Kathy
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Chore RotaAs I mentioned already, there are 6 adults living in this house and everything gets shared equally, that includes the cleaning (we keep our own bedrooms clean). We decided how to split the different parts of the house up so there were 6 jobs to do each week. every week someone has an easy job, like the "quiet room", it doesn't get used as often as the rest of the house.
For 4 adults and depending on how many rooms you have in the house you could do it something like this.
Living room
Kitchen
Bathroom and back door/boot area
Hall and stairs
The cleaning includes wiping dirty marks off the doors, skirting boards, mopping floors etc.
We've found that doing it like this takes perhaps an hour out of your week, except if you get our back door and the dogs bit to do, that takes longer.  
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lloyd
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Thats great, but do you include dog walking, washing up, cooking, lawn cutting as well, as we are close now to taking this forward after three years of head banging!!!
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Cabbagepatch
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I've decided to leave home.......
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Kathy
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CP
We have a separate rota for washing up but we all wash our own plates when we've finished eating. Whoever is cooking washes up as they go.
Dog walking is done by Coco and I (occasionally Greenlady) as we're the ones who wanted them and bought them into the house, it's not considered a chore we enjoy doing it.
Because I don't go out to work I'm the "in house" cook and get a day off every week. Again, I don't find it a chore as I enjoy cooking. Mr Kathy won't let anyone else cut the grass, he enjoys it!
I think you have to work out what's going to suit your household the best. Discuss what you think is fair. If it was you or CP that wanted the dogs is it really fair to expect someone else to walk them or clean up after them. With the cooking, if everyone has a full time job and then expects food when they come home it's only fair to share that task, (IMHO).
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nanny
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gosh that sounds efficient kathy
we divide thusly:
i do the house and the back garden, the chickens, the dogs, the goats, the sheep when they arrive and i cook 99% of the time and cut all the grass
mr nanny does dishes every other day and works the farm though i help if asked
his list looks a bit smaller than mine.......................... 
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lloyd
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Well it's a battleground at home tonight, but CP and I are happy to accept the dog issues as being our own. The lawns and car washing I do anyway most of the time, and we generally all share the washing up. Cooking isn't really a big issue, but what is a bigger issue is getting everyone to accept ownership of issues that affect the whole house and household. Things that we feel should not be confined to 2 out of four adult occupants of the home.
It will go on, I imagine, a while yet........... 
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nanny
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| lloyd wrote: | Well it's a battleground at home tonight, but CP and I are happy to accept the dog issues as being our own. The lawns and car washing I do anyway most of the time, and we generally all share the washing up. Cooking isn't really a big issue, but what is a bigger issue is getting everyone to accept ownership of issues that affect the whole house and household. Things that we feel should not be confined to 2 out of four adult occupants of the home.
It will go on, I imagine, a while yet........... |
i predict blood up the walls and tears before bed time.....
bon chance mon ami
when my son lived with us he told me that it was my job to look after him ....
it was just one thing that made me realise he had to go somewhere on his own
and stay there...................
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lloyd
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We have comments like "I'd move out if I could but I can't so that's that."
My mother had an answer for that one, but I guess every situation has to be dealt with seperately and in it's own right.
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Cabbagepatch
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as i said earlier nansters, i feel the need to leave home........
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nanny
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| Cabbagepatch wrote: | | as i said earlier nansters, i feel the need to leave home........ |
no dear
you ARE home
time for others to find one perhaps
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Kathy
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It can be a difficult one and it's difficult to make people do something they don't want to do.
All of my offspring have lived away from home and are more mature now with Greenman being the youngest at 21.
When we moved here we agreed that all incoming cash would go into a central fund and we would receive pocket money. The house is not "Mums house" or "Dads house" it's our house. All outgoings are paid for out of the central fund, so we're probably coming at it from a different angle to you and CP Lloyd.
When we first started doing this it was agreed that any chores not done, or skimped would result in a loss of pocket money. Now we don't don't need to use this forfeit as it's become natural to work this way, if you know what I mean.
Is there anything you could use as a forfeit, it's best that this part is agreed on by all parties concerned then you don't get resentment building up so much.
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Kathy
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I liked it when they were all away at uni but we would never have been able to move to somewhere like this if we hadn't formed this "Co-op."
You've all seen the photos, it more than makes up for any family skirmishes, which soon blow over anyway! 
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nanny
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| Kathy wrote: | I liked it when they were all away at uni but we would never have been able to move to somewhere like this if we hadn't formed this "Co-op."
You've all seen the photos, it more than makes up for any family skirmishes, which soon blow over anyway! |
very true kathy
and i commend you all for not wanting to kill each other
i also think your family is a bit unusual in that respect
i couldn't do it
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Kathy
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lloyd
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What are the downsides, Kathy?
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Aqui
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Sounds great Kathy. I wonder if I can convince T we need to have another three! LOL!
Anyway - back in the real world... I've written myself a rota of things to do each day. We have 6 rooms - I can do something in the kitchen everyday while J has his lunch/dinner (he was eating for 2 hours the other day!) So that's 5 rooms or one for each day. If I do them weekly, it shouldn't take more than about 15-20mins to do each. (apart from the bathroom - we'll have to see how that one fits in!)
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Libby
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As I am at home alone for approx 12 hours each working day I do the bulk of the chores. But who ever cooks (usually me)in our house does not wash up! Although I tend to do the pans and cooking impliments as I go along!!
T cooks on each Saturday night, then hubby and I do dishes, hubby gets sunday off any dishes! He rarely cooks.
It will all change this weekend as T breaks up, and K is home, so we will sit down and work out a summer chore rota! It has already been decided that T has to learn to do her own washing anyway so this could be fun!
I'll keep you posted!
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nanny
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the trouble with other people washing up is that they never do it the way you think they should
i always rinse the dishes but mr nanny says they dont' need to be rinsed and leaves all the soap clinging to them....sometimes i go and rinse them when he isn't looking....
that's really sad isn't it?
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Kathy
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Lloyd the downside to a rota is you can't make people do things, it has to be a co-operative thing.
After I had life changing revelations some years ago I realised that arguing, threatening, nagging etc just don't work. If a chore isn't done (doesn't happen often) then someone else picks up the shortfall. The person who didn't do it has to deal with the guilt, if you know what I mean. Life's too short to be continually worrying about a dirty floor, if it bothers me that much then I'll clean it myself.
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Kathy
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Did you get something sorted out Lloyd, do the youngsters feel they should be taking a share in the chores yet?
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lloyd
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Hi, Kathy. Yes and yes. 
We worked out a rota for one person one room, one week, and all of us were guilty of leaving the room until Saturday evening. Then we all pulled our fingers out at the last minute, and it all got done!
This week we each have a different room, and obviously, CP and I do loads more that we don't expect of the kids, but it's gone easily and without complaints. And we both now feel that everyone is doing their bit a little more than before.
Thanks for the advice, it's worked! 
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Kathy
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Glad something got sorted, wouldn't want CP leaving home!
The last minute thing happens here too but I've found it creates quite a nice atmosphere when everyone is house cleaning at the same time, except when 2 people want the vacuum cleaner simultaneously.......................
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lloyd
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There was an element of that, but it wasn't an issue. It went well, thanks to you and your advice.
.............So what's the next stage then?
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Kathy
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They might get to like it and offer to do your share too............................
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Cabbagepatch
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| Kathy wrote: | | They might get to like it and offer to do your share too............................ |
splutter cough choke...
It has worked well so far and everyone seems reasonably ok with the new arrangement.
I have unpacked my bag for the time being.......
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