15 Ridiculous Things Couples Argue About Again And Again—It’s Not Just You

15 Ridiculous Things Couples Argue About Again And Again—It’s Not Just You

Every couple has their greatest hits—those silly disputes that keep coming back. Here’s a collection of the most absurd yet oddly universal arguments that couples can’t seem to shake.

1. Shoe Storage

couple in an argument shouting

Your front entry has become a minefield of randomly discarded shoes, despite the perfectly good shoe rack you purchased. Your partner’s definition of “organized chaos” involves creating modern art installations with boots and sneakers. The weekly shoe roundup has become a sport in your household. You’ve started photographing the shoe mess as evidence in your ongoing storage disputes. Your attempts at implementing a one-pair-per-person rule have failed spectacularly.

The shoe rack sits empty while shoes migrate mysteriously throughout the house. You’ve created detailed diagrams showing optimal shoe placement strategies. Your partner claims their method creates “easy access” while you see only hazards. Your guests have learned to navigate the shoe maze like parkour artists. The phrase “I’ll put them away later” has lost all meaning. You’ve considered installing stadium-style shoe lockers just to end the madness.

2. TV Volume

The TV volume fluctuates more than the stock market as you battle between “I can barely hear it” and “the neighbors are going to complain.” Your partner turns up the volume during quiet scenes and forgets to turn it down when the action starts. You’ve memorized every streaming service’s audio settings menu. The remote has become a weapon of mass disruption. Commercial breaks trigger a panic dive for volume control.

You’ve started using subtitles just to avoid the volume dance. Your partner insists different shows need different volume levels, creating a complex mathematical formula. The neighbors know your TV-watching schedule by sound alone. “Why is it so loud?” has become your catchphrase. You’ve invested in fancy speakers that somehow made the problem worse. You’ve considered separate viewing rooms as a solution to maintain auditory peace—something you might actually want to do because according to Roku, this is one of the most common causes of TV-based arguments.

3. House Temperature

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One of you is bundled up in winter clothes indoors while the other lounges in shorts, perfectly comfortable. The thermostat has become a silent battlefield, with each of you secretly adjusting it when the other isn’t looking (according to Smart Energy International, 75% of Americans argue over the thermostat). You’ve started keeping track of the electric bill like a forensic accountant, pointing out suspicious spikes in energy usage. Your friends are tired of hearing about your detailed analysis of optimal room temperatures. Your partner has developed stealth in adjusting the temperature without making the telltale clicking sound.

You’ve both downloaded weather apps and started citing scientific studies about productivity and temperature ranges. Your families have taken sides in this ongoing dispute, with your mom sending you thermal pajamas and your partner’s dad installing a smart thermostat during his last visit. The delivery person knows you by name because of all the blanket orders. A couples therapist once tried to mediate this issue and gave up after twenty minutes. You’ve considered moving to a different climate zone just to end this debate.

4. Phone Scrolling Habits

You catch each other mindlessly scrolling through phones during dinner, movies, and conversations, (also known as “phubbing,” according to Healthline) leading to passive-aggressive coughing and pointed stares. Both of you have mastered the art of the fake phone-down, where the screen stays visible just enough to catch notifications. You’ve started timing each other’s social media sessions like judges. Your partner claims they’re “just checking something quick” that somehow always turns into a 45-minute TikTok marathon.

You’ve tried setting designated phone-free times, but they mysteriously coincide with breaking news or viral moments. Each of you believes the other is the worst offender, keeping detailed mental logs of screen time violations. The “Do you want me to repeat what I just said?” question has become a daily occurrence. Your shared photos folder is full of secretly taken pictures of each other staring at phones. You’ve both downloaded screen time tracking apps to prove your point. The phrase “just five more minutes” has lost all meaning in your relationship.

5. Loading The Dishwasher

As noted in Today, Bosch home appliances surveyed that the dishwasher issue is a top point of contention for most couples.  And your partner? They load the dishwasher like they’re playing a chaotic game of Jenga, while you have a precise system that makes perfect sense. Every cup, plate, and utensil placement becomes grounds for debate and reorganization. You’ve caught yourself rearranging dishes at midnight, convinced that bowls don’t belong on the bottom rack. Your partner has started documenting instances where your “superior” loading technique resulted in unclean dishes.

The situation has escalated to the point where you both take photos of successfully cleaned loads to prove your method works better. Family members have learned not to help with dishes after dinner to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. You’ve bookmarked multiple YouTube videos demonstrating “correct” dishwasher loading techniques. The instruction manual has become required bedtime reading. Your housewarming gifts to friends now always include passive-aggressive notes about proper dish placement. The highlight of your week is proving that your partner’s spoon orientation choice led to water pooling.

6. Bedtime Behavior

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One of you needs complete silence and darkness to sleep while the other scrolls through their phone at full brightness. The negotiation over bedtime has turned into a nightly diplomatic summit. Your partner’s “just 20 more minutes” of reading has mysteriously expanded into hours. The sound of late-night snacking has become a source of tension that echoes through the bedroom. You’ve started tracking each other’s bedtime habits like sleep scientists gathering data.

Your collection of sleep masks and earplugs could stock a small pharmacy. The passive-aggressive sighs and tossing have developed their own complex language. Your different sleep schedules have led to elaborate compromises involving multiple rooms. The bedroom temperature debate resurfaces every night like clockwork. Your friends have started taking bets on whose bedtime routine will win out.

7. Hair Cleanup

The bathroom drain has become a DNA collection site for your combined shedding habits. Your partner’s ability to leave perfect hair circles on the shower wall defies physics. The drain snake has become your most-used bathroom tool, requiring weekly expeditions. You’ve started documenting hair patterns like a forensic investigator. The phrase “Whose hair is this?” has lost all investigative value.

The shower walls look like abstract art installations after your partner’s hair-wiping technique. You’ve developed a complex system of drain guards that somehow still fail. The morning rush has turned into a game of “dodge the hair piles” and your cleaning schedule now revolves around hair removal strategies. You’ve considered shaving your heads just to end the debate. The bathroom garbage has more hair than your local salon.

8. Grocery Store Strategy

couple grocery shopping together

Your carefully crafted shopping list gets immediately derailed by your partner’s “intuitive” approach to grocery shopping. You move through the store with military precision, while they zigzag between aisles like a pinball machine. The weekly grocery trip takes twice as long because you have to backtrack to the aisles you’ve already visited. Your partner’s spontaneous additions to the cart have created a stockpile of exotic ingredients that never get used.

Your attempts to implement a standardized shopping route have been met with rebellion and random cart abandonment. You’ve started drawing store maps with optimized paths, while they insist on “feeling the vibe” of each aisle. The receipt-checking ritual has become a weekly audit of unauthorized purchases. Your partner claims your rigid shopping style kills the joy of discovery, while you calculate the minutes wasted on their “explorations.” The frozen section has become the final battleground, where time is of the essence. Going to different stores has been proposed as a solution to maintain domestic harmony.

9. Leftovers

The fridge has become a science experiment in food preservation timing. Your partner’s “I’ll eat that tomorrow” promises have created a graveyard of forgotten meals. The smell of mystery containers has led to elaborate dating systems. You’ve started writing passive-aggressive notes on containers like “Day 5—Still Edible?” Your definition of “still good” differs wildly from your partner’s iron stomach approach.

The weekly fridge clean-out resembles an archaeological dig. You’ve created a complex color-coding system for leftover containers that your partner completely ignores. The phrase “when did we eat this?” echoes through your kitchen daily. Your friends refuse to take home leftovers from dinner parties due to your intense labeling requirements. You’ve installed a whiteboard on the fridge to track expiration dates. The “sniff test” has become grounds for relationship counseling.

9. Open Cabinets

Your kitchen looks like a poltergeist visited every time your partner cooks. Open cabinet doors create an obstacle course that rivals American Ninja Warrior. You’ve started counting open cabinets like some people count sheep. The phrase “Were you raised in a barn?” has become your daily mantra. Your forehead has developed a sixth sense for detecting open cabinet corners.

You’ve installed soft-close hinges that your partner somehow defeats. The sound of cabinets being left open triggers your eye-twitch reflex. Your security camera footage is just a timeline of cabinet door positions. You’ve created a map tracking the most frequently abandoned doors. The kitchen resembles a dollhouse with all its rooms exposed and it’s driving you up the wall.

10. Food Disposal

Woman,Taking,Garbage,Bag,From,Trash,Bin,In,Kitchen

The garbage disposal has become a source of theological debate in your household. Your partner’s definition of “disposable” includes items that could survive nuclear war. The phrase “that doesn’t go in there” has become your kitchen catchphrase. You’ve started categorizing food scraps like a waste management professional. The disposal repair person knows you by name.

Your annotated list of disposal-safe items has been completely ignored. You’ve discovered creative ways to fish out lemon rinds and chicken bones. The trash-versus-disposal decision tree has more branches than a family genealogy. Your partner’s solution to every food scrap is “just grind it longer.” The disposal has developed new sounds you didn’t know were possible and the weekly drain cleaning has become an archaeological dig.

11. Lights

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Your partner treats light switches like optional suggestions in home decor. Empty rooms glow like Christmas displays while your electricity bill reaches new heights. You’ve started documenting light patterns like a private investigator. You find yourself uttering the phrase “Did you grow up in a lighthouse?” more often than not. Your evening routine includes a light-switch scavenger hunt.

You’ve installed motion sensors that somehow made the problem worse. The monthly electricity bill review has turned into a criminal investigation. Your partner claims they’re “creating ambiance” in rooms they left hours ago. You’ve developed a complex system of sticky notes reminding everyone to turn off lights. The neighbors think you’re running a bed and breakfast. You’ve considered installing blackout curtains just to hide your illuminated shame from the street.

12. Kitchen Counter Mess

sad man in kitchen looking down

The definition of “clean” has become a philosophical debate in your household. Your partner’s habit of leaving dishes “to soak” has turned into an archaeological expedition. The kitchen counter has become a timeline of meals past, with each item telling its own story. You’ve started documenting the migration patterns of dirty cups throughout the house.

Your passive-aggressive cleaning sessions have developed their own soundtrack. The sight of a knife left on the cutting board can trigger an hour-long discussion about responsibility. You’ve created detailed maps of where things belong, complete with color coding. Your friends have stopped coming over for dinner to avoid choosing sides. The “clean as you go” versus “clean at the end” debate rages on. Your kitchen has more labels than a filing cabinet.

13. Driving

couple in an argument in a car

Your partner’s “I know a shortcut” has never once resulted in a shorter trip. The GPS has become a third party in your relationship, mediating directional disputes. You’ve started keeping track of arrival times to prove your route superiority and you have banned the phrase “you should have turned back there.” Your backseat driving has evolved into an art form.

Your partner’s refusal to admit they’re lost has turned quick trips into cross-country adventures. The car has become a rolling debate stage for processing directions. You’ve developed a complex sign language to point out turns without speaking. Your friends have started taking separate cars to avoid the navigation drama. The mileage tracker has become evidence in route efficiency arguments. You’ve considered hiring a professional driver just to end the debate.

14. Weekend Plans

Every Friday turns into a strategic negotiation between your need for planned activities and their spontaneous approach. Your shared calendar has more color codes than a paint store. Your partner’s idea of “playing it by ear” gives you mild anxiety attacks. The idea of ” let’s just see how we feel” has become your personal nightmare. You’ve started planning spontaneous time slots to accommodate both styles.

Your friends have learned to send event invites weeks in advance to avoid the planning chaos. The Sunday afternoon has become a battlefield between structured activities and free-form relaxation. Your perfectly timed weekend schedule regularly gets derailed by their sudden inspirations. Your “suggestion” list for free time has grown longer than your actual plans. The compromise of “structured spontaneity” has become your relationship’s greatest innovation. Planning meetings about not planning have become a regular occurrence.

15. Toilet Paper Orientation

pulling toilet paper on toilet

The over-under debate has survived longer than some of your friendships. You’ve both secretly adjusted the roll when the other isn’t looking. The bathroom has become a passive-aggressive battleground of toilet paper ideology. You’ve created PowerPoint presentations about optimal paper dispensing. Your partner has started documenting instances where your preferred method led to paper waste.

The guest bathroom has become a neutral zone with experimental sideways mounting. You’ve caught each other taking photos of public restrooms to prove your point. Every single person who’s ever been to your house has taken a side in this ongoing dispute. Historical evidence and patent drawings have been cited in heated debates. You’ve considered installing multiple holders to maintain peace.

Natasha is a seasoned lifestyle journalist and editor based in New York City. Originally from Sydney, during a a stellar two-decade career, she has reported on the latest lifestyle news and trends for major media brands including Elle and Grazia. Natasha now writes and directs content for Bolde Media, publishers of Bolde, Star Candy, Style Files, Psych Love and Earth Animals.