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Meet Elin, 66, who lives with her husband in a detached house they own in a small town in Texas. The two are retired and live on retirement, investment or other income, with a household income between $0 and $50,000.
Elin handles the household finances and planning. Her husband handles most of the cooking, dishes, laundry, general cleaning, grocery shopping, repairs, maintenance and yard work. They eat dinner together seven nights a week, although they eat in different places on different nights.
What’s one thing about running your household that you think you do particularly well?
I handle the finances and the planning of things
Who does what?
| Household task | Who does it? |
|---|---|
| Cooking | Mostly partner |
| Dishes / kitchen cleanup | Mostly partner |
| Laundry | Mostly partner |
| General cleaning | Mostly partner |
| Grocery shopping | Mostly partner |
| Repairs, maintenance, yard | Mostly partner |
| Bills and household finances | Mostly me |
| Kids’ appointments, school admin, birthdays | N/A |
What’s on your fridge door right now?
Magnets, some magnetic business cards, a white board with this week’s menu.
Walk me through a normal weekday evening in your household.
I am either in the kitchen or in my recliner in the bedroom. Hubby prepares dinner. We eat dinner either in the kitchen or in the bedroom. After dinner, hubby stacks the dishes and puts away the leftovers. I read or sit outside, taking care of my plants. Later, hubby will work on his computer, generally something for Toastmasters or we both are in the bedroom watching TV or a movie or reading. We get ready for bed around 11:30 and are usually in bed by 12:00.
Where does your household spend the most time together?
Kitchen also
Is there a room or space in your home you barely use?
The other bedrooms
What’s one thing your household does that other people might find strange?
We spend a lot of time in our bedroom because that’s where I am most comfortable.
What’s one thing you wish you’d done differently?
Purchased a level yard
What’s the one house rule everyone in your household knows?
Help yourself
Is there something you or your household spends money on other people would think wasteful?
Toastmasters club membships
What would fall apart if you left for a week?
Pretty much everything. I’m disabled and hubby would be with me. He takes care of most of the household chores.
What do you argue about the most?
We rarely argue.
How similar is your household to the one you grew up in?
Very similar
What’s the biggest difference?
Who does most of the housekeeping
What did you swear you’d never do that your parents did?
I can’t think of anything
Anything else you want to tell me?
We have a cat. I am in a wheelchair and often dealing with fatigue. I need a lot of help to do things. Hubby has arthritis and deals with pain and fatigue. He does the majority of the housework, cleaning, laundry, yard work, etc. He helps with my physical needs, etc. Family members sometimes come and help but hubby does the majority of the housework. It’s more than he can reasonably handle but he doesn’t like asking for help.
What’s something about your household you wouldn’t normally admit?
We generate a lot of bodily waste.
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