Paying for housecleaning

[MoneyGal]

OK, this is something I've wondered about for YEARS and I decided to ask here.

How do people justify the cost of paying for regular housecleaning?

I don't mean "why do they do it," or "how can they afford it" -- but assuming you have someone clean your house for 4 hours once a week, and they charge $15/hour - that's $240/month, or almost $3000 per year.

Is it that...people think $3000/year is "not that much" or is it that they never add up the amount, or is it that their overall spending is high enough that an extra $240/month kind of goes unnoticed in the general ebb and flow of their day-to-day finances...or what?

I know a lot of people who pay for housecleaners and people regularly suggest it to me, as well. But I'm confused about how, when someone starts to plan for this expense in their life, they don't say "Well! That's out of the question - I'm not paying $3000/year for someone to mop my floors!"

???

[leoc2]

I agree that it is too expensive and I also say the same thing about the cost of a fancy cell phone plan.

[baker3232]

Don't use it myself, but a young lady who worked for me a few years ago started doing it on the side for a few extra bucks. She put an ad in the local paper, small town Nova scotia, and the response was so heavy that she had to turn down lots of people, and this is a mostly rural area. I could see it more in the urban areas. After that she resigned from her job, my loss, Three years later she still does cleaning as her full time job and is as busy as she wishes to be.

[kcowan]

Our cost is $2600/yr. We treat it as another budget item like insurance, or dining out. Granted it started when we both worked. But she is like a member of the family now. She will cat-sit for nothing as well. She even came to PV to visit us this season. (I think depreciation on new cars is a really obscene expense. But it is different strokes for different folks.)

[Ihatetaxes]

I pay $90 for 4 hours, a wonderful woman who does a great job. I am paying her $22.50 an hour while I am off at work making well over $100 per hour so I view it as money well spent. LOVE coming home to a sparkling house and am debating having her come more often.

Tomorrow I have a company coming to clean my windows for $115. Again, money well spent in my opinion as I don't have to climb ladders and risk breaking my neck.

[MoneyGal]

It really is different strokes for different folks. Interesting for me to think about. I'm not sure what I pay for that others would consider unjustifiable. We do pay a lot of money for cell phone plans but my employer(s) have always footed most of the bill and I am on the road a lot, so this for me has been a (small) justifiable expense. Hmmm.

I spend a lot on clothes (in my opinion) but this seems like an unavoidable work-related expense. Hmmm. I'm going to keep thinking.

I can understand the *impetus* to pay for housecleaning, and I have considered it many times. It's just when I contemplate actually spending the money that I get wiggly. If the affordability measure is that the housecleaner costs 20% of your hourly wage, I could certainly afford it (but you are comparing before- and after-tax apples there). I just value insourcing as much as I can. I just made all of the bread we're going to eat for the week.

[kcowan]

I just made all of the bread we're going to eat for the week.

I think any investment that improves your quality of life is worth it. This includes home cooking and baking IF you like it.

I used to like nice shiny new cars, but I got it out of my system when I could justify it. Our 1993 Explorer is still shiny and the leather is pristine. I get no ego strokes out of admiring glances while driving. Being invisible IS an advantage when driving.

But the problem as I see it is that you need to set a budget that includes all your priorities. I do my own taxes because it keeps me in tune with our tax system. For 3 days, I sweat the details but I consider it to be a refresher course in what matters tax-wise. Most of my friends outsource this activity. I don't question them and vice versa.

Most people would be shocked by our entertainment budget and our travel budget but not our housekeeper budget!

[MoneyGal]

I thought of something! I spend frivolously on getting my nails done.

[Jungle]

Disability and old age easily justifies the cost.
A family member put a website for cleaning houses and this gives her full time work.. doing local houses. people that do not have the time, (or do not make time) too lazy, etc.

My aunt used to get it done, they both worked a full career and never had kids, so they money was there. Their other spending was not excessive from my observation.

[Jungle]

For me I see a business oppertunity, but the labour costs really eat the profit margins. The company that cleans the building I work in is huge, but they pay the workers nothing.. they seem to be off the boat or something.