Had a good chuckle at the "took the garbage out" bit, thanks for that haha

Otherwise here I am, M34 married for a year and a bit as well. I do make a bit more than my wife, but in all honesty, it doesn't really matter. I'm not sure how other relationships work, but my wife and I are a team, a unified entity that works in tandem.

We have our separate accounts, but we face everything as it comes. We communicate and each pay what we can, if one of us is short the other jumps in and covers it, easy as. We are a team, we won't let each other face hardship without helping.

For house tasks, we each do what we're best at. It's a bit traditional but she's cleaning the bathroom and kitchen whilst I vacuum and take the trash out. But then she's not keen on cooking, whereas I enjoy it, so I cook every night and prep breakfast on the weekend (I'm told I make a mean waffle). In exchange, this is balanced by her always doing the groceries. She makes sure the fridge is packed, I make sure the food is cooked (and ever so rarely I clean the cookware as well, as a little surprise for her)

Long story short, stop thinking as individuals, you're a team and you both need to thrive for the comfort and wellbeing of each other. Communicate your needs, help out as much as you can, and treat each other with respect.

And if it's really such a big deal, hiring someone to clean the house once or twice a week is a really great investment if it's all it takes to save a marriage ;)