If you're relying on short-term methods of keeping a spouse alive (tattoos, makeovers, etc.), make sure that you don't miss a session, or else Grim will pay a visit at the most inconvenient of times. It wasn't a game breaker, but it threw a wrench in my plans as I scrambled to make ambrosia.
Werewolf spouses pretty much mean instant riches, especially with the gem cutting machine. Pappy Wolff might have been living in poverty, but making 100,000 in a week because of his hunting surely made up for it. If your first spouse can be a werewolf, get yourself a werewolf! It's better than Agnes! (Unless it's Agnes as a werewolf, then you're set for life)
Those after-school activities might save your dynasty, especially in Moonlight Falls. Utilize them, or else you'll cry in your failure.