Thursday, May 31, 2012

Do you share laundry duty?

It's a similar question to "do you share finances" if you ask me.  There are actually a surprising number of analogies along these lines too.
  • Laundry is a chore that everyone has to perform (or to coerce someone else into performing.) So is balancing a "check book" or whatever method you use to make sure everything gets paid on time.  They both need to get done, and regularly.
  • If you don't get it done, it leaves you in a fairly unfortunate position which most of us would prefer to avoid.  Waking up with nothing clean to wear is a very similar feeling to waking up without enough money to pay the bills (or whatever rock bottom is).  This can lead us into all sorts of audacious behavior whether it be buying new socks on the way to work or taking out pay-day loans.
  • Left neglected, it piles up until it feels too overwhelming to tackle.  Honestly, the thing I love most about apartment living is that there are usually several washing machines available at the same time.  Talk about a time saver!  Too bad that the only clean up tool for your financial situation is patience and hard work.
  • It's something that you really ought to learn how to do while growing up.  Did any of you know a college freshman who had no idea how to wash their own clothing?  If you didn't learn it in childhood, at some point life will smack you in the face and get you to pay attention and we all hope that happens sooner rather than later.
  • It's only okay to let someone else take over if everyone is comfortable with the arrangement and you understand it leaves you vulnerable to their mistakes.  Personally I like to be in control of my finances (and doing my laundry) because then I can be sure that it gets done my way (and if things shrink or change colors I can only blame myself).  I think as long as the lines of communication are open and everyone is working towards a similar goal (of either financial security or cleanliness) then I really don't think it matters who (if anyone) takes control.  The point is: someone is paying attention to it! 
If it gets done, why would anyone else care how?

3 comments:

  1. I know a girl who never learned how to do laundry. One of my old roommates in college took her laundry home every week and made her boyfriend do it for her. As for me and my husband, we share laundry duty based on who has more time or who's going to be around the house. But when it comes to finances, I do the day-to-day tasks and pay the bills. I always make sure to my husband knows what's going on and make sure he has equal input on financial goals.

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  2. I love when chores are based on practical things like "who's going to be around the house"! I don't think everything needs to be split equally, but I do think it needs to work for both people. It sounds like you and your husband have found the perfect balance for your situation.

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  3. This reminds me of:

    http://www.xkcd.com/1066/

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