Tuesday, November 15, 2011

How do you split household chores??

We had a major cleaning day at the Butler house on Saturday, and it really got me thinking. (I write blog posts in my head when I’m running or cleaning the house. Loser, I know.)

I have heard many people make comments such as “You don’t truly know someone till you’ve lived with them.”  I guess those people define someone by how they keep their house?  I don’t believe it, but I will say that many told me this is one of the great challenges in a marriage.

To be honest, this has yet to be an issue for Jonathan and I.  Since we’ve had our home (for 7 months now), we have each had our roles and done our parts with household chores.  We never really discussed or planned this, but it just kinda worked out this way and neither one of us have slacked.  We both feel like it’s even and are content sharing the responsibilities. Here is how we split it up and what works for us.

Danielle:

dishes, laundry, cook dinner, grocery shopping, clean bathrooms, keep the house picked up (everything has a place!), pay bills, dust, put away dishes, sweep

Jonathan:

all yard work, vacuum (he loves it!), wash pots/pans when I cook, take out trash, help put away dishes, groceries, and laundry, use steam cleaner on hardwoods, wipe counters, make coffee

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Of course we help each other when we need it, and every now and then he’ll do one of my jobs or I’ll do one of his.  For example, if I notice the trash is full, I’ll tie it up and put it in the garage.  He also does laundry or the dishes if I’m busy, or sweeps if it needs it (we have hardwoods all throughout the house and they have to be swept a few times a week).  In the summertime I tend do more (like yard work- minus cutting the grass…I can’t handle our hill!) because I’m not working, and plan to pick up the load more when I become a SAHM.  Fortunately we both enjoy cleaning, and I tend to be a little OCD and like everything to be in its place. 

I know I’m blessed that he’s very helpful and does it without being asked. He is also very clean and likes a clean house.  The ONLY thing he doesn’t help with that I would like for him to is making the bed.  I have a huge California King with several layers of blankets and pillows.  Jon HATES to make the bed, but I love the way it makes our room look so clean and fresh, so I just do it by myself. 

Oh, and since I really like everything to be put away and out of sight, Big Jon has a corner in our bedroom where he keeps some random “stuff.”  I don’t even know what’s in his little corner because I don’t look at it. 

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We try to do a quick clean every couple days to keep the chores from piling up, and do a deeper clean once every few week.  We don’t have kids or pets and we are both pretty clean people, so it really isn’t too overwhelming.

One other thing I like to ALWAYS do is make Jonathan a plate.  I guess maybe because my mom always did that for my dad??  I don’t mind doing it, and I think it’s an easy gesture to show him I appreciate him.  His job is much more physically demanding than mine, so I think he deserves a break when he gets home.  AND I make sure to always keep PB&J & chocolate milk in the house for him. It’s his favorite snack.

Anyway, that works for us and I’m glad we’ve got a good system figured out.  Thankfully the “household chores” aren’t an issue for us.

How do you split up the housework??

5 comments:

Britt @ Chicago Runner Girl said...

This makes me laugh because my hubby doesn't really do chores. He takes out the garbage, and thats about it. It seems to be a constant battle in our house because he doesn't even pick up dirty clothes, clean up his dishes, or hang up coats and put shoes away. I try my best to not become annoyed because he grew in a house where his mom did everything for him...until he was 22. EVERYTHING.

One day he'll get the hang of it, I hope.

Rachael said...

Greg doesn't do anything and he will tell you so. He mows the grass like 2 times a year. Sigh.

The Bases said...

I do most of the inside housework and my husband does the outside. I also make him take out the trash. It is kinda a ritual with him and our dog! Ollie goes crazy when he sees Eric taking out the garbage bag. When it comes to dishes, I usually wash and he dries. I hate drying, I don't know why! Ohh and he won't make the bed either! I work from home now, but before I left before he did and he would NEVER make it! I just got over it and made it myself when I came home from lunch! Oh well!

Anonymous said...

HI - just found your blog from skinnyrunner. We also just settled into our roles without really talking about it a whole bunch. My husband does the outside chores like mowing our yard, cleaning out gutters, working on cars and I do all the grocery shopping, laundry and cleaning. We split doing dishes based on who is home and available when they need to be done. He'll also clean as a surprise for me every once in a while when he knows I'm really stressed. It works for us.

Amanda Jones said...

Ours are split oddly, but it works. Because we live in a two-story townhouse, Hardy is responsible for the downstairs and I the upstairs. Often times though I catch myself crossing the border and helping him in his area...mostly it's because I want something done a certain way and he refuses to take criticism lol