To have an afternoon for housework?!

[Bea1985]

If you had the choice would you rather work:

2.5 days per week - profit to household for doing so (after travel. Tax, NI and childcare) =£107 per week. (Also with this option , after my half day at work and travelling home, I would have c. 3 hours "to myself" aka to do housework before having to pick DD up at 5.30)

OR

3 days per week - profit to household after same deductions = £134 per week. No 3 "free" hours for housework, would all need to be done at weekend or when DD in bed. (What most people probably do).

Work have said I can choose 2.5 or 3 days. Difference in net profit to household is only £27 per week so tempted to only do 2.5 and have an afternoon to catch up with chores.

Cm does not do half days. DD will be in childcare the whole time I am at work.

DH says it's up to me (my wages are not much compared to his anyway). I think I'd be so much happier having an afternoon free to catch up with myself , give the house a once over, get some laundry put away, put a Tesco's delivery away.....but is it decadent?!

I have a big and often messy house, hairy moulting animals, husband who is always working / works away..... so if I did work 3 full days and had DD the rest of the time it may be that we end up getting a cleaner for 2 hrs a week or so anyway (no idea what that would cost) to avoid living in a total heap.

Oh... dd will be 1 when I return to work so no free hours at childcare.

I am writing this as the mother of a 7mo DD who barely sleeps and I can't get any housework etc done when looking after her .... I'm imagining it will be similar when she's 1 and that the free afternoon would be a godsend.

Or am I just being lazy?!

Do the 3 days and get a cleaner. Or maybe you could ask your husband to pull his bloody weight?

Believe me, your old lady self will thank you when she can afford that extra piece of coal to put on the fire. Unless you're planning on dying young, always, always take the option that pays into your pension.

I would do 3 days and pay a cleaner. It may be difficult to do anything with a baby but you can get a bit done once they are older/ in a good nap routine. If you take the 2.5 day contract now you may not be able to increase your hours later when you do have some funded childcare or School to help your purse.

Why would you make life harder for yourself? Take the 2.5 days

Also sounds like you need to work on a bit of self worth. You are not lazy or selfish for having just 3 hours a week to yourself....quite the opposite!

Less hours every time, you'll blitz through the cleaning and still have 2 hours of uninterrupted you time and it's cheaper than getting a cleaner 😁

2.5 days every time!

I have Mondays off and love it even if it's spent at the gym, cleaning, supermarket shopping with the odd coffee thrown in. It's great having a day to catch up with stuff (and my kids are much older than yours)

Probably controversial but I would work the extra hours and get a cleaner 😂

I'd work the extra and pay a cleaner, is much rather be at work than be cleaning, this is irrelevant as an argument of your job is as a cleaner

I’d take the 2.5 days. That time to yourself is invaluable and you don’t have to spend it all cleaning. Appointments, general errands, shopping, gym, meeting friends. All these things are much easier without a toddler.

I'd take the 2.5 days. Currently, I work 4.5 days. The half day gives me a chance to do a proper clean, online shop and sometimes the chance to get hair done or meet friends for lunch. It means weekends are calmer and the week is more organised.

I'd do the 2.5 days. I work part time one week on, one week off. Every Friday the kids are in childcare so I have a day to myself every fortnight to do things round the house and it makes such a difference having that day!

I think this depends a bit on what type of job you have- if it's a career type job, then that extra half days isn't just going to add a small bit of extra cash a week to your budget now, it will be building your experience 20% faster and over the course of your career will mean higher wages later. For me, this is probably going to be worth it in the long term. If it's not a career type job and you can't really be promoted in the future, then it's just the cash now and I'd probably go for the extra time.

Take the shorter hours. Financially it is not much different (especially if you would get a cleaner otherwise) and having that time out as a bit of a break amid housework is good for you.

Best of all, if you get it done then by having the shorter hours it means you are not doing it at the weekend/when DH is gone so you can have more quality family time without chores.

2.5. The 3 hours not working whilst dd in childcare will be very helpful if you need to go to drs/Dentist/hairdresser etc aswell.

2.5 days for sure. But don't you dare call yourself lazy when you'll be using that free afternoon to do housework!

I would definitely do the 3 days for better pension and career prospects. Life gets easier and daily tasks begin to slot in more naturally once lo gets older. For both you and your dh.

2.5 days isn’t good pension or career wise: 3 would be better. Housework can be done while DC is there, or shared at the weekend.

3 days and get a cleaner

As your DD gets older, you will be able to do more and more at home even when she is there