5 Tips to Achieve Kitchen Harmony

Exchange the disliked chores. If your significant other’s least favorite kitchen task is emptying the dishwasher, do it before he or she has the chance. If taking out the trash is a dreaded daily task of yours, ask your significant other to do it instead. Change up job responsibilities and relieve a little pressure and anxiety. This way, the task will still be accomplished, but the person who hates doing that task won’t have to do it!

I cook, you clean. If you always feel like you’re doing the dishes, perhaps instill this house law. Decide which days of the week each person will be responsible for cooking a meal, and then the other will automatically be responsible for doing the dishes.

Master shopping lists. There’s nothing worse than starting dinner and finding you’re missing a few key ingredients (or when there’s an 1/8^th of a cup of milk left and you’ve just poured a bowl of cereal). Have one place to document inventory like a white board or notepad magnet on the fridge. As well, there are a number apps (Evernote, Ziplist, Grocery iQ, Any.do, Avocado, Couple) that allow you to track what you’ve got on hand and what you need to shop for next.

Get some outside help. If you’re a go-go-go family, with little time for the little chores that always seem to add up, consider recruiting some outside help. Perhaps a stay-at-home family member is looking for a few extra bucks during the month… or a cleaning service is just a call away. Every once and a while, investing in a little help can do a lot for everyone’s sanity.

Micromanaging. This is a big one, and we’re all guilty of it sometimes. But unless it’s a major sanitation issue, allow yourself and your loved ones some flexibility. Perhaps your significant other (or child) doesn’t load the dishwasher the same as you, or puts the veggies and fruit in a different drawer, or stacks the plates and silverware differently than you. Choose your battles!