My 'Things to remember when I'm dead List' for DH

I started this thread as a gentle, light hearted thread. I did say that my dh has been a superstar with no mention of being hopeless.

Good job we won’t be around then with all the comments here! Men are hopeless should be the title! ?? I agree with all the above. Lol

I find it unbearably sad that so many people, having lived together and, in some cases, 'done everything together' for decades have not shared and taught one another the essential life skills.

We should all know how to do everything we need, against the inevitable time one of us is left alone.

On another thread we've been talking about leaving information for spouses and children in case we become incapacitated.
Doesn't it make sense to learn all the skills you need to maintain your home, health, transport etc while you're still compos mentis?

1) dishes don't get washed just leaving them to soak in the sink
2) eventually it will be difficult to get the bin bag out of the bin if you keep stuffing more and more in it
3) no that un-ironed t shirt doesn't look ok
4) it also isn't ok to keep going up the garden in your slippers and treading dirt in, that's why you wear shoes outside and slippers inside
5) wise up to the dog's trick of rummaging in the letter rack so he can bring the post and get a treat, he knows fine well the postie hasn't been today

Instructions for the washing machine.
Where to drop off and wait for DGC in the play yard.
How to pay the wages.
How to pay HMRC (PAYE etc)
How to talk to customers
How to talk to and soothe creditors
How to wash the cups and loos at work
How to keep all the paperwork in order....

The list is endless ...

Oh jeez I best not drop dead any time soon....

When we were first married (over 40 years ago) DH sorted all the financial and practical stuff, I suppose because in a way, it was what was expected of a husband. However gradually over the years I have realised that actually he is really inefficient (albeit a lovely man) and I have gradually taken over everything - for example, he hadn’t renewed the car insurance!!! I find it easier just to put everything in my name now so it’s me that gets reminders and invoices that need paying. Luckily all my children are very good at sorting things out so I can rest easy.

My family would be fine without me. The children would need to help their father with online financial stuff as it frustrates him, so there would be no more money saving by swapping utility and insurance companies.
He'd be able to feed and clothe himself but tidyness and cleanliness standards would slip. It won't matter though because the high standards are mine and I won't be there to judge.

The bin is HERE, you can put things in it.
?

- The clothes do not take themselves out of the washing machine. He’s great at putting a wash on! Not much after that
- the washing powder does not replace itself. You must go out and get it.
- The children can not be trusted.

Seriously, a friend died many years of cancer, fighting it throughout her children’s childhood. She “taught” her children just about as soon as they could boil a kettle( and husband) how to cope in the house without her.
They were in their early teens when the illness finally claimed her, but she had prepared them as far as she could while still giving them happy memories of their childhood with her.

You can't keep everything and 20 year old clothes look silly.

I think that my DH is more than capable.
However if I was the surviving spouse the car could be an issue, as in oil water and tyres.

I would probably live off cuppa soup and baked beans on toast whereas he would continue to cook a
roast

Storage - big saucepans on the bottom, then little saucepans on top. Not the other way round!!

I never even thought about cars. He deals with all that.
Sometimes (as a joke) he says to me: have you checked your tires lately

Ditto about the loo, towels etc. Also he is not allowed to touch the washing machine because he thinks it is unnecessary to separate whites and coloured things. He also loads the dishwasher with plates right next to each other so the water can't get inbetween.

Sell by dates and use by dates.No matter how many times I explain, he still doesn't get it.

I have no worries. OH does all the cooking and food shopping: he loves it. I don't think he'll iron the bedding, clean the bathroom/ toilet everyday.
The garden might suffer a bit but not the lawn, that's his department.
His dear mother brought up 4 boys on her own and each of them is very capable.

The loo doesn't clean itself, nor do the towels or bed change/wash themselves. Also floors need mopping, including wooden floors.

Mossfarr my DH has no idea either. The car and house would go uninsured as these are things I do yearly. Everything else is automatic monthly - electricity, phones etc, so he won't get cut off.

And yes, the dogs need feeding and watering.

I should add that I have no worries about filling /emptying bins, laundry, shopping, housework etc, he's very good around the house.

I worry about how my OH will manage his finances if I go first. He has absolutely no idea about anything remotely financial - he has never even managed his own bank account. He has just refused point blank to get involved and as I always worked in Finance he just got out of it by saying that 'I was the expert'. I have written an extremely long document listing insurance policies, bank account details, gas & elec suppliers, pension providers etc etc.
I dread to think what will happen (the first thing he will do is 'buy a big posh car)!!

The bin is HERE, you can put things in it.

Ditto the dishwasher ?

No OH to worry about , I am glad he went first , poor man would never have managed , and my children can do what they like as long as they keep friends , they think I am in my dotage and kindly show me the "right" way of doing things ... hhhmmmmmm

If you open a pack of cheese and then put it back in the fridge without putting it into a sealed container of some sort, the cut edge will go dry.

Check that there is water in the cats bowl

The bin is HERE, you can put things in it.