If you have a roommate, you’ll need to discuss chores. No one likes doing chores, but that’s why you need to divide them in a way that’s fair. Here are a few ways you can go about ensuring that you and your roommate share in this responsibility:
Make a chore chart
One option to break up chores is the tried-and-true chore chart. You probably had one as a kid. Though the thought of a chore chart may take you back to childhood, don’t let it make you feel juvenile. Instead, it should make you feel responsible.
A chore chart, when done well, ensures that everyone in the home does each chore at a different time. You can change it up by day or by week. Everyone will have different chores, based on the day or week. These chores will rotate through each person in the home. This is one of the fairest ways to break up chores.
Each person picks a favorite
Do you have chores that you love and some you hate? Of course you do. So if you’re lucky, your roommate is going to love the chores you hate, and vice versa. If this is the case, breaking up chores is simple. You’ll each take the chores you like to do. With this method of breaking up chores, they don’t rotate. You’ll always have the same chores. The only downside to this is that if one person doesn’t do what they’re supposed to, things will go downhill fast.
Randomly choose chores
If you’re not keen on changing up chores all the time, and you really don’t care which chores you get, consider picking your household duties randomly. You can write down all the work that needs to be done in the home, and each draws half from a hat. These will be your chores.
This can be done once and that’s how it is for the rest of the time you’re living together, or it can be done at certain intervals. That is up to you and your roommate to decide together. Again, the downside to this method is that if someone isn’t holding up their end, the house gets messy or the other person will end up doing a majority of the housework.
You mess it, you clean it
You may decide with your roommate that the best cleaning option is the “you mess it, you clean it” approach. This method is great for things such as washing the dishes or cleaning the living room. It becomes a lot more difficult for public areas such as the bathroom, if you share one — since these require maintenance cleanings. Additionally, items such as floors, sinks, and the refrigerator become problematic. If you choose to go with this approach overall, you’ll want to consider one of the previous options to take care of regular cleaning.
There are a lot of chores to take care of around the house. Make sure you break up all the housework between you and your roommate.
Have you ever had funny fights with your roommate over chores? Share your story in the comments below.
