Neighbors pay people to do EVERYTHING! - Page 3

[Caneel]

Originally Posted by Ellp

Our grocery store here charges $8 per grocery delivery. This means you sit at your computer and order stuff (or call it in), they do all the selection at the store and deliver it to your house.

The thought of the above makes me want to weep with yearning and desire. I hate going to the grocery store, hate it. I would pay more than $8 for someone to do it for me once a week.

There is no way my DH would let anyone mow our house yard. He is so particular about it.

[Dandelionkid]

I really respect rich people who do their own dirty work. Seems like a humble thing, to mow your own lawn, or clean your own house when you are wealthy. Fwiw, I have a housekeeper, but I'm not rich, just dirty

[choli]

Originally Posted by Dandelionkid

I really respect rich people who do their own dirty work. Seems like a humble thing, to mow your own lawn, or clean your own house when you are wealthy. Fwiw, I have a housekeeper, but I'm not rich, just dirty

I see your point, but I also respect rich people who will pay a few bucks to someone who needs it to do a job, rather than let the money sit in the bank. The pay for a days' cleaning once a week can make the difference between getting by and slipping through the cracks these days.

[Dandelionkid]

Originally Posted by choli

I see your point, but I also respect rich people who will pay a few bucks to someone who needs it to do a job, rather than let the money sit in the bank. The pay for a days' cleaning once a week can make the difference between getting by and slipping through the cracks these days.

True enough!

[*Aimee*]

We're by no means rich but we use some of these services.

DH works 60+hours a week and I can't mow the lawn myself because I have nobody to watch my boys (3 and 1 and I'm pregnant again). Last year he was so busy our neighbors called the city on us for our grass being too long and we had to pay a fine. Now we have someone mow the lawn and someone who does pest spraying because I'm deeply afraid of spiders (like, I get hives if I see a large spider even outside my house). I usually buy the spray stuff and do it myself but thought that'd be best skipped now that I'm pregnant.

I can't get organic milk or produce in my city so I was driving to another city 30 min. away once a week. Then a company started up that delivers a weeks worth of produce, organic milk, eggs, yogurt, and even meat. For free. So yes, I take advantage of that too.

I'd love to have a housekeeper ::sigh::

[hopefulfaith]

Originally Posted by JollyGG

He's afraid they will take his man badge away from him if he doesn't mow his own yard.

[*Erin*]

can i just say...
i am just amazed there is an entire company who only exists to come pick up poop from your yard.
what in the world does one pay for such a service? is it by the hour? by the pound? a weekly fee?
just, wow.

[JollyGG]

Originally Posted by *Erin*

can i just say...
i am just amazed there is an entire company who only exists to come pick up poop from your yard.
what in the world does one pay for such a service? is it by the hour? by the pound? a weekly fee?
just, wow.

The price is based on the frequency you have them visit. A one time thing costs the most. Weekly or biweekly is the cheapest per visit. Some base the charge on the size of yard or the number of dogs.
This is the service I occasionally use. I make use of their spring cleaning service.
There are two services in my town and this was the cheaper one. The other was only a couple of dollars different. I think they charged more for the one time visits but less for the scheduled services. I would imagine the prices vary by location and you'd just have to call for pricing.

[Purple*Lotus]

I have had a cleaning lady before : And I don't even have kids. But I did have carpal tunnel in both arms so bad that some days holding a pen was a miracle, so I had to pay someone to clean for me as I was single at the time. No DH to do it for me

And if I ever move to a house/apartment that requires me to do lawn work, I will be paying someone to do that for me, too. I can't physically push a lawn mower and I don't have the money to even buy one, so it would be better for me to pay someone to do it.

I don't think there is anything wrong with using a service if you can afford it. Besides you don't really know why she hires so many services, perhaps she has PPD and just can not function at a high level. But in the end it doesn't matter, her money, her choice.

[loree]

We are in the same boat. But we have a fixer in a middle class neighborhood. My DH does all the yard stuff and has built a fence & hauled out dirt. Everyone asks him why he does it & why he doesn't get some guys (at home depot) to help!

I get irritated because one neighbor wants to "hang out" with us all the time (they just stop by, esp. before dinner!). Um, I DON'T HAVE TIME. I don't have a housekeeper, PT babysitter, gardener, pool service or someone to cook dinner a few times a week. That is all ME.

[Ellp]

Originally Posted by loree

I get irritated because one neighbor wants to "hang out" with us all the time (they just stop by, esp. before dinner!). Um, I DON'T HAVE TIME. I don't have a housekeeper, PT babysitter, gardener, pool service or someone to cook dinner a few times a week. That is all ME.

If you are good enough friends with this neighbor, I'd just invite them in and say, "I'm a bit busy right now because I've got "X,Y,Z" to do but if you want to stay and help out, I'd be more than happy to have the company."

That way you either weed out the unwanted company or you end up making a good friend.

[MaddieMay]

I pay for quite a few services and while I'm pretty conservative, sometimes my sanity is worth a few extra dollars.

For example, when DH and I both worked we paid a homeschooled kid to come let our dog out during the day. Our offices were within 10 minutes of the house and we could have come home to do it, but it was worth it to know that we didn't have to stress about coming home for lunch. Plus, it gave a kid an opportunity to learn responsibility, managing money, etc. It was win-win for all of us.

We also paid several hundred dollars extra to have a travel agent book our most recent trip. Normally, this is a task I enjoy and am good at. This time, however, we were booking last minute and were going to an area that I wasn't as familiar with. There were also security issues for Americans traveling there at the time. It was worth the extra money to put it in someone else's hands-all we had to do is show up and everything was taken care of for us, plus we were safe.

Now, other things we do ourselves. Maintenance and DIY projects around the house, dog grooming, cleaning, cooking, etc. Some things (for us) are worth putting our time and sweat labor into. It's all about balance for us-we are frugal in some areas so we can spend more in others.

If I could find a pooper scooper service in my area, I'd sign up in a heartbeat! It'd be worth every single penny to us.

[mran]

I'm a SAHM and I have someone that comes in atleast 2x a month to clean. I also drop my kids off w/ a sitter 1x per week for 2-3 (okay, sometimes 4) hours so I can grocery shop and run my other errands in peace. We looked at hiring a nanny, but we live too far out to get a live out, and I don't have room for a live in (and I wouldn't want one!) We have atleast 15 appointments per month, between dr's and therapy visits, and 2 completely different school schedules, so it'd totally be worth it.

On the other hand, when my A/C went out the other day, I was the one crawling around in my attic w/ a flash light trying to figure out what was going on. When my brakes and calipers needed to be replaced, dh and I were outside - at 9 pm, after bedtime! - with that flashlight, getting things done.

Some services are reasonable, and I'm happy to pay for them. But I'm not paying a mechanic $70 an hour for what they claim is a 2 hour job, plus $400 in parts, when the parts cost me $185 and 45 minutes, KWIM?

[sanguine_speed]

I definitely don't begrudge others their paying for services. The value of services is different for everyone, as many posters have said here. I would like to pay someone to do some things around here, and plan to do so soon. We're having our fourth baby and have very little family help. With both of us working, we have very little time after looking after everyone's basic needs. Practical support cannot always be found for free, and we sometimes need to manufacture it.

[mar123]

When I was in college, I babysat in the afternoons for 2 families- one on Monday, Wed and the other on Tues/Thurs- they alternated Fridays. One family had 5 boys, the other had 3 kids. Both had infants when I started. The moms did not work outside the home, one dad was a doc, the other a lawyer. Some days I would stay home with the young ones and the mom would run the older ones, some days I drove them to lessons and the mom stayed home. Some days the moms would have me start dinner, some days I would help the older ones with homework (I was an education major) etc. Anyway, by hiring me, they kept their lives from being truly chaotic and in turn, they put me through college- I could never have done it without them. I also would work doing errands for the law firm or docs office every once in a while. The money was a Godsend, the experience in running a house, breaking up conflicts, and seeing all the things invovled in children was invaluable.

Also, the mom of 5 boys breastfed all of them openly from birth till about 2. It was my first real experience with breastfeeding-I would arrive about 2:30 and she would be sitting in the chair nursing while we had our meeting on whom was doing what that afternoon. She always looked so peaceful and serene and I thought, "That is for ME". I wrote her a letter a few years ago letting her know how she influenced me to breastfeed all of my kids.

[lanamommyphd07]

I joke often that I couldn't live in something more than 600 square feet or with a lawn unless I could also afford staff....there's just not enough time.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by Ellp

Our grocery store here charges $8 per grocery delivery. This means you sit at your computer and order stuff (or call it in), they do all the selection at the store and deliver it to your house.

With a newborn and a older toddler at the time, I considered it well worth it as it meant I didn't have to kid wrangle both of them to do one, otherwise simple, task. If I did it, it would have involved half my day, many tears, and impulse purchases (to make ME feel better).

There are times when I should have paid for delivery, because by the time I got everyone out the door, I was hungry and probably spent more than a delivery fee on crap I wouldn't have bought at all if I hadn't broken my "never shop while hungry" rule!

My friend hired a personal chef during her post partum period just because she couldn't handle the shopping and cooking for 6 (including 2 teenagers) for a while after her C-section.

If we'd had the money, I'd have done that after dd2 arrived, without even hesitating. Meals are such an unbelievable PITA with an infant.

I can see using many of these services once in a while but not on a long term basis, more like on a "need to catch up" basis.

This.

I also wonder if the 60ish woman might have physical problems with some of this stuff. My mom has horrible neck and shoulder pains, and while she'd never be okay spending money on this kind of thing (very frugal) and probably can't afford it right now, anyway, I could understand if she did it.

I have to admit that I'm with the OP, though. I had no idea there were this many different services available!

[Chicky2]

I pay for some grocery delivery from Amazon, lol. I am fortunate that I have a 20 yo dd who works in town and she 'delivers' when she comes home, too. And she cleans the whole house once a week. She also runs errands and takes my 10 yo dd to the ortho each month. This is done as her rent, though. Sweet deal if you ask me. As far as dog poo I pay the middle kids 5cents a pile. We have 2 big dogs and a small one. We have 5 acres, so while we don't do it but once a month, it's a big job!

If she ever moves out (we suspect she won't due to possible Asperger's--results from evaluation in 2 wks!!!), I'll totally pay one of my neighbors (both clean houses for a living) to clean at least 2 times a month. I am not lazy, I just don't like to clean, lol. Also, I really like to have it all done in one day, and that is just not possible if we also want the bills paid, food cooked, schooling done, animals cared for, etc... I did pay someone in the past when I was full time caregiver to a dying aunt in addition to my other responsibilities.

I may look into having my neighbor clean my MIL's house on a regular basis. She lives in a little house on our property, and just got back from a nursing facility after a broken leg/surgery. It's just getting to be too much for her.

[Equuskia]

Originally Posted by choli

I see your point, but I also respect rich people who will pay a few bucks to someone who needs it to do a job, rather than let the money sit in the bank. The pay for a days' cleaning once a week can make the difference between getting by and slipping through the cracks these days.

This is my grandfather. He's a multi-millionaire. His bank accounts are so large, you can comfortably live off the the interest. Yet he NEVER EVER hires help. He paints all of his houses himself, mows lawns, etc. And he's 87 years old. It's insane. He can't keep up, but he won't admit it. His houses are badly maintained and look horrible.

[StarJune]

I am not rich but I do fully understand paying people to do those kinds of things. I have a lawn service and don't even own a lawn mower . We plan to get a dog in the near future and one of the things that I am budgeting in is the pooper scooper cost. It is $12/ week or $15 for twice a week. It seems worth it to me. Also, I am seriously considering getting a housekeeper to come in bi-weekly. I feel like I can't keep up to my own standards. I enjoy cleaning but just want to relax when I get in.