When you and your partner first move in together, things can be a bit stressful. You will both need to get used to each other’s habits and quirks, and the specific way that each of you does things. One great way to take some of the stress out of the move is to divide the household chores. This will help you to avoid the arguments over who is not doing their fair share. When it comes to splitting up the household chores, there are a few things that you can do.
Choose the Chores From a Hat
If you want to be fair when it comes to dividing up the household chores, you can leave it to chance. You can put all of the chores into a hat, such as doing dishes, cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, and being the one to contact professionals, such as someone who handles gas boiler repairs or the landscaper. Once all of the chores have been written out, place them in a hat and take turns choosing a chore. This is the fairest way to divide the chores. You can either do this every week or you can keep the chores the same and alternate each week. This would keep you from doing the same chores all the time.
Create a Chore Chart
If you and your partner are great at making compromises, you can create a chore chart. You can each choose the chores that you don’t mind doing until all of the chores have been taken. This is the best way to get the chores that you hate to do the least.
Week On/Week Off Schedule
If you and your partner would like a week off from cleaning, you can each take a week to do all of the household chores on your own. This would give you a whole week where you are not responsible for doing any chores at all. The only way that this arrangement will work is if both of you stick to the schedule and do everything on the list. If one person slacks off during their week, it can result in arguments.
Clean Together
Cleaning together can actually be fun. You can put on some fun music, and tackle the rooms one at a time, together. This will allow you to spend time together while getting the household chores done.
Use Each of Your Strengths
If one of you is a great cook and the other one has a green thumb, you can find a way to divide your chores in a useful way. Unfortunately, there will be chores that nobody is actually good at, such as cleaning the toilets or dusting. If you cannot choose who is going to do these chores, flip a coin. At the end, just make sure that you both have an equal number of tasks to perform each week.
Hire Some Help
If you and your partner cannot seem to come to an agreement on the chores, or if you just don’t have time, you should consider hiring help. You can drop your laundry to have it done for you, which can save you and your partner a great deal of time. If you don’t have time to do a major cleaning in the home, you should consider hiring a house cleaning service. You will have someone to do the necessary chores so there will be no need to divide them up.
It is important to figure out a chore schedule right after moving in together. It will prevent arguments, and promote harmony in the home.