Sunday’s are no longer a day of rest, with the typical Brit carrying out a list of up to 15 jobs. Researchers found that one in ten claim Sundays now, in fact, the busiest day of the week with cleaning, ironing and washing topping the list of laborious tasks.
The study commissioned by Chef & Brewer, found two thirds of adults regard Sundays as a day to ‘catch-up’ on everything that gets left the rest of the week.
In fact, more people spend Sundays catching up on domestic chores than they do spending quality time with friends and family.
For one in ten, the Sunday jobs include changing towels, watering plants and paying online bills.
Nearly a quarter spend their day of rest sorting out the recycling, loading and unloading the dishwasher, vacuuming and hanging out washing, while washing the car, packing school bags, walking the dog and food shopping were all listed as jobs to do on a Sunday.
An organised one in ten even write a to-do list for their week ahead.
A third of the 2000 adults polled said shops opening on Sundays has made life easier for them, and 54% said they feel bogged down by the amount of jobs they are faced with on a weekend – four in ten said they get annoyed as they never have chance to wind down.
A third said tidying and domestic chores take up the most time on a Sunday, but a quarter blamed the mammoth task of preparing the Sunday lunch.
In fact, more than one in five said that cooking a traditional roast dinner was very stressful.
The poll found a quarter of British adults always sit down to a proper Sunday lunch, and 30% tuck in most weeks- but one in ten said only tend to indulge in a Sunday roast during the winter months.
TOP 50 SUNDAY CHORES
Wash-up
Generally tidy-up
Put washing in the machine
Eat a roast dinner
Dry-up
Hang out washing either indoors or outdoors
Vacuum
Load the dishwasher
Iron
Visit a supermarket
Sort out recycling
Unload the dishwasher
Tidy the garden
Clean the bathroom
Small DIY jobs i.e. change light-bulbs, put up pictures etc
Change the bedding
Take the bins out
Dust and polish
Ring any relatives for a catch-up
Walk the dog
Drive to visit relatives
Wash the car
Weeding the garden
Exercise
Mow the lawn
Pay bills online
Change the towels
Write to do list for the week ahead
Pack school bags for Monday morning
Water house plants
Bake cakes
Liaise with your partner over plans for the week ahead
Prepare packed lunches
Help children with homework
Go to church of other place of worship
Catch up on work
Fill the car up with petrol
Pack PE Kits
Visit the tip
Log on to work emails
Last minute dash to convenience store for forget ton items
Cook and freeze meals for the week
Car maintenance
Clean out pet bedding (hamsters, rabbits etc)
Fill out school paperwork
Watch kids play sport
Order online food shop
Polish school shoes
Ferry kids to parties
Get hair done
Visiting relatives and going to church a chore? Naughty Britain. And why is eating a Sunday roast listed as a chore – just making up things to get to number 50? This is a ridiculous article – of course people take their kids to birthday parties and pack their school bags ready for the next day – what’s news? Unloading the dishwasher takes about 5 minutes avd has to be done if you want to avoid hand washing future dishes – the hardships of a wealthy nation hey! And if you have small children, everyone knows there’s no such thing as a day if rest anyway, they just don’t understand the concept!
You would be surprised what I get to hear these days. Totally agree with the concept of ‘hardships of a wealthy nation’.
I agree with Flick, some on the items on your list are a stretch. However it is also unfortunately true that Sunday is certainly not a day of rest but “catch up day” before we start again.
Just like any good business we should be delegating and sub contracting where ever possible.
Chores for pocket money. Surely the kids could wash the car, mow the lawn, clean the bathroom obviously with the right financial inducement.
For more seroius cleaning and ironing and in line with ‘hardships of a wealthy nation’ why not see about having a regular cleaner?
Getting a regular cleaner is the best thing I have ever done in my life. The money spent on a cleaner is totally well spent.