Today is No Housework Day!

Happy No Housework Day! This is a day set aside to let the dishes pile up, to not take out the garbage, and to just let the dirty laundry sit there in the hamper. As any mom knows, actually taking a day off from all housework is just going to lead to mass mayhem and more work to do on Monday morning, but there are still some ways that you can reduce the amount of housework that you do just for today! Here are a few hints and tips:

• Use paper plates just for today. I know, they’re not the most environmentally friendly option, but it will cut down on the number of dishes that you’ll need to wash! Serve easy-to-clean foods, like sandwiches, cut up fruit, boiled hot dogs, frozen microwave-in-the-bag veggies, and sliced cheese and crackers. At the end of each meal, throw out the paper plates and don’t feel guilty!
• If not doing laundry for a day will put you behind, get up early and start one load. When it’s done, switch it into the dryer and then just let it sit there until you can fold it tomorrow. Another option is to do a load of towels, which makes folding a breeze; let your kids fold and put them away, and you won’t have to bother with them tomorrow.
• Have your husband or older child take out the garbage. It’s not worth it to let it sit overnight, especially if you’re throwing food scraps in there that will start to smell if left overnight! Make sure that you take care of other potentially stinky chores, too, like scooping the cat’s litter box and cleaning out the garbage disposal.
• Make plans to go out for the day. If your family isn’t home, then no one will be making any messes. Plan to spend the day at a museum, a park, fishing, the movie theater, or somewhere else where you won’t need to clean up after everyone!
• If your kids are off for spring break next week, then feel free to skip bathtime tonight! You can just relax and have them get into their pajamas, then bathe them in the morning or tomorrow night instead. This won’t work if they have school in the morning and they’re not old enough to bathe themselves, but if you can skip this part of the bedtime routine and it won’t disrupt the kids too much, then go ahead and do it!
• Don’t go overboard. Just remember that you’ll need to deal with the mess at some point. While toys in the living room left overnight won’t hurt anything (unless you step on Legos while barefoot on a middle-of-the-night trek to the bathroom!), piled up dishes get yucky fast when left overnight. Do as little as possible, but keep in mind the potential for a bigger mess tomorrow!

Can you think of other ways to skirt housework for the day? Share your tips with our readers!