Listen, house chores are one of those parts of marriage that can easily get couples fighting over non-issues, especially when both partners can’t agree on who should do what. But sometimes, having the right appliances can make life much easier.
We asked these married Nigerians about the must-have home appliances that reduce everyday fights, and here’s what they recommend.
Dishwasher — Deola*, 30
Budget: ₦150-₦400°ì
A dishwasher has saved us from many arguments. Before we got married, I was used to washing my dishes immediately after eating. I can eat from a saucer and wash it immediately, but my husband will put his soup on one plate, eba on another and meat on another. He always found a way to increase the pile of dirty dishes. The dishwasher solved that problem. Now, we argue about loading and unloading it instead.
Freezer —Sabur*, 34
Budget: ₦90-₦300°ì
Are you even ready for marriage if you don’t have a freezer? I already had one before I got married, so I thought I was covered. But at some point, it stopped working, and trust me, there was proper wahala in the house. I had to quickly find an alternative before things got worse.
Air fryer — Feranmi*, 31
Budget: ₦50-₦150°ì
My wife loves cooking, but she draws the line at frying. Whenever something needs frying, she hands that part over to me. The problem is, I hate frying too, and I’ve burned my hands several times. It used to cause a lot of back and forth. She’d say I was being unfair and couldn’t help with just one task. Then, one random day early this year, I walked into an LG showroom and bought an air fryer. It’s the best decision I’ve made this year. Since we bought it, peace has reigned.
Industrial blender — Ada*, 28
Budget: ₦80-₦250°ì
I hate grinding pepper at the market. I tolerated it when I was younger, but as a married woman, I just couldn’t stand waiting at the market for the pepper seller to grind it. I’d get home cranky and snap at my husband. To make matters worse, whenever I used our regular blender, he’d complain that the pepper tasted more like stew than soup. It became such an issue that we’d avoid each other whenever I returned from the market. Earlier this year, I collected money from him for an industrial blender. It has saved us so many unnecessary arguments.
Washing machine — Jimoh*, 40
Budget: ₦100-₦400°ì
My wife never had a problem doing laundry. In fact, she used to joke that she enjoyed washing clothes. But after we welcomed our first child, the laundry started piling up, and she began to nag about it. By the second month after the baby arrived, I bought a washing machine. Suddenly, the unexplained arguments stopped, and we both felt lighter. I don’t know why I waited so long to get one.
Refrigerator — Denzel*,41
Budget: ₦90-₦400°ì
I got a freezer after we got married and didn’t see the point of buying a refrigerator. My wife would complain about how long it took to thaw food, but it wasn’t a big issue. Then she got pregnant, and those complaints turned into full-on outbursts. She became increasingly frustrated by how long it took to defrost food, so I eventually bought a refrigerator for peace to reign. Thank God I did because the refrigerator became even more useful after she gave birth. Sometimes, you don’t need something stone-cold. You just need it a little chilled, and that’s where the refrigerator comes in.
Solar system — Solomon*, 31
Budget: ₦500°ì-₦3³¾
Honestly, I can’t deal with how much my wife nags about electricity. We have a generator, but we don’t use it as often anymore because of fuel prices. Before, we’d switch it on as soon as the light went out. Now, we have a schedule, and my wife hates it. She gets moody and cranky whenever there’s no light, and it gets on my nerves. Anyway, I’m saving up for solar. I know we won’t fight about electricity once we have 24-hour power.
Microwave — Fareeda*, 32
Budget: ₦60-₦200°ì
My husband works late, so the kids and I are usually asleep when he gets home. But that’s when he expects me to warm his food. It used to annoy me because sometimes I’d already be fast asleep. I’d told him to buy a microwave, but he kept stalling. It took an actual argument before he finally bought one.
Now, he comes home and warms his own food. I suspect he stalled because he enjoyed my company when he came home late. Either way, we haven’t fought about him disrupting my sleep since we got the microwave.
