I didn't know how much I needed to grow up until I met my wife

I can still remember the first time I met my wife. I will never forget her angry face when I arrived late for our first date. What I didn't know at the time was how this woman would change my life for the better.

You know how people say that when they meet "the one", everything changes? I used to roll my eyes at that nonsense -— until it happened to me.

My wallet no longer lives in fear

I have to confess: I am a spendthrift. Whether it's football jerseys, Pokemon trading cards, or cool-looking sneakers, I just have to have them. My bank account? Not so happy.

Then my wife came along and brought a whole new perspective on money. I'm no longer living on my next paycheck since I started thinking about saving, budgeting, tracking my spending, and — gasp! — planning for the future. 

She didn't just teach me how to manage my finances, she showed me that being smart with my money doesn't mean missing out on fun. We still splurge on the occasional fancy dinner or two-week holiday, but now there's a balance.

McDonald's, we need to talk

Back in the day, my dream was to run my own McDonald's — imagine being able to eat as many Big Macs as I liked. I was a scrawny kid, but when I got older (and had my own money), I ate at the Golden Arches way too often.

Now that I'm with someone who genuinely cares about my health, it's hard to justify that third late-night Filet-o-Fish set. She helped me realise that health isn't something I think about later, it's something I should be mindful of now. It's not that she told me to give up my fast-food favourites entirely, but she did encourage me to cut back.

Which brings me to…

Veggies are no longer the enemy

If you'd told me seven years ago that I'd be willingly eating vegetables, double-confirm I would have laughed. Veggies were the sad, soggy sides I'd avoid at all costs. If I had to makan my greens, it was because I was forced to.

Turns out, when you've got someone who knows their way around a kitchen, veggies can be downright delicious (laoganma is my new bff). She also insists on buying fruits — and she will wash, cut, and peel them for us as snacks when we watch Netflix. Yes, I know I am very blessed to have someone like her.

Bringing order to the chaos

I want to be neat and tidy, but when things get outta control, I sometimes give up. For example, I have accidentally bought stuff that's already in my collection, or I will be searching all day for something because I misplaced it.

Living with a Type-A person means that everything I own has been organised and accounted for. I have an online Google Sheet to track my collections, and things that I own have been sorted so I can easily find them if I need them.

Exercising more than once in a blue moon

Exercise and I used to have a very on-again, off-again relationship. Mostly off. But with bae in my life, that's all changed.

She's always been active, and since we first got together, we've been running regularly. She's still searching for new ways to get fit, and we still go for weekly jogs around Punggol PCN. Recently, we've also tried cycling and walking long distances on the weekend. Just the other day, we walked from Punggol all the way to Kovan — a big achievement for me, at least!

Adulting doesn't scare me anymore

Maybe it's just me, but adulting is very hard leh. Bills, responsibilities, making decisions that affect your future… it's enough to make me feel scared.

With bae by my side, I've learned that adulting is something I can embrace. She's been my partner in all the big (and small) decisions, from figuring out how to split expenses to planning for our own home, a place I am now proud to be writing this article from. It's not so scary when you've got someone to share the load. 

We're a team, and tackling life's challenges together has made me more confident, more responsible, and actually feel more like an adult.

And honestly? I wouldn't have it any other way. Life is better, brighter, and more fulfilling with her by my side. Sure, there have been ups and downs, but those are the kinds of things that make me realise just how much better life can be when I have someone amazing to share it with.

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This article was first published in Wonderwall.sg.