Why I love Outsourcing

My husband has a lot of great qualities but housekeeping isn’t one of them. About a year ago, I was working long hours and was struggling to keep the house clean and organized to my exacting standards. My mother is the ultimate Boss Mom and I frequently seek her advice. One
day I called her on a Saturday in tears frustrated and exhausted.

“MomIamsotiredandthehouseisafreakingmessandhewontheeelpppme!” I wailed. “Sweetheart, why in the world are you still trying to do everything yourself? How many times have I told you to outsource?” My mother is so smart. Why was I killing myself? A few days later, I asked my stylist, Carl (who has a hookup for just about anything) if he knew a good housekeeper. He introduced me to Francisca who changed my life and probably saved my marriage. She came a few days letter with a crew of four other women. Two hours later the toilets were so clean I could have served dinner out of them. My baseboards shined and the kitchen gleamed. Even my husband, who initially kicked up a big fuss about not wanting “strange ladies” in the house, was impressed. Francisca now comes three times a month to clean the house. I love her so much I’m contemplating increasing her cleaning sessions to weekly and asking her to do laundry. I love coming home on those Fridays to find a spotless, fresh smelling home. Bonus for me, I don’t have to spend my Saturdays cleaning the shower and mopping floors. I admit it. I’m an outsourcing devotee now and have no plans to turn back After receiving an on-line coupon for discount diapers, I placed my first order for a jumbo box of Pampers through Diapers.com. This site carries anything you might need for a baby including items for your nursery, baby clothes, toys and the like. Prices are anywhere from 10% – 20% off of retail store prices for some items. Big bonus, shipping is free and your order will arrive in two days. They even send you a reminder when it’s time to reorder your diaper supply. Best of all? No late night runs to the store because we’ve used our last diaper. Even better, their sister site Soap.com, features cleaning supplies, toiletries and household goods like trash bags and paper towels at below retail prices. And the site will conveniently ship your Diapers.com and Soap.com orders together.

Last winter I discovered Dream Dinners. It’s a terrific resource for busy families. With Dream Dinners you can assemble healthy, gourmet meals on their premises (I confess that I pay the extra $10 bucks and have them pack the meals for me) that can be frozen and then defrosted for the days you don’t feel like cooking. The menu changes monthly and they have a wide variety of entrees and sides to mix and match to create your own gourmet meals. My local grocery store has an online shopping service where you pick your groceries online and they’ll bag them for a pick up time of your choosing. And I’ve just been turned on to Southern Foods, a service that delivers hormone and antibiotic free meats and organic vegetables direct to your home along with a wide variety of dry goods. They will even unpack your purchases and put them into your freezer. What’s not to love? I’m excited to try this service out.

I’m nothing if not pragmatic. The reality is that working moms need help; and sometimes you’ve got to pay for that help. These days I am all for trying anything that will save me time so I can be with my family. I’ve decided that my time is valuable and that for some things, like housework, it pays to pay someone else to do it. Tell me, what do you think of outsourcing? A marriage saver or a waste of hard-earned money?