Dear Queenie,
I am a college student living on my own. I share an apartment with another girl and we are supposed to share the housework. The problem is, she is a lousy housekeeper and I end up having to do her work over again on top of my own chores.
Queenie, this isn’t fair! Any suggestions?—Overworked student
Dear Overworked student,
Have you discussed this problem with your roommate? And have you tried to show her how to do the work properly?
If that doesn’t work, why don’t the two of you try taking turns doing the various household chores? Do the work your way on your days and let her do it her way on her days. That way each job will be done to your satisfaction at least half the time.
One final thought: Is it possible that you are a “neat freak” and your roommate’s work is not really “lousy”, but just not up to your excessively high standards? If that is the case, you might want to try lightening up about it. Your doing so would ease the pressure on both of you.
