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?
5 Comments
Outsourcing is definitely a marriage-saver! We’ve been outsourcing housekeeping and yard work for awhile now and it has seriously changed my life… I think it’s time to take our outsourcing to the next level, though; now that our 1 year old is ready to start eating table food, I need to investigate Dream Dinners and Southern Foods or else she’ll be eating take-out pizza and spaghettios every night like we do. Three cheers for outsourcing!
If I could afford it, I’d outsource everything that needs doing and that I don’t love doing. Some things are a no brainer like having essential items delivered; saves time and money. It’s a beautiful thing.
You are spot-on BossMom! I think the ability to outsource and organize in advance is key to the success and happiness of any working mom. Want to serve your kids healthy meals? Make ’em in batches and freeze them. Don’t have tons of time with your kids outside of work? Don’t use it taking them on errands and the grocery store!! Here in Brooklyn, I’m a huge fan of Fresh Direct, which not only lets me order online and delivers to my house, but also makes lots of pre-made meals for those nights I don’t have time to cook. And I stopped cleaning long ago — I’d rather use my time on almost anything else. Maybe even playing with the kids?
Great blog!
I couldn’t agree with you more. We women spend far too much time in angst, stressing over things like cooking and cleaning when we’re ALSO holding down big-time jobs. Something’s gotta give, and it doesn’t make us any less successful or capable if we think creatively about outsourcing as you suggest. In fact, I think it makes us look smarter because we have our priorities straight, understand our limitations and find alternate ways of getting the menial jobs done. Bravo, Boss Mom! Great suggestions and insights!
I’m all about outsourcing, there are reasons people get paid to do what they do – cleaning ladies, hairdressers, babysitters, personal trainers, etc. — Go for it boss mom! Make your life easier.
Stylishly yours,
Kalyn