.
2. iPeriod
In the past, newlyweds traditionally waited a while before starting a family. But in those days people got married younger, and typically did not live with their spouses before getting hitched. In modern society, couples are living together before marriage and are waiting much longer — I’ve been with my fiance for nearly seven years. The result: more and more newlyweds are trying to start a family soon after tying the knot.
The iPeriod app can give a woman an array of information about her menstrual cycle. That becomes of the utmost importance when trying to start a family. By keeping track of cycles, couples can determine the optimal time to conceive. That can lead to less frustration and a quicker pregnancy, which is the entire goal to begin with. My future wife might not admit it to anyone else, but she’s been using the iPeriod app to keep track of her cycles for the last few months.
3. Mint
So you’re looking to buy a home and start a family. Those are both noble goals. The problem is that they’re both massively expensive. While the typical mortgage will cost you less monthly than you were paying in rent, there are myriad other costs that go along with home ownership. And then there’s the cost of a newborn, which can blow a hole in any budget. Newlyweds must be prepared for these new situations.
An app such as Mint makes things easy. You simply hook up your bank and credit card accounts, so you have a full view of your net worth. You can track your spending habits to see where you’re overspending. Once you understand your habits, you can start to change them and create a nest egg. It’s not just for newlyweds, either. I’ve been using the Mint home budget app for iPhone for years now, and it has helped me start that nest egg early.
4. OpenTable
There is a period of about a year, six months before and six months after the wedding, that a couple feels as though they just started dating again. It’s a wonderful period of rejuvenation. I know, because my fiance and I just entered it. You see a certain twinkle in the other’s eye, and you want to go do all the things you did in your first year of dating. The problem is that this period eventually ends.
Many marriages can fall apart in this period. Even those that don’t fall into a rut of boredom. It’s important, then, for newlyweds to consciously keep things fresh. I’ve asked around about this, because the last thing I want is for things to ever fall flat for my future wife and I. The most common answer: eat out frequently. That means I’ll be taking advantage of OpenTable’s iPhone reservations app. That way when a dining idea hits me, I can reserve right away and spend a lovely evening with my wife.