Personal outsourcing

[Alfisti]

How much of your household work do you pay someone to do for you and how much do you do yourself?

I grew up in a wog (southern european immigrant) household in western Sydney where you did EVERYTHING yourself. The idea of paying someone to do something was near preposterous. This was back in the day where men worked and women handled everything else so roles were defined, though to be fair my poor mother did both!

I am of humble means and still struggle with the idea of paying for help but i just DO NOT HAVE THE TIME. My work hours are extremely reasonable but there's just no time, my wife simply cannot handle both kids at once so that leaves near no time at all where i can get on with chores sans my kids.

So I am beginning to outsource more and more, just had a guy come to my house today to clean and prep my BBQ, it was $100 and took him near 3 hours. Another guy is coming to figure out why my sprinkler system has gone nuts, i could do it but when? I drop off and pick up my son at school and i cook all our meals as well as do groceries ... no time, just none.

In the past few years we have outsourced car hand washing/detailing, a major house clean once per month and appliance or other minor household repair i'd eventually figure out myself.

[Verbiage]

If you have the financial means to outsource your labor, I don't see why it is a problem.



How does the husband feel about this?

[Axius]

I outsource my prostitutes.


On a serious note, if I had the money, I would outsource cleaning, because I hate cleaning, even though there isn't much to clean. Oh, and laundry, laundry sucks. Just as long as she would promise to smell my underoos.

[nyalpine90]

OP is husband

[jtodd_fl]

Originally Posted by Verbiage

If you have the financial means to outsource your labor, I don't see why it is a problem.



How does the husband feel about this?

I think they are called "partners".

[bimmette]

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

OP is husband

[M_Six]

I trade services with a lawn company. I maintain their IT stuff and they take care of my yard. That's the extent of my outsourcing, but it takes one thing I really hated doing off my plate.

[tdott]

If you have the money but not the time, then I don't see why not.

But just be careful not to outsource raising your kids, IMO that's the part you want to be there for as much as you can.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by jtodd_fl

I think they are called "partners".

well played

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by M_Six

I trade services with a lawn company. I maintain their IT stuff and they take care of my yard. That's the extent of my outsourcing, but it takes one thing I really hated doing off my plate.

Ironically that's one thing i really enjoy except for the weed management which is diabolical here as chemical pesticides are banned.

[atxgt3]

I pay others to do a lot of stuff. I pay others to clean my house, do my yard, wash my cars. There's no way I'd have time or the interest in doing any of that, and paying someone to do it is pretty reasonable. I do my own laundry and dishes which I don't mind, and I pick up around the house and cook. Of course my girlfriend helps me with that but we do about the same amount of work.

I pay others for any kind of repair work on the house, cars, or paining or remodeling. Life is too short, and I don't find any enjoyment in doing any of that stuff. I'll change a light bulb here and there, that's about it.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by Verbiage

How does the husband feel about this?

Jokes aside but i wonder if this is one of the reasons it bothers me a bit? it is a touch emasculating to have some of this stuff looked after by another guy, these are traditional "man tasks".

[atxgt3]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Jokes aside but i wonder if this is one of the reasons it bothers me a bit? it is a touch emasculating to have some of this stuff looked after by another guy, these are traditional "man tasks".

I couldn't care less what people thought of it. It gives me more time to spend with my kids, that makes me more of a man than spending hours fixing the damn sprinklers.

[Verbiage]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Jokes aside but i wonder if this is one of the reasons it bothers me a bit? it is a touch emasculating to have some of this stuff looked after by another guy, these are traditional "man tasks".

Just a joke, man. You seem to be generally busy and concerned about not doing things yourself, hence the creation of this thread. To each her own. Wait.

[KingOfJericho]

I don't outsource anything except major renovations. I painted the entire interior of my condo and home as well as the exterior of our three outbuildings. I do all of our lawn care as well, though I did have 14 trees removed by some pros. It helps that I picked up a 50" zero turn mower from a coworker for peanuts. It's a beast.

[csu87]

i outsource drywall and multiple room painting. 1 room i can handle, multiple rooms i want to kill myself. I also dont detail my own car because im lazy.

For some reason, i end up being the one outsourced by all my wifes friends and our family. Somehow I have a reputation with them that i know what im doing and i enjoy it, where in reality i google everything and hate it.

[TBN54]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

I don't outsource anything except major renovations. I painted the entire interior of my condo and home as well as the exterior of our three outbuildings. I do all of our lawn care as well, though I did have 14 trees removed by some pros. It helps that I picked up a 50" zero turn mower from a coworker for peanuts. It's a beast.

This is, the most interesting man in the world.

[jtodd_fl]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Jokes aside but i wonder if this is one of the reasons it bothers me a bit? it is a touch emasculating to have some of this stuff looked after by another guy, these are traditional "man tasks".

Meh. Gender roles are so 1980s. Seriously, most happy marriages I know about (including my own) are about shared responsibility of everything. There aren't man jobs and woman jobs. What should be emasculating is being an absent father and a shitty husband. Doing those two things well should define real manhood*. Once that shit is on lockdown, everything else is bonus territory.

Edit: *Should define real manhood for people who choose to go this route. Some don't and that is cool. Nothing but respect for my spouseless and/or childless brothers.

[RickFLM4]

Outsource pretty much all yard work and tree trimming, have a car detailer (who also cleans windows of house 2x/year, rinses house exterior and pressure washes driveway and patio when I don't have time) and also outsource pest control and dog grooming. I have occasionally used a handyman for some odd jobs but have had mixed experiences with work quality. Some are really bad.

If a hurricane comes I will be outsourcing putting the panels up because that sucks. However I will check each one myself.

We don't outsource house cleaning because we haven't found anyone really good and trustworthy and stopped outsourcing pool service because we went through too many incompetent, lazy pool people.

Edit: Also outsource a/c maintenance 2x / year.

[Infamouscrew02]

I do all of everything myself. I'm entirely to poor to afford it.

[Kidscollege$]

I mow the grass and keep the yard. But we are so damn busy our house is a mess! 2 kids in club sports, we are gone at least 5 if not 7 nights of the week for practice or games or out of town for tourneys. We tried to hire a maid, but that was a joke. we essentially had to clean the house before the maid came to clean.

I think we are going to try the maid again, only do a little more research on what exactly they do...I am wanting something more like "Alice" from the Brady Bunch...but hotter.

[MKSixer]

Yard. Flowerbeds (now), housekeeping, pest control, weed control.

I work on my cars when able, change light bulbs, filters, and fold clothes (I don't put them away.), drop and pick-up clothes from the cleaners. We usually grab take out or eat out as everyone is too tired to prepare food during the week. Failing that, a sandwich is always a good option.

Daughter must keep room clean and no one can enter my office under pain of a horrible and lingering death. Sadly, 2 housekeepers found out the hard way.