Cleaning Lady? | Imamother

amother

Sat, Feb 22 2014, 8:15 pm

My in-laws decided they would pay for us to have a cleaning lady for the next few weeks to help clean for pesach. That is extremely generous of them, but I know that after pesach I am going to want to continue with her. This is making me feel incredibly guilty because we really cannot afford a cleaning lady. Is having a cleaning lady worth the money or is it just a waste?

smss

Sun, Feb 23 2014, 2:00 am

amother wrote:

that's so nice of them! enjoy!

IMO, nothing you really can't afford is worth the money. you do not want the stress of going into debt over a cleaning lady. if it's something that really makes a difference, maybe there's something else you could cut to make room for this in the budget?

chocolate chips

Sun, Feb 23 2014, 2:11 am

If you can't afford it then it is not worth the money BUT if someone is giving it to you for even a short amount of time it is worth every penny.

It is like catching some sleep when you have the chance and are tired.
Even if you only get her to do the basics (bathroom, floors, washing up, beds and ironing) so you can focus on the deep cleaning then it is still worth it.

m in Israel

Sun, Feb 23 2014, 12:37 pm

This is a very subjective question. I think most people would agree it is not worth going into debt over. So that means the question is what other thing will you cut from you budget to afford it, and is it worth it. Personally a cleaning lady is a HUGE deal to me, and I would rather cut almost anything else -- but I happen to have a very hard time with housekeeping in general. I think of it like any other professional service.

For example my husband and I do our own taxes, using online computer software. Our taxes are not simple -- we have investments, various types of income, etc. But my husband and I are both good with numbers and pretty knowledgeable about tax law. Spending money on an accountant to do our taxes would be a complete waste of money. (One year an accountant told my husband that he guarantees he will be able to find breaks/credits/deductions that we could be getting but aren't -- and he tried and couldn't!) But I can understand how someone who has difficulty with numbers, or gets overwhelmed filling out complicated forms may decide it is worth hiring an accountant.

Similarly, there are people who will unclog a pipe on their own, and others who hire a plumber. If cleaning is a skill you are good at and have time for, it may not be worth paying someone else to do it. On the other hand, if this task is hard for you, it may very well be worth spending the money to have someone else do it for you.

Guilt shouldn't play a role in this decision -- it is a simple question of budget priorities. If it is important enough, you need to find someplace else to cut in order to pay for it. If not, then it is not worth it. (Obviously I am talking about after Pesach -- if your ILs are offering to pay for it, I'd say jump on it unless you really don't like someone else in your house!).