I figure that it’s high time that I address outsourcing. That is, paying someone to do things that you can’t, won’t, or don’t want to do yourself.
You probably outsource a lot and don’t call it that – if you own a house, you are calling a plumber or an electrician for that type of work. If you own a car, you most likely bring it to a service station to get it maintained or fixed. You probably outsource jobs that don’t take a master’s license – like painting the interior or exterior of your house.
For some reason, though, it’s less accepted to outsource domestic work. I’m not sure why that is – if you don’t have time to do domestic work, or you rather be doing something else with your time, why shouldn’t you hire someone to do it?
Most of the working moms I know have a cleaning service – even though we still whisper about it like there is some sort of shame in the fact that we don’t have time to clean our toilets. For me, my cleaning lady is cheaper than marriage counseling, and I can say that she did save my marriage (only partly tongue in cheek). I know that the studies show that most couples fight about money, but my husband and I constantly fought about cleaning and chores – who did what, who does more, who can ignore dirty dishes longer – you get the point. My cleaning lady is a saint – she picks up and stacks all the clutter in my house and cleans all our surfaces. We would be on an episode of “Hoarders” if we didn’t have her.
Another area you can outsource is grocery shopping. In this case, you only have someone doing the picking and delivering, but you still have to do the actual shopping. But, the shopping is online, so it’s a lot quicker, especially once you have done it once or twice because you can save your lists to use again. In our area, the service is called Peapod, and it works in conjunction with the Stop & Shop grocery chain. The delivery charge is only $6.95 for over $100 of groceries. Or, you can order and pay for your groceries and pick them up at the store for $2.95. Either way, I figure you are saving a minimum of 1-2 hours for each grocery trip.
Of course, if you want to skip the groceries all together, you could do that if you outsource your meals by going out or buying take out. It’s not as outrageous as it sounds – although, it generally is much more expensive and a lot less healthy. But, I know some people who do it all the time. One of the new services is a hybrid of sorts where you pay to make your meals ahead – the service provides the groceries, the recipes, and all the utensils to put together as many meals as you want to buy, then you throw them in the freezer with the defrosting/cooking directions for a quick, weeknight dinner.
My cafeteria at work started offering a “take home” dinner once a week. I took advantage of this many times. The price was reasonable – about $20 for a main dish, side, and vegetable for 4 servings. We were a family of 5, but the portions were generous. My local “make a head meals” place has started doing this too – they have a choice every day, and the price is $24, still very reasonable when you consider what it costs to eat out, and this gives a healthier, home-made like option.
The epitome of luxury for outsourcing is getting your laundry done. There are quite a few services popping up – more in urban areas, but it’s starting to branch out in suburban areas also. Prices seem to run around $1.70 – $2.50 a pound, but that includes pick up, delivery, and folding! This may seem extravagant when you think of spending almost as much as a washing machine costs for a couple months of service, but – it’s worth considering if your life is going to take an extra busy turn. Lot’s of travel for work? New baby? Flu went through the house? Think about treating yourself to a month of not having to do the laundry.
I say, admit to yourself that you can’t do it all. Throw in the towel and outsource some of the domestic tasks that you and your spouse would like to take off your plate.
