To have spent £700 on a cleaner/gardener

[ReenaGee]

I'm a lone parent to a 5yo with ASD/ADHD. I have 10k saved and am doing relatively ok apart from being time poor. I work full time, DS the rest of the time. He can't be left alone.

I have booked a cleaner for a deep clean of my house, and a gardener to completely de-weed the garden, plant flowers, cut hedges, power wash etc. £700 in total.

Told my mum I had treated myself today as I've been stressed about where on earth I'm going to find the time to do it. I didn't tell her how much it was, but she proceeded to tell me I am wasting my money and should get on with adulting myself. Was said in a slightly jovial tone but equally she meant it.

Do, AIBU? IMHO it is the self care I need ATM pre summer but she's got in my head making me feel like I'm not achieving things I should be...

That sounds like a lot of money. How many hours have you booked? Will ds not stay in garden with you?

£700?

Is this for a week of work?

Yanbu at all. Don’t feel guilty for a second. And don’t even tell people if you don’t want to, it’s none of their business. If it’s going to make you feel relieved and save you time and stress, it’s not a waste of money at all.

I think it sounds like a fantastic idea. Go you!

It’s going to feel so much nicer and more manageable afterwards. What a wonderful idea, and well done you for investing in your own wellbeing.

If you can afford it and it's given you and your DC a better quality of life then YANBU.

You did get on with adulting yourself. You outsourced.

I'll do it for £600

If it’s too much money she doesn’t want you to spend is she offering to do it?? If not, no need to listen to her

It's a deep clean of a 3 bed house, including white goods, oven, carpet shampoo, decluttering and reorganising.

The garden includes lawn mowing, weeding, hedge trimming, re-laying non existent gravel, jet washing, plants and putting up a large Wendy house.

I think it's actually a sensible thing to spend money on when you're time poor. I'd imagine it will bring you great happiness. Just ensure the workers do a good job and don't be afraid to speak up if it doesn't match your expectations.

How lovely, as long as you’re getting good value, absolutely enjoy it!

You are my hero. Think it’s a brilliant idea and totally worth if you can afford, so much better than stressing you out, impacting your life and time etc!

If it's a full declutter/deep clean, oven and cupboards in kitchen. Plus the garden then it sounds like a bargain! An oven clean alone is £50-60. So I don't think you're being done there. I also paid £50 to get my grass strimmed with no cut last year (it was v long!). The relief in having stuff done and being able to keep on top of it after is priceless.

If you can afford it and it reduces your stress, why not.

I'd do the exact same thing in your position. £700 seems pretty cheap for a full deep clean and those garden services.

It's YOUR money, it benefits YOU and it's YOUR choice, who cares what others think.

I also paid £90 for carpets cleaned 2 rooms + stairs. So I think those figures are pretty bang on 👍

I thought it was cheap too! And both people I have used before so I know they're very good.

YANBU, you don't win a prize for running yourself ragged and getting everything done alone. I'm considering hiring in some help with cleaning and gardening and I don't have kids. Chores are pretty tedious and I could use a break and do something more interesting on my days off work.

I think you're absolutely right to do this and not at all unreasonable! I spent about half this amount when DS was about 6 months old because the shock of him and his utter lack of sleep meant the house was a state. Paid for a deep clean similar to what you've listed in the house to reset us and think to this day it was money well spent. Enjoy the time you regain!

Shop around, I think you are being ripped off. Grass grows back as so does the mess. £700 is steep

Sounds the right price . Such a good idea as once it is done throughly you should be able to keep on top of things on a rota basis . Perfect timing too as you will be able to enjoy the garden and so will your child. Your mother comes from an age where housekeeping was almost competitive. Bet she didn't work FT with a child with extra needs . So hard to do anything else but totally focus on them when you are by yourself .

YANBU I spent a back dated payrise on a 10 hour deep clean and the hard floors cleaned before Christmas. Best Christmas present I've ever had. I didn't tell my family though.

Best just not to tell some people these things or they make you feel guilty.

Not ripped off at all. Sounds like a fair price for that work. Or do you think everyone should be paid minimum wage?

You’ll feel so much better when it’s done. I am also single mum, work full time and have VERY stressful life with no one to help me. I recently spent £3000 on getting my large garden landscaped as it was an overgrown scruffy mess. It’s now an absolute pleasure to step outside and makes me feel so much happier. Do what makes you feel good and don’t feel guilty about spending £. I actually feel proud of myself for having the initiative to hire someone and the finances through my own hard work.

I didn't disagree to be honest. Oven clean alone is £60, carpets £50 for first one then £40 per carpet after that. That's pretty standard and is £190 before cleaning. That means the deep clean is only £160.

The garden includes jet washing, hedge trimming, providing plants for borders, relaying of gravel and ground sheet, replacing a few bricks from lawn border, lawn mowing, repotting potted plants, and putting up a Wendy house. The Wendy house will take a couple of hours alone.

I thought it was cheap.

I don’t think anyone who doesn’t understand why you’d do this, will ever understand. I get it, but couldn’t afford it 😆 the thought of having a deep cleaned and perfectly shiny house and garden to then maintain and upkeep, as opposed to trying to wrestle it into that state, sounds absolutely amazing. Hope you can also take yourself and your son out for the day whilst it’s happening and get to come home to an amazing looking house and garden in the evening!

I think that’s good value for everything!
it’s a great idea to get everything done and it’s affordable for you.