If you want to strengthen your relationship with your significant other, you might find yourself reading books about relationship advice, but sometimes the best advice doesn’t come in a book. Sometimes the best advice comes from couples who have been there done that.

Not all relationship advice will work for every couple. Your current relationship status and your personalities will definitely play into what works for you. Some couples have found that unconventional hacks actually work better than traditional solutions when it comes to making their relationships stronger than ever before.

Scroll down to discover 11 unconventional hacks that really work for some real life couples to make their relationships strong. Perhaps the advice will work for you or someone you know.

1. Not Sharing Bedding

   Have you ever found yourself fighting over the bedding with your significant other? Some couples choose to solve this tug of war by buying two sets of bedding, one for each person. No more struggle. ninasalamie shared, “Best thing you can do for your relationship is have separate sheets. Share a king mattress and a fitted sheet, and then have separate covers. Sleep at different temps? Separate sheets. Keep getting your blankets stolen? Separate sheets. Don’t like feeling the sheets move? Separate sheets. It allows all the intimacy a couple needs, but makes sleeping itself so much more comfortable.”

2. Sleeping in Different Beds

   Find that your partner hogs more than the sheets? Perhaps he or she hogs the entire bed and you feel like you’re about to fall off the edge. Try sleeping in different beds or even different bedrooms. twoh7 shared, “We have been married for 10 years, and have not slept in the same bed together for about 9.5 of those years. When we bought our house 6 years ago, we opted for separate bedrooms completely. It works for us – I am a very light sleeper, he snores. I like to go to bed early, he likes to stay up later. We wake up at different times. This way we have our own schedules and are comfortable every night. I still have my side of the bed though, lol.”

3. Using the Guest Bedroom

   Maybe separate bedrooms every night is taking it too far for you, but perhaps occasionally using the guest bedroom as a place to separate might work. janiilo wrote, “We have an extra bed in the guest room so whenever one of us needs a quiet night due to lack of sleep, work stress or else, we sleep separated for one night. We’re less annoyed the day after and can go on.”

4. Showering Together

   Make up for lost time in bed together (if you choose to try separate bedrooms) by showering together. It just might get steamy in there. suspiciouscake explained, “My husband and I shower together every day, not for sexy reasons, but because it’s a nice, intimate way to unwind and relax while we talk to each other about our days without any interruptions. It’s really helped us communicate better and grow closer.”

5. Watching TV Together

   Another great non-bedroom place to spend time together is on the couch in the living room binge watching your favorite show. sarahglory13_ wrote, “This sounds dumb, but not doing ‘separate TVs.’ Most couples I know, one person will watch something in the living room while the other will go to a different place to watch something different. We like to give each other’s shows/movies/sports a chance and we usually end up liking it or just roasting it and having fun. My boyfriend has gotten me into horror movies this way and I have slowly engulfed him into the Bachelor universe and trash reality TV.”

6. No Gifts Allowed

   Take the pressure off during holidays by deciding not to get each other gifts. chloeb4038dea42 explained, “We don’t buy each other presents for birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s, anniversary, etc. Instead we’ll spend money on experiences together. We do sometimes buy each other an impromptu gift, but because it made you think of the other person without the pressure of reciprocation. It’s truly a thoughtful gift that means so much!”

7. A Day By Yourself

   If you have kids, you probably daydream about having time to yourself once in awhile. Make this a reality by deciding with your partner when each of you will give the other one a day to him or herself. briss3742 shared, “Each of us have a day in. The other takes the kids and leaves the house for the day while the other stays home and does whatever they want…sleep, have dessert for breakfast, play videogames for hours straight etc., as long as the other doesn’t come home to a pig sty it’s all good. Been together for 12 years and I love my day-in to destress without worrying about putting on pants.”

8. Solo Vacations

   If one day without your partner around isn’t enough, how about an entire vacation? Talk about no more arguing about where to go! gemface wrote, “We go on separate holidays. He goes off to do music stuff and get muddy with his friends, and I go off to make cookies and go to museums with mine. We both get the house to ourselves for a weekend and when the holiday-maker comes home both of us are refreshed and relaxed and ready to tell each other about our separate adventures.”

9. Keeping Finances Separate

   Eliminate fights about money when you each stay in control of your finances. hairbymorgen explained, “My husband and I have separate checking accounts. We each pay a couple bills, there isn’t a 50/50 split. I don’t know exactly how much he has in his account and vice versa. We have never fought over money and we have been together for 19 years.”

10. Not Mixing Freinds

    Keep girls night out and guys night out separate. Your friends don’t have to be friends with each other. powerpuff98 shared, “We don’t mix friends. I don’t hang out with his friends and he doesn’t hang out with mine. We keep that separate and it’s worked really well for us. He gets his time away and I get mine.”

11. A Phrase to Aid Communication

    Perhaps you’re not sharing how you really feel. A go-to phrase can help you and your partner communicate clearly. jessbruso wrote, “Since day one, my fiancé and I have done what we call ‘open communication’. When one of us is sensing that the other person isn’t sharing how they really are feeling with the other person, we literally say ‘open communication’ and the other HAS to explain completely honestly. It is a way easier way to get from problem to solution or to explain where our feelings are stemming from. Answers vary from ‘I’m frustrated that I cleaned the bathroom and made dinner and did laundry and you complained about just doing the dishes’ or even just ‘I’m not in a bad mood, I just have a headache’.