Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Chores Galore...how to split up the housework!

There always seems to be a never ending list of chores to be done- laundry, dishes, vacuuming, garbage, and the list goes on and on. Now, if this were the 60's, chances are that I would be doing all of this work by myself (that's all while tending to the screaming children and having a pipping hot meal on the table for when hubby comes home). Yeeeah, um, not so much anymore.

Welcome to the 21st century where ladies work 9-5s and men have taken an equal role in housekeeping land. This can be one of the biggest challenges that newlyweds/Soon-to-be-newlywed couples face when moving in together. So just how do you decide who does what without starting WW3? Keep reading and you shall find out...

When Nick and I moved in together, I figured that we would have no problem figuring out who does what. Nick's apartment seemed clean enough so I was confident that this would be an easy transition. Yeah, I was wrong. I quickly learned that the nice apartment that hubby lived in by himself was just a facade. When knowing I would be over, he would quickly clean and throw things under beds, into closets, and out of sight (think Monica's scary closet in Friends) to make it look like he was all tidy. So big surprise to me when we move in together and **GASP** he's a typical male (I know, the horror, right?). Dirty socks on the floor, toothbrush not in the holder, and milk left out on the counter were just a few of the offenses that he would commit. I knew that a compromise on chores would have to happen fast.
**As a disclaimer, I am not by any means the tidiest most organized chick on the block, but I do make sure everything looks presentable at all times. I go by what I call the "In-law drop in test". I keep the house so that if the in-laws drop by unexpectedly, I won't be embarrassed**

This is how we divided up our chores-
First, we sat down individually and wrote down all of the chores that we didn't mind doing and those we absolutely hated. This is what mine looked like -

From there, we divided up the chores based on our lists and than divided up those we absolutely hated. In the end our list looked like this-



The list is not set in stone and we help each other out when needed, that's what compromise is all about!
I know what you're thinking, and yes, I do wear heels every time I clean.


On the rare occasion, I will even clean the litter box -this is rare, like reeeeally rare, but I will do it if needed.

This list system isn't for everyone, but it has really helped us with sorting out who does what. You and your spouse will most likely come up with a system that works for the two of you, but if you really are stumped with how to split up chores, this is a great place to start!



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