in thinking that if we have monthly income of £3700 net we could spare £120 to spend on a cleaner?

[effedorf]

3+ years posting here, namechange for obvious reasons.

But, seriously, what do you think?

The income all comes from dh and I am sahm. We have two primary school age children. I truly hate cleaning and I do 95% of the food shopping and cooking and 100% of the laundry and 95% of all the other things that makes a family tick over.

Or am I being unreasonable?

Litchick - I want your life! My cleaner (who is worth her weight in gold and looking for more work if any of you are desperate for a good cleaner in SE London!) does my cleaning and ironing and our lives have vastly improved since the arguments stopped about who is doing the cleaning. If we ever get loaded (and I think about it!) and have a bigger house, I would so pay for help like a gardener, a cook (oh please!) etc.

Michelle Obama was asked something about what she didn't miss about her old life and she said something along the lines of not having to cook. And I was thinking 'That woman has it sorted, my goodness, not having to worry about what to cook, I would love that life...' I'm sure she doesn't do much cleaning now either...

Is the consensus then that the OP is NBU if she hires a nude male cleaner to dust her crevices?

I'm glad that everyone's seen sense at last

Oh yes Angel, I so agree. What I really want to be able to afford is a cook 5 days a week - I don't mind cooking a couple of days myself - but as we cannot afford that I would be prepared to compromise on having someone to help me out with the other domestic chores. Because that's what 3 hours a week cleaning is, isn't it? Just a helping hand. We have had cleaners in the past, when our household income was higher, and when the dc were babies. I rated their work very highly and valued them very much indeed. Didn't mean that I never had to push a hoover round or clean a loo or sweep a kitchen floor though .

Not sure I'd like a nude male cleaner to be bending over my toilet bowl scrubbing, though. Struggle to see how that's a good view for me....

Hoovering might be a laugh, though.

Ideally I would like a Housekeeper-who would shop, cook, do laundry, organise cupbaords, clean, and fix stuff (we have so much broken stuff waiting to be fixed in our house.) I gain no satifaction from any of these tasks.

But our 'undisclosed' income will not stretch to that, so a cleaner is the next best thing.

Oh yes not having to worry about cooking. I keep finding myself dropping the kids off for school and pondering whats for dinner!

Hang on - I have no problem with anyone having a cleaner. I used to have one, and only don't now because we moved and I haven't got round to finding a new one.

My point is that I manage to work ft with a school age child and get everything else done. I'm lucky with my employer that I can be flexible with my hours, but if the work demands that I do several hours of an evening after dd is bed, then I do it - as opposed to MNetting I suppose.

So I fail to see that if you don't work, and your children are at school all day, that you NEED a cleaner. Maybe unless you are fortunate enough to live in a massive house, (and I think my house is relatively big)
or have health or mobility issues that prevent you from doing it. It is surely an optional extra, like gym membership for example.

I don't LIKE housework, or paying bills, or a whole host of stuff, but it still needs doing. I can quite understand why the OPs DH is resistant for extra cash to be spent when a fully able adult is home all day. And I would say the same if it was my DH staying home.

Every family has it's priorities. My dsis has nearly cleared her mortgage but goes camping in Cornwall on her hols. We like the South of France and aren't even on the housing ladder at the mo. The important thing is that you agree WITHIN the family how the cash gets spent.

PS I would pay extra for a nude male cleaner to come and dust my crevices

i think unless you have mobility issues/are a carer.. that its a bit rich to sit on yer arse and pay someone else to do the cleaning when your kids are at school and you have geoff all else to do all day apart from the usual.

If my DP were at home and I was out at work, I would most definitely be paying for a full time housekeeper cleaner and not begrudging her a single centime!

Oooh. Just googled naked male cleaners to post a link. Seems there are plenty of them. Not sure they are entirely above board. And hope my IT team don't spot that search....

Funny, isn't it, how different people hate different jobs. I happily pay a cleaner, but would hate someone else to garden or cook for me. Those two jobs are ones I love...

I hate ironing above all else. Hate it. But love properly ironed clothes...

Is that because your DP is useless , BA?

lol TheBoss!

Arrgghh. Why don't people read the fricking thread? Porto - as I have said several times (I am the op, I accidentally outed myself ) its not that I can't find time to do the cleaning. I would prefer someone else to do some of it for 3 hours a week because I really really dislike doing it. Is that clearer?

whether you like cleaning or not is not really the point IMO - she has shit all else to do - her kids are at school - there are some freaky people who like to clean admittedly - but i think its normal to not want to clean. i hate cleaning, washing, ironing, hoovering, dusting.

hard shit

No, he's not useless, but he really doesn't enjoy it at all. I wouldn't want him to be unhappy!

on the basis of this thread i ave booked mine for an extra hour tomorrow

arf

the thing is that a lot of us dont just either have one kid, no kids, or two kids who dont move. or do nothing apart form go to work..

we have voluntary roles, teams to go to, rugby that takes up a WHOLE day at the weekend, endless washing, work to do at home etc

lol at outing yourself bibbity

name changing is such a pita

Ironing isn't even a word in my vocabulary. I've been known to send machine-washable clothes to the dry-cleaners simply because I can't be arsed to iron them if they have lots of fiddly bits. And DH irons his own shirts. I ironed them once when we first married, and did such a dreadful job that he never asked me to do it again

rofl @ anna
you old sap

he better marry you then

Well I am not sure which post to be more at! I must compose my thoughts!

I send my ironing to the cleaners - I wash at home and take it out to be ironed. And they iron men's shirts by machine and they are perfect

Answer to BA and the OP - tough fecking luck! God wish I had your life OP! I don't like housework either. Is there anyone who really does? Well I hope you persuade your dh to get a clean, and that choke on your visitors book!

Agree with Porto. Who actually likes cleaning?! Where is the line between SAHM and lady of leisure?