How To (Healthily) Compete With Your Spouse

Mr. & Mrs. Clean

Cleaning isn’t fun, but somebody has to do it. And now that the ‘50s have passed, it’s only fair to share the responsibility. Before you start, divvy up the housework evenly, and then see who can finish quicker. You may get swept up in the competition and find that it’s actually not that tedious this way.

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Top Chefs

Prepare dishes for the kids or your friends and have them vote which of yours is best (try guacamole, homemade pizza, summer salads). It’s subjective, and unless you have ruthless judges, you won’t get voted out of your home. This challenge may also help the member of your pair who cooks less appreciate the culinary arts more, too.

Bargain Hunters

The way to make the expense of a needed appliance more palatable is to find a good bargain. So each on your own, find the best deal you can for that washer, dryer or refrigerator in store fliers, online or by shopping around in person. Then come back to the table and see who found the best price. And, hey, you’ll both win, sort of.

Guitar Heroes

Video games can be fun for the ladies, too. When my girlfriend and I saw her Aunt Donna playing a mean version of “The Seeker” on Guitar Hero, we decided to spring for the game for ourselves. We’ve found that, although we’re both pretty bad, it’s a lot of fun. Nintendo Wii also has a great selection of potential his-and-her games, too.

Goodnight Moon

When the kids grow up, they don’t have to know that you competed with each other to get them to bed quickly. But, until then, rotate bedtime duty and try your best lullaby or children’s story to see who can get the young one(s) dreaming sooner. Then rejoice.

Gym Rats, Yoga Mats

Here’s the healthiest competition. No matter the flavor of your workouts, keep a shared calendar in a visible space and mark down both of your exercise each day. At the end of the week, see who is putting in more time. You don’t have to do the same workouts or hit the gym at the same time, although it is fun to see your less flexible half struggle with downward dog.

Sweet Charity

Pick a cause that’s meaningful to you both and see who can raise more money for the cause or reach a target sooner. You can do this through an event, like a 5K walk or run, or just set a goal outside of a race and see who can hit the mark first. The charity will certainly appreciate the effort.

Quiz Show

Knowledge is power, and it’s damn sexy, too. Wipe the dust off of your Trivial Pursuit or Scrabble, or turn on Jeopardy and keep a tally. You’re sure to have fun and will at least agree that Alex Trebek can be a bit of a snob. (Extra points go to who can do the best impersonation of Darrell Hammond-as-Sean-Connery on SNL's Celebrity Jeopardy.)

You Got Game

Men are often the bigger sports fans and a lot of women adopt the guy’s team, but why not catch him off guard and root for his favorite team’s rival? He’ll appreciate that you’ve taken an interest (or greater interest) in the sport. He might also get frustrated and take you back to his team’s side so you can root against the other team together.