Let's be honest to ourselves - people don't really like to clean the house, especially when they are already tired from work. No, of course, there are numerous exceptions, but in general, if a person has the financial ability to pay for housekeeping service, this really frees up a lot of time, which can be spent with something way more exciting.
But what to do if there’s not enough money? The answer suggests itself - 'doing chores yourself,' but, as it turns out, this option doesn’t suit everyone. For example, the wife of the user u/ThrowAWontPay was not ready to give up even after losing her job. Okay, let's now figure it out together.
More info: Reddit
The author of the post is married to a woman who doesn't like to do any chores at all
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
It turned out that the woman was raised in a family with weekly housekeeping visits and she really got used to it
Image credits: u/ThrowAWontPay
So when the couple formed their own home, their views differed. The man wanted to do all the chores themselves, but the wife insisted on paying for housekeeping services
Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/ThrowAWontPay
The woman refused to give up her habit even when she lost her job and their family budget got decreased significantly
Image credits: EVG Kowalievska (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/ThrowAWontPay
The wife's idea was to make her spouse shell out for the housekeeping service, but this time she faced a counter refusal
So, the Original Poster (OP) says that his wife has been accustomed since childhood to a housekeeper regularly coming to the house and doing all the chores. And the woman was not going to give up this habit after the wedding - although the husband usually did the cleaning himself, and desperately tried to persuade his wife to save on paying for the service.
But no - they agreed that the man would do some of the cleaning himself (for example, make the beds, clean the kitchen after cooking, take care of pets, take out the trash, do his own laundry, clean the A/C filters after all...) Everything else was done by the housekeeper, whose services were paid for by the wife from her own salary.
It worked out to about $190 a week. It's not that the couple were poor, but they also didn't earn a hell of a lot of money, so that $760 a month wouldn’t be completely painless for the family budget. Especially when the wife, unfortunately, got laid off from her job. Yes, the woman quickly found a part-time occupation, but in the end, as the OP himself says, they now have about 3/4 of their previous family income.
And so, one fine day, the wife suggested the author shell out for the next month's housekeeping payment - because it was hard for her to pay for it with her own costs, and the husband, according to her, also enjoyed the results of the housekeeper's work. The man reasonably objected that he already does a lot around the house, and that, in his opinion, it’s time for both of them to start doing chores on their own, thus saving money for the family budget.
As you probably already guessed, the wife refused indignantly, and since then the relationship between the spouses has become, let's say, a little strained. The wife didn’t want to give up her position on old habits, and the husband at the same time understood that chores are something that can easily be saved on in difficult times. But there was no agreement between them yet.
Image credits: MART PRODUCTION (not the actual photo)
Well, doing chores on your own can really make financial planning for your family a lot easier, even if it means you'll lose a lot of time that could be spent on something else. On the other hand, cleaning your home by hand is also a kind of investment in yourself, actually, in your own comfort.
And habits, no matter how pleasant and long-term they may be, are things that can and should be changed when needed. Especially if the state of your family finances leaves much to be desired. So the opinion of the original poster, apparently, does have a kernel of rationality to it. Many commenters on his post also agree with the man.
So, for example, some people in the comments are almost sure that two adults can playfully cope with almost any household chores and not spend much time on them. "What does a housekeeper do that frequently for a couple of adults? That’s crazy," one commenter wondered. “Nobody wants to clean. “It’s a necessity of being an adult in your own living space,” another person added.
Commenters also urge the original poster to be more convincing in talking with his wife on this topic, and generally take appropriate measures. “Do yourself a favor and stop covering her part. Seriously,” someone urged the author. “Please extend a warm welcome to reality to your wife. It seems it might be her first time joining us here” - doesn’t this sarcastic comment look rather reasonable? So do you, our dear readers, actually agree with the original poster?
People in the comments mostly sided with the husband and do urge him to get his wife acquainted with real life
