Now we're asking ourselves what we need to do to readjust. But a lot of Americans say they've had it trying to keep up with a super-neat Martha Stewartesque vision of the world. Those standards were ubiquitous and, more importantly, affordable at the peak of the '90s boom. But experts say the ideal of a sparkling home was fading well before today's barrage of grim economic news. But nowadays, working couples just have to make some hard choices.
Housework is something that can give.
So don't be surprised if your neighbors' homes start to look something like the Gravitts' Halifax, Va., home, which the couple admits is less than pristine. And Seattle residents Dan and Ingrid Lee say they have to get up at 5 a.m. just to go to work, giving them barely enough time to keep up with all the hairs from their golden retriever. Indeed, today's messy homes are often the product of the growing pressures in dual-working households. Kids have busier schedules and more homework these days, so they can't help parents as much. Houses today are bigger than ever before, while the average household size has shrunk from four people to 2.6 since the mid-'60s.