How many hours do u work, how much cleaning help?

amother

Oak

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 11:16 am

Ema of 4 wrote:

Even if I wasn’t working, I would have as much help as I have now, or maybe more.

Someone wanted to know what the stay at home moms with no kids home do all day. Some spend day after day out in the town. They shop, they eat out, they socialize with friends.
Some volunteer for organizations. One day they go to this place, the next to another....
Some volunteer for different things in theirs kids’ schools and classrooms.
Some are home all day. They may make gourmet meals. They may exercise. They may sit and watch all day. But who gives a darn? It is their money, and they can spend it however they want!!

I have no kids home currently. Which means 5 hours total as my toddler is in playgroup 10-3. I have, as mentioned, 18 hours cleaning help a week. I still do a basic cleanup every night when the kids are in bed, and every morning when she doesn’t come.
My apt is pretty small and as soon as she leaves and the kids are back, there’s a mess all over again. There are always things to put away and spills to wipe up.
This year I’m prioritizing my mental health which I’ve neglected for a while. That includes trying to go out and socialize as much as I can, going to a parenting class, and starting therapy.

mha3484

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 11:22 am

I work 40 hours but no commute. I have cleaning help on occasion but not on a regular schedule.

It works for me because:

1) I come home from work feeling like a mench since I didnt sit on the train or drive for 30min to an hour. I think that is the hardest part of working. The commute. Once I got rid of mine my whole energy level changed.

2) The blessing and curse of ADHD is that I am pretty high energy.

3) My two oldest kids are in school until 2 and 3:45 and my younger kids at home are not really mess makers personality wise so I dont usually come home to a trashed house unless its a vacation time and then I get some help to manage.

4) I set myself up for success. In the winter when shabbos ends early I use my motzei shab to do laundry and prepare for the week. I do a meal prep on Sundays and clean my kitchen when I am done and it stays pretty clean until I get ready to prepare for shabbos. Then I choose a second week night to clean the bathrooms and bedrooms. I use laundry folding as a time to veg out and watch something or listen to a podcast. Its the only chore I can do sitting down lol.

5) I go to bed later then I should and probably drink more coffee then I should.

honeymoon

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 11:39 am

I work between 4-7 hours a week out of the house and do several hours of freelance work at home.

I have 6 hours of cleaning help a week. She does the floors, furniture, bathroom and ironing. I pay her $12 an hour.

My kids are all under 6 years old.

My house is clean for a grand total of approx. 2 hours a week.

amother

Wheat

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 11:50 am

I work for myself at home, so my hours fluctuate a lot. I have a young toddler at home with me and two school-aged kids aged 11 and under.
I have 7 hours of help weekly (3 hours one day, 4 hours another) and it is a huge blessing.

I hate having a dirty or messy house and my toddler is in the dump-out-and-move-on stage of playing with toys and books, so the clutter can make me nuts, but I don't always have the time or energy to clean it up (especially when I know that Hurricane 1-year-old will come through again in an hour).

On the other hand, I don't like having people in my house, especially when I'm working. So this arrangement works out well for me, B"H, because I get the clean house twice a week without too much encroaching on my territory. I can afford more B"H but don't want it.

My house is small and I do all the laundry (except for some ironing), wash dishes and straighten up every day. The cleaning lady does the bathrooms, kitchen, and floors twice a week, changes linen once a week, and does occasional jobs (windows, walls, etc.) as necessary.

amother

Brown

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 12:22 pm

I feel very spoiled after hearing how little help people have!

I have 8 children, some out of the house. I work 14 hours a week and approx 30 hours of cleaning help a week.
I live in a big house, lots of laundry, ironing, cleaning, she helps me with my prep work for cooking.
I and my husband and children are much calmer when everything is clean and in order.

amother

Powderblue

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 1:02 pm

I have none at the moment, but ideally would like to go back to having 5 or 6 hours a week, all in one day.
I work about 35 hours a week, have a big house, kids are older, and the house is tidy but not clean clean.

Eventually I will go back to once a week cleaning help. Even if I could afford more, I wouldn't take it. I like my privacy and my quiet. I would really dislike having outside help in my home every single day.

zaq

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 1:06 pm

Don’t look to others to be your yardstick. Just because YenteFrume Negelwasser has six kids, works 80 hours a week, grows, shechts and kashers her own chickens and has no hired help doesn’t mean you must do the same. We each have our own unique capabilities, incapabilities, priorities, resources and needs

zaq

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 1:57 pm

Ema of 4 wrote:

Does that apply to non Jews also?

I haven’t the foggiest, but we are supposed to give charity to gentiles for the sake of shalom. Besides, keeping gentiles unemployed and in poverty doesn’t help us any. If anything, it creates social problems that disrupt our lives as well as theirs.

amother

Cobalt

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 3:36 pm

amother [ Silver ] wrote:

Most Americans consider cleaning help a luxury that’s reserved for the wealthy. Is cleaning help very cheap in Lakewood?

SA amother is cleaning help still so cheap in SA these days with all the changes going on in your country? Also SAHMs with full time cleaning help and kids at school, what do they do all day?

You can get a full time maid live in for the equivalent of about $300-400 a month. Probably even less. I’ve never seen a house that doesn’t come with “staff quarters”. So, it’s very standard.

So people go to the gym, or work with a personal trainer, they go to shiurim and classes, they do Chesed, errands can be very time consuming here. Things that are instantaneous in a first world country can take weeks to accomplish here. Schools finish early here so then you are with your kids. Your staff needs to be managed etc..

It’s definitely not as stressful of a lifestyle though. But I don’t think they sit at home twiddling their thumbs all days.

amother

Salmon

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 3:40 pm

Work plus commute is 30 hours a week. Baby and toddler. No set cleaning help but if I get very overwhelmed I'll get someone for two hours as a one time thing. Ends up being 2-8 hours a month depending on how things are

amother

cornflower

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 3:47 pm

baby12x wrote:

I work 35 hours a week. No cleaning help.
Its not that I don't want- I can't afford it. Each time I think I may be in a position to afford it something else comes up that sets us back.

I am not superwoman (I do have little kids and I'm pregnant) and I'm not ok with a messy house but this is the life I have right now whether I like it or not

This!! Are you me??? Could have written this post exactly (minus the being pregnant part Very Happy

amother

Cyan

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 3:55 pm

30 hours per week plus approx 20 minute commute each way so out of the house sometimes almost 8 hours. I'm BH expecting and have family of children and need basically clean home. I have approx 5-6 hours of cleaning help per week and it's never enough and costs a fortune. Wish I'd have daily help for 1-2 hours!

gilamom

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 8:21 pm

Working 28 hours per week out of the house plus some freelance work in the evenings, zero cleaning help. Could be it's my own fault though, I'm very organized and like a clean house-the last time I had cleaning help was three years ago when I said I'd hire someone for a day and asked her to mop, I came back into the room and she was listlessly pushing a dry mop, no bucket of soap and water anywhere to be seen and I flipped out, this is what my hard earned money gets me??? No thanks!

amother

Ruby

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 8:51 pm

watergirl wrote:

This. I work 40+ hours a week. I would LOVE cleaning help. Its not in the cards for us.

I’m in the same boat- 40 hrs a week no cleaning help simplify because we can’t afford it and not because I want to be superwoman. I’m 43, tired and drained. I think back to when I worked full time in my 20’s with little kids and pregnant... I really don’t know how I did it. I value my sleep now.