If you both work (and can afford it), what jobs do you outsource?

[SnoopLabbyLab]

I’m just interested in what it is normal to outsource and thinking about the implications if we have a recession.

We live in a semi-rural village, and the local economy seems to thrive on local self employed workers (often born in the village, but sometimes from the next town) keeping busy professional working households going, while their occupants work on their own businesses, or in London jobs. I grew up in a suburb of a provincial city, and I knew no-one who had cleaners etc. Maybe I just live in a different type of area now, or maybe it’s become more common. We both work in professional jobs (me only school hours) and have three DC of primary/ early secondary age and two dogs. At the moment we employ a housekeeper (12 hours a week, she has 3 jobs like this), a gardener (2 hours a week), an odd job chap (as and when), a dog walker (twice a week), then visits from chimney sweep, range service etc.

I suppose all of these are choices we could drop at any time (although I’d prefer my chimney not to catch fire), but they do make life much, much better and I feel very loyal, especially to our lovely housekeeper, and one of her families has just halved her hours. I do wonder about the viability of these livelihoods as we enter a financially difficult time. Any thoughts?

No one regularly as can't find anyone but occasionally a cleaner (for deep clean), window cleaner, ironing lady, valet for the cars, pet sitter.

Cleaner, Gardener, regular handyman for odd jobs around the house

Oh yeah window cleaner and ironing I send out approx once a month.
often send out all the washing After a holiday.

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I did. And have given her two days of the week off till first pick up during term time so that’s 5 hrs off twice a week on same salary. We love her to bits. And she seems very happy to stay with us. She’s one of my best friends now too as I’ve been WFH these 8 yrs.

My parents have a cleaner and Gardner. In the winter where there is not so much gardening they tend to get the Gardner to help with odd diy jobs and house maintenance.

They never had either of these while I was growing up.

I have a chimney sweep but again don't really class that as outsourcing. I pay a window cleaner and someone to cut our hedges and trees once a year. Could do it ourselves but it takes us a whole weekend. We do everything else - I'd love a cleaner but DH says there's no point because I'd just clean before the cleaner got there - he has a point!!

God a house keeper sounds divine.

We have a dog Walker 3 days a week but am considering a gardener and once the house is renovated a cleaner (no point right now she’s just be relocating endless dust).

Cleaner, 5 hours a week.
Gardener, 2 hours fortnightly.
Dog sitter (quite expensive at £35 overnight or £20 a day, but worth every penny)
Window cleaner

Cleaner
Window cleaner
School uniforms and bedding go to the cleaners for washing / ironing
Chimney sweep but only once a year as we don't actually use the fires
Dog walker when needed (not often)

God I'd love a cleaner/housekeeper. We had a cleaner briefly but it was exhausting tidying before she got here. It would be magic to have someone who did the tidying, too. And the bedlinen.

I am just so freaking tired. Currently we do everything ourselves bar getting the groceries delivered, but think a cleaner is definitely on the cards now mine and DP'S work have both gone up a notch (no extra pay, sadly, just more work!)

I like doing the garden myself, though. DP takes pride in the DIY.

Outsource cleaning once a fortnight. I would LOVE a PT housekeeper. Already making a mental note of what I’d sacrifice to have one.

Not sure id count the chimney sweep as discretionary “outsourcing”, surely it’s a professional service, similar to a gas engineer checking your boiler?

For those that asked, we just advertised a housekeeping role 12 hours a week on the local village Facebook page. We had lots of interest as people liked the fact that it was more hours based in one place, rather than two hours here and there. Our current housekeeper liked it so much, she found two more families to work longer hours for, bringing her up to a comfortable full time role, with much less running about and a more relaxed pace. We pay £15 per hour and she is self employed (according to HMRC criteria).

We don't outsource a thing. It's very important to us that we're as self-sufficient as possible.
We own every bit of kit needed (chainsaw, hedgetrimmers, drain rods, karcher window cleaning set etc).
But we've not got kids so, although we both work full time, we've got the time/mental space at weekends to get these things done.

Consensus is right, chimney sweeping isn’t outsourcing, although I reckon the 10 year old would fit up with a brush. I suppose it’s discretionary for us as we could just not use the fireplaces, but I do love them, and DH takes great pride in his logpile.

We have a cleaner once a week, window cleaner once a month and I take the ironing to a place around the corner (I hate ironing!).

No regular gardener, but a man comes once a year to do the hedges, plus occasional need for a tree surgeon (we had to have two trees taken down after the storm in Feb). DH is good at DIY / odd jobs. No dog. Chimney sweep and piano tuner. That's it I think.

Not planning to make any changes to the above as a result of the cost of living, but we are trying to cut down in other areas.

Dh and I both work in professional jobs and don't outsource anything. I'm one of those people that don't like help from anyone and like to be able to say I do everything for myself. Not sure why I'm like that.

DM is like this too. She used to run herself ragged when I was younger. For her, it comes from being from a family of struggling tenant farmers, who had no choice but to be self sufficient and due whom hard work was a strong sign of virtue. I’ve inherited that a little, but recognise having household help works best for our family.

We have a cleaner (but she’s currently not coming because she’s back in Poland with her poorly mum). I don’t particularly like having others in my house but a cleaner is non negotiable. I occasionally get shopping delivered but usually go to Aldi when one of my kids is at a club. We have a window cleaner but do most other garden/odd jobs/diy ourselves, as DH is handy and has all the kit. We used a gardener ad hoc in an old house with a more difficult garden.

I don’t iron often but DH does his own.

We are both full time but teachers so don't have a lot of extra for outsourcing so nothing (except wraparound childcare). Our house is only a high level of cleanliness and tidiness in the school holidays!

Just a window cleaner here, very few people I know have cleaners. Although my friend is one and is always busy.

Window cleaner, gardener, cars valeted weekly, bin cleaners weekly, odd job chap when needed.

We're semi rural too! We also have the usual gas and boiler people over to service, but I'm not sure I'd ever skip them. And my oven cleaner, I'd never skip him!

I was lucky enough to have a housekeeper for many years when I was working my arse off and the main family breadwinner. She literally ran the house for me. She came in every day at 9am and did...

breakfast clear down, clean kitchen, get dishwasher going etc
bed making, tidying, (busy family of 4)
cleaning, laundry, ironing
organising random stuff and being there for tradespeople
picking up kids from school, cooking, baking
yelling at the kids and giving them a right telling off when required
handing over to me at 4pm

She was late 50s/early 60s and completely brilliant. I paid her really well, was totally flexible, paid holidays and sick leave, because I couldn't have done it without her. She's in her 80s now and we remain firm friends. She was a life saver.

Dog walker twice a week
Window cleaner
Occasional gardener
I'd love a cleaner but can't justify the cost. It was that or the dog walker and we need the dog walker more.

We have a window cleaner that comes once every 8 weeks and cleans the windows inside and out. He will also clean the bathroom mirrors and the fixed floor to ceiling glass shower screen, we pay him £24 i.e. £12 for outside and the same for inside.

We used to have a cleaner, but she was overcommitted, and something had to give, so that was the end of that.

We have an interior decorator working for us atm which saves us the fag of doing the redecorating ourselves.