How to Manage Housework During the First Year of Marriage

During your first year of marriage, you're merging two sets of families, ideas, dreams and of course, the housework. Whether both of you have your own way of doing things around the house or whether one of you prefers not to clean at all, pulling together on this issue will pave the way for a successful first year of marriage and sharing the same space.

Instructions

1. Make a list of all of the household chores that need to be done. Besides basic cooking and cleaning, remember to include grocery shopping, laundry, meal planning, taking out the trash and mowing the lawn.

2. Split up the chores evenly according to who prefers to do which chore. If there are chores left over, the spouse who is more adamant on having them done takes that chore.

3. Work as a team. If there are chores that you can do together to make them more enjoyable and to make them go by quickly, then by all means, work together. For example, cooking and doing the dishes together is a good way for the two of you to spend more time catching up at the end of a work day.

4. Schedule time during the week when each of you will accomplish your chores. Saturday mornings may be a good time for one spouse to throw in the laundry while the other spouse is mowing the lawn.

5. Stick to your plan and take responsibility for your chores. Nicely keep each other in check with polite reminders if something hasn't been done for a while.

6. Say, "Thank you," to your spouse each time he does his chores or helps you with yours. Showing appreciation is key to keeping a clean and happy household not only during your first year of marriage but for many years to follow.

Tips & Warnings

• If the household chores are too much for you and your spouse to do completely on your own, hire a cleaning service to clean your house occasionally or a landscaper to help with the yard work. This will lessen your workload, even if you only hire them once a month.

• Pick up each other's slack. If your wife has an especially long work night, cook dinner for her and wash the dishes, even if she would normally take care of it. Helping each other out will allow the two of you to appreciate each other more and will keep the housework flowing, even if one of you happens to be too busy to keep up.

• Don't nag. If your husband hasn't mowed the lawn in a few weeks and you have a jungle growing in your backyard, sarcasm and nagging certainly won't get the job done. Calmly suggest that you'd be really appreciative if he could work on the yard.