I recently read a blog post at the Working Moms Against Guilt blog about outsourcing. Oursourcing housework, yardwork, whatever you can to provide more time with your family. This got me to thinking, "What can I outsource in order to free up some time?" I have practically NO time to myself these days. MK is still on his walker (we hope to get a good report from the doctor Wednesday and maybe he can upgrade to just a walking cane) so he can't do his own ironing and has to wear dress clothes 4-5 days a week. So, I had to iron a shirt this morning before work. On Valentine's Day. He can help with the baby to a degree but he can't carry him for me. He can stand and make a sandwich for himself but can't carry it to the table. I feel like my days consist of laundry, unloading the dishwasher, folding laundry, putting up the clean dishes, reloading the dishwasher, more laundry...I have very little time to do real cleaning, like in the bathroom which has gotten ridiculous lately. I just want to sit on my fanny for a few hours each night after work and not have to worry about everything in my house that is filthy (it's a lot).
A wise woman (my sorority "mom" in college) once told me that life is too short to clean house when you're a working mom. She hired a someone to clean her house twice a month and told me she hadn't touched a toilet brush in years and that the money she paid was well worth it. Now, I don't think we have the money to outsource my housekeeping, and Lord knows I wouldn't let anyone come in and clean it like it is right now (I would have to do a top-to-bottom scrubbing to give it a blank slate) BUT we are considering taking MK's work clothes to the cleaners for laundering. He only has a few wrinkle-free dress shirts and even then, they can still come out of the dryer not looking all that great. Some of his shirts look AWFUL even if they come straight out of the dryer to the hanger. Our closet isn't very big, so the shirts press up against each other and they don't look fresh. Even the ties need to be ironed. So, MK decided that he needs to look into getting his shirts pressed each week or every few weeks. That will be a tremendous load off my back. Even after he's healed and can do it himself, it will be a nice "extra" because I guarantee you, he'd talk me into doing it for him because he's running out of time. I don't think this will be too much of an expense, at least I hope not. I definitely want to get a house cleaner eventually but we probably can't afford it right now. Once LMW is a little older and has more activites, it's going to be even harder to clean house. Of course, he'll be big enough to help me by then, so I guess we'll see. I'm just tired of my weeknights being eat up by cleaning and feeling like I don't get anywhere and THEN having to spend the whole Saturday cleaning. It's a vicious cycle and one I don't care to continue. I know some people like to clean, and while I enjoy a clean house, I do not enjoy the process. I'd much rather hang out with my husband and play in the floor (a freshly vacuumed floor) with my son without feeling guilty.
Now, I really want someone to come clean my house so I can enjoy some time to myself every night before bed. Is that too much to ask?
Do you "outsource" anything? Does someone clean your house? Do you hire a yard guy/gal/crew? If you had the money, would you pay someone to do stuff for you?
Talk to me.
7 comments:
I would love to have a cleaning person other than me! It's just letting someone in the house that you trust while you aren't there. Ya know??? But, I would soo love it. :)The only thing that I really have trouble with is the laundry! I have no motivation to do the laundry. But, the boys are old enough to help and they do when I ask. They can even hang their own clothes! But, still....we are always behind on it, and we have no real good place to sort it, so my bathroom floor is constantly covered in piles of laundry that are ready to wash. I feel your pain. By the time the kids are in bed, I want some ME time to do what I WANT to do, not what I have to do. :)
I'm glad people outsource their house cleaning because that's what I do for a living. Only thing is I need to hire myself!
I outsource my yardwork. Well, only the front yard; my backyard is surrounded by a 6 foot tall fence and inhabited by a 130 lb dog. Landscaping back there is pointless.
But, the frontyard is mowed and trimmed by a local family (small business) that does my father's yard. (They have a couple acres, and he's getting on in years, so he can't)
Honestly, it's so much easier for me. I only have a lawnmower, I don't have the fancy tools to trim bushes etc, and I don't have the time to keep the front neat. The group is paid a fair wage for their work. I figure the money I pay them is worth my sanity and peace of mind. It lets me spend hot summer nights relaxing after a long day's work instead of stressing about the jungle that waits for me when I get home.
I say, if you have the finances to pay a fair wage to someone to even take one or two tasks of your hands, go for it. Really. And don't let anyone make you feel bad about it. Yes, you can do everything. But, why not grab a few sane moments and enjoy them with your family?
Yes! I pay a lady $65 to come every 2 weeks to clean my house. It is worth every single penny. She spends 3 hours and it is well worth my time as I usually spend 4-6 hours when I do it myself. I LOVE having my Saturdays free to spend with my family. If I weren't working full-time, then I would probably do it (or maybe not!) but it is a trade-off for me.
Our apartment is small. For the most part I can stay up on it when I want to. Will and I spend a Saturday morning a month giving it a "hard" cleaning (really scrubbing the bathroom, mopping the kitchen, etc.) I try to keep the rest picked up but it's been harder this semester with night class twice a week. I'm hoping once that class is over in 3 weeks, it will get easier.
But once I have a bigger place and work full-time and Will is working full-time I might hire someone to come once or twice a month to do the "deep clean" stuff. You just can't do it all your self. I wish my Mom would hire someone to come do her floors for her. If Will wants someone to come do the lawn, we'll do that, too. Maybe. Who knows. I think if you can afford it and it will save your sanity, go for it!
I love all your comments! Yeah, I think it's worth my sanity to get someone in here a few times a month for the hard stuff. We can't do it right now, but maybe shortly in the future. MK has started to get more hours at work so maybe after we've paid off some things, we can find someone who cleans houses to come do ours some. But for right now, having the dress shirts done at the cleaners will surely help!
Thanks for your input!
We outsource our laundry. I did it myself for a while and the time suck made me really angry. I was throwing away all that time on my weekend. It's totally worth the money of having the service do it and enjoying my weekend more.
I do most of my apartment-cleaning on the weekends though! I can't justify a house-cleaner for our sub-400 square foot apartment.
I also hire a dog walker. It's a big source of grief lifted off our backs if we want to go out after work instead of rushing home to take her out.
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