October 14, 1998

Board of Directors
Household International, Inc.
2700 Sanders Road
Prospect Heights, Illinois  60070

Re: Household International, Inc. and Household International Netherlands 
    B.V. Registration Statement on Form S-3, for the Senior Notes and 
    Warrants to Purchase Senior Notes and unconditional guarantees as to 
    repayment of up to $500 million of Senior Notes

Gentlemen:

As Vice President-Corporate Law and Assistant Secretary of Household 
International, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Household"), I am generally 
familiar with the proceedings in connection with the Registration Statement 
on Form S-3 in which Senior Notes and Warrants to Purchase Senior Notes of up 
to $500,000,000 aggregate principal amount (the "Senior Notes") of Household 
International Netherlands B.V. ("HINBV"), a subsidiary of Household, and 
unconditional guarantees (the "Guarantees") of Household are being 
registered.  The Senior Notes and Guarantees will be issuable under an 
Indenture dated as of September 1, 1998, among Household, HINBV and The First 
National Bank of Chicago, as Trustee (the "FNBC Indenture"), or an Indenture 
dated as of September 1, 1998, among Household, HINBV and The Chase Manhattan 
Bank, as Trustee (the "Chase Indenture").  The foregoing indentures, or forms 
thereof, have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the 
"Commission") as exhibits to the Registration Statement.

Based upon my review of the records and documents of Household, I am of the 
opinion that:  

    1.  Household is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing 
        under the laws of the State of Delaware.  


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October 14, 1998
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    2.  HINBV is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under 
        the laws of the Netherlands.

    3.  The FNBC and Chase Indentures have been duly authorized, executed and 
        delivered by Household and HINBV, and constitute valid and legally 
        binding instruments of Household and HINBV, enforceable in accordance 
        with their terms against each respective corporation, except as 
        enforcement of the provisions thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, 
        insolvency, reorganization or other laws relating to or affecting the 
        enforcement of creditors' rights or by general principles of equity 
        (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a 
        proceeding in equity or at law).

    4.  When the issuance of Senior Notes and Warrants to Purchase Senior 
        Notes has been duly authorized by the appropriate corporate action of 
        HINBV, and such Senior Notes and Warrants to Purchase Senior Notes 
        have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against 
        payment of the agreed consideration therefor in accordance with the 
        appropriate Indenture or Warrant Agreement and as described in the 
        Registration Statement, including the Prospectus and any Prospectus 
        Supplement relating to such Senior Notes and Warrants to Purchase 
        Senior Notes, the Senior Notes, Warrants to Purchase Senior Notes and 
        Guarantees will each be legally and validly issued and will be the 
        legal and binding obligations of HINBV and Household, respectively, 
        enforceable in accordance with their terms, except as enforcement of 
        the provisions thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, 
        reorganization or other laws relating to or affecting the enforcement 
        of creditors' rights or by general principles of equity (regardless 
        of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in 
        equity or at law).  

I hereby consent to the use of my name and my opinion in the Prospectus, 
Preliminary Prospectus and any Prospectus Supplement filed pursuant to Rule 
424 or 430A of Regulation C of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended 
("Act"), in connection with the above referenced Registration Statement filed 
with the Commission on or about October 14, 1998, 



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October 14, 1998
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including any references to my opinions set forth in the documents 
incorporated by reference therein, and to the filing of this opinion as an 
exhibit to said Registration Statement.  In giving such consent I do not 
admit that I am in the category of persons whose consent is required under 
Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission 
thereunder.  

Very truly yours,



John W. Blenke