Last week we talked about the chores that our spouses do so I thought it would be fun this week to talk about the things that we all do. I have to admit, I had to really think about this one because Dale does a lot for me. Still, I managed to come up with Ten Chores I Do That My Spouse Could Do But Doesn’t.
- Meal planning – from breakfasts to dinners, whether for the two of us or a big family holiday, I own it. And that means that I also do the -
- Grocery shopping. It’s just easier for me to get it done. And I don’t really mind the shopping part. The schlepping of the groceries into the house, though? I’m not a fan.
- Feeding the cat. He feeds Dixie, I feed Mason. It works best this way.
- Paying the bills. The mortgage, the car payment, the credit card . . . blech.
- Laundering the sheets and towels. Dale does our clothing but I do everything else. And so I am also the one
- Changing the sheets. I love it when they are clean and fresh but I abhor actually doing it.
- Vacation planning. This is one I (mostly) don’t mind!
- Scheduling of car maintenance: oil changing, tire rotating, you know the drill. If I don’t take care of this it doesn’t get done and then our cars (and wallets!) suffer.
- Shopping for gifts. And cards. Christmas, birthdays, all occasions, all gift selection, procurement and preparation belongs to me.
- Maintaining our social calendar. Like vacation planning, I don’t really mind this. I do, however, get a little aggravated when Dale expects me to just know stuff that he hasn’t actually told me about.
I think our division of labor and chores works out pretty well and as far as I know Dale does, too. We’ve got things divided according to our own individual strengths and schedules and that’s what really matters. Did you write a post for today? Please click the button to add a link to your post. Do you want to receive the Ten on Tuesday email every Monday? Then click here to subscribe.
Your post makes me laugh . . . because so much is the same here at my house. (Except Tom does no laundry. And I’m okay with that.) (And I HATE to unload the groceries and put them away.)
Yes, yes, #9 and #10. I could have added them had I thought long enough. Team work! We work best as teams Carole! Of course.
xox
Ok, here are mine:
1) cooking. He can cook, but he doesn’t like to.
2) picking up the house– y’know, the general picking up. Nope.
3) dishes
4) paying bills (he’s actually MUCH BETTER at this than me)
5) changing sheets
6) keeping in touch w/ relatives— i talk to his mom more than he does
7) making social plans— and he wonders why we don’t see certain people!
8) car maintenance
9) kitchen clean up— man seems incapable of seeing crumbs
10) setting the table.
Nice list!
#4 (Bills) He never got used to online bill pay and actually seems a bit intimidated by it, so I handle this one. It only takes a couple minutes a month.
#5 (Laundry) Good grief. This man of mine once left all of his of daughter’s air dry clothing (after she told him what to not dry) in a pile on the drier expecting that they would just dry instead of get musty. He is now forbidden from the laundry room.
#6 (Changing the sheets) Are you kidding? He doesn’t even make the bed anymore when I’m traveling. It’s my job.
#7 (Vacation planning) He does this one. He consults me, but I am thrilled to not have to do the research and make the plans.
# 9 (Gift shopping) Oh yes, he needs only buy for me, and yet it’s like my birthday, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, etc are a big surprise to him every year! He somehow always pulls it off though last minute.
#10 (Social stuff) I am even more annoyed when Tony argues with me, insisting that he told me about something that he most definitely did not. At least I finally broke him of the habit of committing us to something without actually asking me first.
Our lists are so similar. We both kind of plan the vacations lately. That’s the FUN job!
If I made a list it would be virtually identical to yours. Interesting how that works!
Interesting – I’m gratified to see that we are not the only family where some traditional gender roles are switched around.
After Jim washed my silk blouse, I don’t let him do laundry. It’s the one thing I am picky, picky about. I also do most all of the cooking, but since we both retired we sometimes cook together which is fun! You are so right about the division of labor!
I don’t even know how to pay the bills any more. yay!
:-))
I enjoyed reading these posts – and seeing how much in common our spouses have! finding a division of labor that works is key to any longterm relationship. and love that we have a sense of humor about it, too!