School is in, the dry-erase calendar in the kitchen is covered with practices, meetings, and parties; there’s college football all day Saturday, and you’re trying to prepare for the upcoming holiday season. Where is there time to keep your house organized, the clothes washed, and the house looking like someone at least lives there in between all the events you are running to? Moms wear a lot of hats but can’t always wear them all, so you may want to consider outsourcing!
It is a great privilege to pay for outsourcing some of these less enjoyable tasks in your life. However, you may also want to consider sharing the load with friends or family or asking for gifts of service instead of tangible gifts. See some of my ideas for tasks to outsource below. I hope some may be helpful for you!
Tasks You Can Outsource
- Meal Prep
There are a few different ways you can outsource this task depending on what you’re looking for. There are several great local companies that prep individual meals or can provide bulk ingredients to eat throughout the week.
If you go the bulk prep route, I’d recommend buying bulk-prepped protein (chicken, turkey, etc.) and either purchasing or prepping veggies and carbs yourself to mix and match for the week! I love the bulk chicken from Eating Clean Prepared in North Charleston for that method.
Individual meals are very convenient for weeks you know you’ll be super busy and Project Lean National offers a great variety of healthy options.
Another more cost-effective option would be to partner with a friend or a group of friends to each meal prep one to two meals then share portions with each other to mix up recipes and get to try something new. It makes it easier to just prep a larger quantity of the same one or two recipes and get double or triple the different dishes.
- Laundry
Somehow it seems like my laundry loads quadrupled when I went from one to two children; I still don’t know how such tiny humans can require so much laundry!
I’ve never personally used a specific laundry service, but this seems ideal for those who have special garments or those who may have laundry needing special handling/ironing (like dress shirts) that takes quite a bit of time. These days there are a variety of services available, from pick up/drop off at your door, services with dry cleaning . . . or consider asking a house manager to assist in your home (in addition to other tasks).
- House Cleaning
This is probably the most commonly outsourced task and something I could not live without! When looking for these services, it’s helpful to consider ahead of time what tasks you need to be done and how often. Do you have a schedule where you like to clean low-traffic areas or wash all the floor rugs?
When considering how often I have someone come clean, I had to decide on how much I wanted to clean and how well in between a full house cleaning. With two large shedding dogs and two small children, I could have someone here practically daily but I alternate between two and four times per month depending on what my schedule looks like and my budget.
Something else to consider is if you have a house manager or nanny, could they work in light housekeeping duties with appropriate compensation? I recommend starting by asking yourself what you are looking for and what would help you the most, being clear in your search!
- House Organizing
If your closet looks like mine, it’s safe to say you’ve put off doing “spring cleaning” for many, many springs. Though I’ve also never used a professional service, I have some friends who have and have spoken so highly of these services to help clean the messiest and unorganized of spaces, like mudrooms, laundry rooms, closets, and garages.
If you are moving (either homes or moving spaces within your home) or are short on space, it might be a good idea to consider this service! This would be a great gift to ask for a birthday or shower present since it can often be done as a “one-time” event based on the space.
- Yard Maintenance
As someone who grew up mowing lawns for extra cash in high school, I would be happy if I never mowed another lawn. Especially in the heat of Charleston summers, you’ll never catch me outside behind my lawn mower.
There are many levels of yard maintenance you could outsource, including routine mowing, cleaning up shrubs or edging, pressure washing, or cleaning gutters. There are also companies that will clean up any presents your dogs leave in your yard. Some companies also clean garbage bins.
If you’re looking for a more economical option, there may be nearby kids in the neighborhood interested in some entrepreneurship!
- Car Detailing
Before I had kids, I would clean my car every week. I took care of my first car like it was my baby. Now, I think I only clean out my car when I run out of clean drink cups or shoes for my kids in the house because chances are they were chucked in my car somewhere.
Getting my car detailed is like the treat I give myself that I didn’t know I needed until I got it. Though I keep a handheld vacuum in my console, I am usually carrying one kid under each arm to and from my car and don’t have time to lug the shop vac out to my driveway.
This would be a great gift idea for a busy mom! There are also several mobile detailers in the area that will come to you so you don’t have to worry about coordinating one more drop-off or pick-up.
We only get so many hours in the day, so try out some of these ideas to get back a little time for yourself!
