What jobs would you hire out...

[RiverRock]

...if you could.

I continue to work more and more outside of the home, but the home still requires a lot of me. I love the work I do, but I just can't do it all. I'm looking for ways to lessen my load, but it is hard because dh and I have always been resourceful (cheap ;)), capable, and hard-working.

Brainstorm with me. What should I consider hiring out?

[mipennsn]

A house cleaner every couple of weeks.

We just got grocery delivery in our area in the last month. So tempting.

[charla]

Kitchen and bath cleaning hands down - those are the things that most bog me down. I don't have the money to do so, but if I did, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[Virginia]

Cooking, vacuuming, decluttering :shifty


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[WanderingJuniper]

Cleaning
Meal planning and grocery shopping

[bananacake]

Yard work.

[RiverRock]

I'll compile all the awesome ideas into one list and add a few of my own:

House Cleaner

Cleaning Specific Areas (i.e. only kitchen and bathrooms, or detail cleaning like oven, fridge, floor under w/d, baseboards, dusting ceiling fan, etc.)

Grocery Delivery

Cooking (with my recipes)

Vacuuming

Decluttering/Organizing

Meal Planning

Cleaning (other than inside the house?)

Shopping (grocery or other)

Yard Work/Lawn Mowing

Landscaping

Homework Help/Tutor

Driving Kids to Activities

Painting

Interior Designer

"Jack-of-all-trades" to Complete a "Honey-do" List

Plant Maintenance (repotting, fertilizing, steaming, dusting)

Service Calls to the Professionals for Minor Repairs (i.e. garage door, indoor vacuum, window blinds)

Someone to Help with Food Prep and Assist with Batch Cooking

Sewing

Ironing

Homeschooling Help

Recycling (sorting, pick-up and drop-off)

Garbage Dump Pick-up/Delivery

Laundry

Personal Assistant

[Aerynne]

detail cleaning (not the weekly stuff- cleaning the oven, fridge, floor under the w/d, baseboards, dusting ceiling fan, etc.)

cooking (with my recipes)

some homeschooling :shifty

[twentysixcats]

In order...
* Educating my children :shifty
* Cleaning (someone to mop/vacuum my floors and clean bathrooms and kitchen)
* Yardwork (at least the mowing, but I wish I had the money to have an actual landscape person maintain my yard for a few years to get it looking less terrible! we just moved to a new house and it's been mostly neglected)

And less routine jobs... I wish I could hire out handyman tasks instead of waiting around for DH to get to them. I also want to hire an interior decorator to help me pick out stuff like paint colors and lighting.

---------- Post added at 07:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:40 PM ----------

Oh yes! Driving kids to activities :yes :)

[RiverRock]

Great ideas. I updated the above list and added recycling sorting and drop-off. My city has a bazillion recycling categories and I am starting to get grouchy about it!

[charla]

If money was absolutely no object, I would hire someone to come in and renovate my house properly - new flooring, wallpaper down, paint, new trim, new windows, new wiring, insulation, etc. I would love for Chip and Joanna Gaines to come and do it for me!!!

[Soliloquy]

I'd start by seeing what's available. Some of the things on your list not not be available or within your budget.

House cleaning and yard work is available almost everywhere.

[Victorious]

I've started using our grocery delivery (Shipt). It takes a HUUUGE load off. I can just put stuff in my cart as I notice we're out and I can meal plan and "shop" at the same time. The last time I grocery shopped in the store, it took over 2 hours! It's also majorly cut out the, "Oh, I've forgotten something, I'll swing by the store" nearly every day after work.

[RiverRock]

I'd start by seeing what's available. Some of the things on your list not not be available or within your budget.


The list can be a master list for anyone. For me the only things that I don't think are available are plant maintenance and someone to make meals using family recipes in the home (there was someone who has a stellar reputation with this, but she recently moved to another city far away). However, my hairdresser told me about a catering company that she hired that used her recipes. Interesting that the answer to home cooked meals is a little bit outside the box from mobile chef. :think

None of my dk are currently homeschooled, and I actually do this for other families. I teach homeschooled kids art in my studio and in their homes according to their needs. My 17yo could use a math tutor, though.

When my kids were younger I had a mother's helper who would help me with food prep. Really my kids should be helping me more but micro-managing them too much is not worth the effort if I'm looking for help to lessen my stress. I didn't work outside the home for about 10 years so all the money I make is extra and therefore any, but not all, ;) of those items can be within budget.

I did hire a housecleaner this summer and she comes every other week. It was not an easy process, though. I tried a few different cleaners before I found a good fit. She has only been twice so far, but I think it will work and I am happy for that. She will stay for an extra 1-2 hours to help with extra things if I arrange it in advance. I should take her up on this. :tu

This brings me to a problem that I do have. If I need to be home waiting for the service provider/trades worker or throughout the time that they are working then I might get irritated...especially if they don't show up on the day that was arranged.

[JessicaTX]

I pay my kids $10 a week to clean the house. They do a great job =D

[RiverRock]

I've started using our grocery delivery (Shipt). It takes a HUUUGE load off. I can just put stuff in my cart as I notice we're out and I can meal plan and "shop" at the same time. The last time I grocery shopped in the store, it took over 2 hours! It's also majorly cut out the, "Oh, I've forgotten something, I'll swing by the store" nearly every day after work.

This approach sounds amazing to me. We have a local store that will deliver for a fee (prime times are a bit pricier than less desirable times), or you can pick up the groceries for no extra charge. I work close to the store that offers pick-up twice a week. Leaving the cart open and completing the transaction at the last minute might work well for me.

I pay my kids $10 a week to clean the house. They do a great job =D

My dk do some jobs for $ and other jobs because they are part of the family. My youngest always does what is asked without a fuss, I have another who puts up quite a fuss. The other two seem to be busier so less gets asked of them. I don't want to load more onto the youngest only because he is available and willing...but I could offer him more paid jobs. I think that's a good idea.

I think my biggest hurdle with hiring help is giving up control. A close second is feeling like I'm "wasting" money even if I can afford it. Having limited time and energy is a tough reality to accept.

[Aerynne]

[QUOTE=charla;6106827]If money was absolutely no object, I would hire someone to come in and renovate my house properly - new flooring, wallpaper down, paint, new trim, new windows, new wiring, insulation, etc. I would love for Chip and Joanna Gaines to come and do it for me!!![/QUOTE

Oh, is this a choice? I would totally do it. Also I would hire someone who was super detail oriented to move all my stuff for the renovators, including packing it up and then putting it back after. And I'd eat out a lot during renovations.

[RiverRock]

[QUOTE=charla;6106827]If money was absolutely no object, I would hire someone to come in and renovate my house properly - new flooring, wallpaper down, paint, new trim, new windows, new wiring, insulation, etc. I would love for Chip and Joanna Gaines to come and do it for me!!![/QUOTE

Oh, is this a choice? I would totally do it. Also I would hire someone who was super detail oriented to move all my stuff for the renovators, including packing it up and then putting it back after. And I'd eat out a lot during renovations.

You can all dream whatever dreams you want. I was just folding laundry and thinking about Charla's post, realizing that home renovation is too big of a dream for me at this time. :shrug3 :yes

:idea

Hey, laundry hasn't been added to the list. I don't mind doing laundry (it's often a break from less enjoyable jobs for me), but I know others complain about this.

---------- Post added at 07:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:12 PM ----------

A number of articles came out this past summer about research on the correlation of happiness and hiring help. This topic has been on my mind since reading about this. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/science/study-happy-save-money-time.html?mcubz=0

[gerberadaisy]

cleaning
laundry
decluttering/organizing
decorating
Maybe grocery shopping & cooking but probably not

[Sweet Life]

[QUOTE=charla;6106827]If money was absolutely no object, I would hire someone to come in and renovate my house properly - new flooring, wallpaper down, paint, new trim, new windows, new wiring, insulation, etc. I would love for Chip and Joanna Gaines to come and do it for me!!![/QUOTE

Oh, is this a choice? I would totally do it. Also I would hire someone who was super detail oriented to move all my stuff for the renovators, including packing it up and then putting it back after. And I'd eat out a lot during renovations.

Yes. This.

And a personal masseuse. While the nanny is out with the children. And my house is already spotlessly clean. :rockon

[Soliloquy]

A number of articles came out this past summer about research on the correlation of happiness and hiring help. This topic has been on my mind since reading about this. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/science/study-happy-save-money-time.html?mcubz=0

I believe this. I absolutely believe I would be a happier mom if I could hire a weekly housekeeper.

[Earthmummy07]

Putting away the clean laundry! Washing machine, drying and folding is no issue but getting it back in the draws seems impossible :scratch so I bribe pay my 10yo to do it

[WanderingJuniper]

Personal assistant.
I would have that person meal plan and food prep.
Wait for other services as needed.
Make appointments/return mundane phone calls/ do school paperwork stuff
Track my schedule and family schedule.
Clean as needed.
Ooh, fold and put away my laundry. For some reason I get it folded but stall at putting it away.

I personally find taxiiing my kids stressful but it is also such a bonding time because they talk talk talk in the car. For now I would not pass that on because it will be gone before I know it.

[RiverRock]

I personally find taxiiing my kids stressful but it is also such a bonding time because they talk talk talk in the car. For now I would not pass that on because it will be gone before I know it.

I agree. I wouldn't give up the driving right now either. :heart

[Lena O.]

Mowing and doing dishes.

[ViolaMum]

Picking up after my husband :shifty

Honestly, I've told my dh for years that the one thing I would do if I could afford it is hire a house cleaner. He, of course, thinks that's an extravagant waste of money. (But that's because he doesn't clean. :rolleyes) What I really, truly need help with is getting everybody to pick up their own things so that I can actually CLEAN the surfaces. That and dishes. The dishes kill me.

I think a professional organizer would be well worth the money, too. I need better systems for most things, and to get rid of stuff we're not using.

[knitlove]

I believe this. I absolutely believe I would be a happier mom if I could hire a weekly housekeeper.The first year I home schooled I had a house cleaning crew they came in for an hour every two weeks. It was amazing! I was definitely a better mom and more relaxed teacher because of it. I am hoping that we can make it work in the budget again.

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[RiverRock]

The master list so far....

House Cleaner

Cleaning Specific Areas (i.e. only kitchen and bathrooms, or detail cleaning like oven, fridge, floor under w/d, baseboards, dusting ceiling fan, etc.)

Grocery Delivery

Cooking (with my recipes)

Vacuuming

Decluttering/Organizing

Meal Planning

Cleaning (other than inside the house?)

Shopping (grocery or other)

Yard Work/Lawn Mowing

Landscaping

Homework Help/Tutor

Driving Kids to Activities

Painting

Interior Designer

"Jack-of-all-trades" to Complete a "Honey-do" List

Plant Maintenance (repotting, fertilizing, steaming, dusting)

Service Calls to the Professionals for Minor Repairs (i.e. garage door, indoor vacuum, window blinds)

Someone to Help with Food Prep and Assist with Batch Cooking

Sewing

Ironing

Homeschooling Help

Recycling (sorting, pick-up and drop-off)

Garbage Dump Pick-up/Delivery

Laundry

Personal Assistant

Physiotherapist/Personal Trainer

Window Washing

Blind Cleaning

Power Washing (outside areas)




---------- Post added at 01:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:16 PM ----------

Picking up after my husband :shifty



Yes! And I am sure that my dk follow my dh's example. :sigh

[Soliloquy]

Picking up after my husband :shifty

Honestly, I've told my dh for years that the one thing I would do if I could afford it is hire a house cleaner. He, of course, thinks that's an extravagant waste of money. (But that's because he doesn't clean. :rolleyes) What I really, truly need help with is getting everybody to pick up their own things so that I can actually CLEAN the surfaces.

This is me, too. My dh doesn't think a house cleaner is a waste (it won't fit into our budget, though) but he wants that person to pick up after him. I explained to him it doesn't work that way. They don't pick up, they CLEAN. He has a hard time remembering there's a difference.

As I've gotten older and our family has gotten bigger, I've become ruthless out of necessity. I throw things away if people won't put them away.

[RiverRock]

As I've gotten older and our family has gotten bigger, I've become ruthless out of necessity. I throw things away if people won't put them away.

This sounds nicer than what I had been doing. :bag If shoes were left on the middle of the step into the house I would throw them clear across the garage. Yes I knew I was being immature, but I was also so tired of repeating myself about this and I had experienced many near falls from those tripping hazards. Interestingly, shoes are rarely left on the step now.

---------- Post added at 04:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:02 PM ----------

I just checked out grocery delivery and the prices have gone up! It's 10-15 USD per delivery, depending on time of day...and the only cheap time is late evening. :yawn Pick-up is still free at any time of the day, so I am going to try to do that this week.

[Aerynne]

Another one- I would hire a physical therapist to exercise with me daily- not just give me exercises. I am not detail-oriented enough to get stuff exactly right so I need someone watching me every time.

[RiverRock]

If I had already paid in advance, I would definitely have more incentive to work out!

However, thinking about a personal trainer leads to me thinking about a dietician and honestly I start to feel anxious. I started this post to brainstorm ways to make my life easier and not to add more busyness. Everyone can dream their own dreams in this thread;), but I need to look for ways to simplify and/or delegate household tasks. Either that, or I will need to work less. :shrug3

As much as I want and need to exercise, I think another weekly appointment would be too much for me. I already have plans to go to the gym while my dk are at nearby activities, even if I just sit on an exercise bike to read a book.

[Aerynne]

:hug2 Didn't mean to be overwhelming. For me exercise is a very real need now that will make my life easier because what I need the most is not more time, but more energy and less pain, and I think exercise can give me that and make the rest of my day easier so that overall I get more done. But I didn't mean to overwhelm you- we are all in different situations and I totally get that making you anxious. :hug2

[ECingMama]

If the item you want to go to the dump had even a tiny bit of metal, there might be someone who will come get it for free.

We were thrilled when someone wanted our scrap metal, even though I didn't even know what was metal on object.

I just left it on driveway. It was gone that day.

[Soliloquy]

Lots of personal trainers do Skype, now. It's much cheaper than paying for someone to come to your house.

[ECingMama]

A few of the items on your list look perfect for 10-15 year olds to do. (vacuuming/repotting plants were the first ones I noticed.....I throw a fit every time I see how much people are paying young kids/young teens for this kind of thing. I would LOVE to send my dd over to someone else's house as a job where she vacuums and is paid $3 an hour to start. And she would still think that would good money. :shrug3 Vacuuming isn't something that requires supervision, so it wouldn't be an extra job for you. *I* would even be willing to walk my dd to someone's house and pick her back up after I walk with my other two kids.)

Can someone on GCM who is great at organizing help you via skype?

The Trim Healthy Mama meal planner site is AMAZING. It's free for 30 days with purchase of their newest cookbook. I've cooked 390/420 of the recipes in their first book, and I thought 380 were good/great! (I'm counting all the little variations in the first book b/c I am cooking all of them.)

I know you want your recipes, buuuuuutttt; I'm telling you. They are fantastic. They were raw vegans for years but are full on meat eaters now. Low carb. So the recipes are full of veggies! The FB groups have great ideas on how to sub whatever sweetener you want if you don't want to use stevia.

The baking blend is easy to make.

http://www.meanderingwithmeg.com/trim-healthy-mama-homemade-baking-blend-recipe-fp/

I bought my oat fiber on netrition.

[Sparrow]

To fold and put away all the laundry

To clean up the messes I make cleaning

To clean my floors twice a week

Then I'd be a happy girl!

[RiverRock]

The master list is everyone's suggestions from the thread, and doesn't necessarily reflect my needs and desires. I need to decide what I'm willing to let go of if I want to maintain or increase my workload.

---------- Post added at 10:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:53 PM ----------



To clean up the messes I make cleaning

Oh my, this would be amazing! I often don't have the energy or motivation for the last 5% of a job.

[ThreeKids]

My sister has a high school girl come in to guide the kids through homework and that helps a ton. This girl has had some of the same teachers, that would be awesome.

Driving, driving, driving, even when I'm in the vehicle. (And I do for times I'm at work, but I'm weary of so much of my time "off" being consumed by it.)

Organizing ds's homework. We get a lot of help from the school figuring out what the homework is, but I still get it wrong because I'm bad at figuring it out, too.

Cleaning, which I do, but not enough.

Cooking or picking up food somewhere

Grocery shopping

Decluttering

Taking the girls to girly movies. I actually keep thinking of ways to ask my friend to do that when she's babysitting.

One note. And I'm saying this in having looked for help at my own home, to take care of my parents and our team at work trying to hire a new person, all jobs that pay far more than someone would get in most other jobs so lack of incentive to keep the job isn't an issue here. The economy is good. A lot of the workers who would be good and competent and who act with a modicum of professionalism are already hired.

It's a lot of fuss to try to get someone to do things in your house the way you want and it is looking like this "who is left to hire in a good economy" issue means trying to direct the work of "who is left" involves drama, people who can't be told to do it a different way or better without being hurt or "victimized". That's why hiring a student who has a good excuse to be available or using an agency, where there's no drama in asking for a different worker, is a good option right now.

[RiverRock]

One note. And I'm saying this in having looked for help at my own home, to take care of my parents and our team at work trying to hire a new person, all jobs that pay far more than someone would get in most other jobs so lack of incentive to keep the job isn't an issue here. The economy is good. A lot of the workers who would be good and competent and who act with a modicum of professionalism are already hired.

It's a lot of fuss to try to get someone to do things in your house the way you want and it is looking like this "who is left to hire in a good economy" issue means trying to direct the work of "who is left" involves drama, people who can't be told to do it a different way or better without being hurt or "victimized". That's why hiring a student who has a good excuse to be available or using an agency, where there's no drama in asking for a different worker, is a good option right now.

Can I relate to this! I tried hiring a professional company to clean and it lasted for a few months until one of the ladies coming to my house quit to go to school, and the company couldn't find anyone to replace her. First the owner of the company reluctantly stepped in to clean, but she became weary of working so much and raised her prices 20%. I stayed on. Still her work load was too great so she quit a number of clients and gave referral names. I tried one of the referred companies and it was horrible quality work. I learned that the original company was getting a kick-back from the new company if clients stayed for longer than three months. That's when I decided to find my own individual person who was a good fit. I don't want to pay to train anyone right now. I want to hire someone to come in and be professional. I think I found that, but it took some time and I had to know what I wanted.

Now that I think about it, I don't think I was ever invoiced for the company that I tried once and it has been over a month. :-/ I don't want to put in extra work to pay, either...but I want to pay. Ugh. The lady starting that company was in over her head in so many ways. :shifty I'll send a text and offer to pay her cash if she picks it up. That's about the effort I want to put in and it should be worth her while. :bag

[Soliloquy]

Plate Joy is a great, healthy menu planning site. You can check off what foods you can't/won't eat and also check off an eating style (grain free, vegan, etc). It kept giving me salmon recipes which are outside of our budget so I added salmon to my no list.

I did the free trial. I may go back and pay for a year.

[Llee]

For me, having someone to come in and do the deep clean would be fabulous.

[RiverRock]

A bit of a follow-up. Since this post I've done the following:

-hire an arborist to prune 7 maple trees...and take the branches away (in the past I would have saved $ but not time to add the branches to our burn pile)

-hire a landscaper to trim other bushes, and clean up

-have two pictures professionally framed instead of shopping to find the best frame for the best price (well, I started but then remembered my need to hire out some jobs)

-make an appointment to have my car detailed. It hasn't had a decent cleaning in 4+ years!

-today the cleaning lady is staying an extra hour. Four hours every other week isn't quite enough time so when she can stay longer (non-holiday Fridays) I will take advantage of that.

-cooking easier meals (my family was very happy with a recent meal of gnocchi, mushroom rose sauce and italian sausages. It was so easy to make and the items are all available for home grocery delivery if I ever get around to doing that!)

-hire a math tutor (my ds is at 97% right now! :woohoo)

-call to have blinds repaired (still waiting for the return call, but I have needed these blinds repaired for years and thought I could do it, so it is good to reach out for help).

[RiverRock]

Because I hired help for the inside of the house I was able to spend time cleaning out the garage (1/3 of the job is done) and hosing down the porch. I want to have a work bee morning at our house tomorrow and I hope I can get others on board. I feel stress lifting just by having a nice porch entry where I can greet visitors.

[ECingMama]

Awesome update!

The wind is horrible here, but I just found out the professional tree trimmer is going to be on my street today. Praying he can do our tree too. He did one for us 3 years ago. I've been meaning to call, but I was also hoping my husband would just do it. This thread is a good reminder. This guy has the mulch truck with him! Boom. Done.

[RiverRock]

Awesome update!

The wind is horrible here, but I just found out the professional tree trimmer is going to be on my street today. Praying he can do our tree too. He did one for us 3 years ago. I've been meaning to call, but I was also hoping my husband would just do it. This thread is a good reminder. This guy has the mulch truck with him! Boom. Done.

That is so convenient. I hope it all works out.

[ECingMama]

That is so convenient. I hope it all works out.

It did!

And I was able to bless the two men who did it with homemade soup that I made with leftovers from this week. They were *so* appreciative!

2 pints homemade broth
couple of cups of water
can of tomato sauce (the one with just tomatoes)
can of tomato paste
2 cans green beans
2 chicken breasts shredded
bag of peas
16 oz bag of radishes for "potatoes"
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and lots of pepper
onion powder
couple of tablespoons of Italian seasoning

I just put it in the IP on saute while I add ingredients. Bring to pressure and immediately turn off. That was just to cook the radishes. Next time I'll add the frozen peas after and let them cook in the hot soup.

It was super easy and delicious! Was so thankful to be able to bless those single men.

And now I don't have to worry about the tree falling on my neighbor's car when it snows!

[knitlove]

I need to talk to dh about if we can make some things work.

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[RiverRock]

I'm self employed and work with the school calendar, but take extra time off over Christmas (at least an extra week before and after the school break). I feel a second surge of motivation to get things done and hire out help.

What I've done:
-primarily easy meals and batch cooking to have meals to grab
-hired out yard work (the less professional of the two didn't give himself enough time for the clean up though. Hopefully the weather will be warm enough to still get out there at some point).
-less shopping trips/more organized with my time
-more time just sitting and relaxing during activities and more transition time planned into my schedule so I don't feel as busy
-blinds repaired
-garage door repaired
-hired math and science tutors for my ds
-mostly online Christmas shopping and some home decor stuff (I discovered the convenience of Wayfair :O).
-assess the importance of some appointments and book with less frequency, and add in others (I'm now seeing a naturopath for some of my health concerns).

What I need to do:
-more batch cooking (soup, chili, meatballs, and chicken/turkey pot pie filling)
-use and serve more of the food that has been prepped and stored in the freezer
-call for quotes to replace windows and screens
-hire painter (one bedroom and touchups)
-start keeping a "honey do" list for jobs dh can help me with, and a plan to hire out the remainder of the list (I know someone local who is a handyman to call)
-hire two or more men from a local rehab program to help with yard maintenance (they do this as part of their fundraising)
-
Really, a lot of this is about boundaries. I can only do so much, and I need to make good decisions about how I spend my time. I'm definitely a work in progress!

[Soliloquy]

Really, a lot of this is about boundaries. I can only do so much, and I need to make good decisions about how I spend my time. I'm definitely a work in progress!

This is very true. It is about boundaries.

I had a thought the other day. I was invited to a women's Christmas party at a church where a lot of my friends attend. Each person was supposed to bring 2 dozen cookies, 1 dozen to contribute to the buffet and the other dozen would be dispersed among boxes so everyone gets a box of assorted cookies to take home.

I don't have childcare so I couldn't go, anyway, but honestly, I am just too tired to make cookies. I don't want a box of assorted cookies and I don't care if I eat cookies at a party. I asked DH is he's ever seen an invitation for a men's event where each man had to bring food. He said no. It's always been either food-free or food provided. But I see this a lot with women's events. It's always assumed we have the time to prepare and bring homemade food.