Since I'm in a numbers mood, here's another stat: More than eight in 10 couples view unused items lying around the house as a source of tension in their relationships.
According to Kijiji.com, a free local classifieds Web site, 81% of Americans in relationships own items they’d love to throw away but can’t, because their significant others insist on keeping them. Sound familiar?
The poll says there are about 35 unused items in every household, on which each consumer has spent over $3,600. And it’s not just women hanging on to outfits they're sure will fit again one day; the poll found 31% of men are clogging the closets with old clothes.
Good luck streamlining your lives, couples. If you do get into an argument, remember there's always hot makeup sex.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
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3 comments:
I am one for bring in the new and out with the old. My hubby on the other hand is keep it until it literally turns to ash due to age. I HATE it. The only time I get to throw things away is when he is out of town, and trust me I do it fast.
I have been married twice to polar opposites.
The first swore that he had allergies to all types of cleaners: dish and dishwasher cleaners, laundry detergents, cleansers, bleach... He insisted that the sound of a vacuum cleaner gave him headaches, dusting made him sneeze, and his (slightly) arthritic shoulder prevented him from washing windows or cars, etc.
Husband #1 reasoned that since I had to go to the washing machine to turn it on, it made more sense for me to pick up his clothes along the way, than it would for him to make the extra trips to the hamper. It was during one of those trips to the washing machine – or was it when he tried to convince me that it was more economical to leave lights on when you exit a room, than to turn them off and on again later. No matter which one it was, I decided he had to go.
After a couple of dates with my future husband-to-be, I invited the him to my home for Sunday brunch, and I readily accepted his offer to clean up afterwards. (It was a rare experience to fix a fancy brunch, and then read the newspaper while someone else cleaned up.)
After what seemed like an inordinately long time, I went to check on him. I decided he was “a keeper” when I found him on his knees washing the baseboards, and a quick glance told me that he had also wiped off the cabinets, refrigerator, door frames, etc. Towards the end of our marriage, he had 57 screwdrivers – all organized according to shape and size, outlined in magic marker on the pegboard for easy return, and catalogued by date, cost, and place of purchase in his “tool book.” By the time he had to go, I caught him trying to alphabetize dust.
I have decided that the only way for men and women to resolve their innate housekeeping differences is to live separately. I wouldn’t let my dog sleep in the homes of most of the men I know; between the water bowl (with black grunge on the bottom) that’s “good enough for a dog,” to the plates of food molding in the sink, the place is a health hazard and will likely be condemned. On the other hand, the clean men I know wouldn’t allow my dog in their homes – much less allow them to sleep indoors. (A dog might shed a strand or two of fur, have dust or mud on its feet or, Oh Horrors!, might leave a flea.)
So, live separately! Clean up as much, and whenever you want to! And enjoy the time spent with your male companions. You will like them better when they have to go home to tend to their own laundry and clean their own kitchens.
I'm glad to have so much company. I don't know if it's so much my wife accumulating stuff as it is me liking sparseness. She probably would have a lot more stuff if not for me. I've brought it up 2 or 3 times in our 21 year marriage, but we never fight about it. I do notice the difference, though. I often refuse to move her stuff to vacuum under it.
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