At what disposable income do you feel you can afford a weekly house cleaner?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure about disposable - but we were at 275k HHI and I felt I couldn't justify. Just bumped to 650k HHI and am now doing it every week at 100/week. It's so amazing I am tempted to ask them if for twice a week they'd do 75. They charged 150 when it wasn't weekly, maybe you can negotiate down for weekly? That's what I did.

Classic DCUM.

NP here: more work, steady income, known family, cleaner home so less work, bulk discount. Very reasonable to negotiate the rate down. Ignore the snark and jealous harpy.

exactly - many cleaners treat it like a "deep clean" when it's only once a month, but is significantly less work when it's weekly, so lower rate for more regularity is industry standard.

[Anonymous]

When we lived in DC and made 400K a year, cleaner once every other week. We found that to be pretty sufficient pre-kids.

Moved out of DC to another city - still pretty expensive but lower COL and now with a toddler. Making around 450K now. We have someone come once a week, $60 a time. Would like to up to twice a week but can't justify it really! Once a week is an absolute must though.

[Anonymous]

Wow--you people are crazy. This for us has been a marriage saver for years...once a week, about $60
(1bdr apt)...we've done this pretty much no matter what. Does it mean we've cut out going out to dinner or whatever? Yes, of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For us it was more about time than income. No cleaner when I was a SAHM since I figured cleaning was part of my job. DH's income was $140K. I went back to work FT @ $85K and getting an every-other-week cleaner was essential IMO. DH at first didn't want to. He swore he'd share housework equally. HAH! That lasted one month and then we got a cleaner. Cheaper than a divorce.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow--you people are crazy. This for us has been a marriage saver for years...once a week, about $60
(1bdr apt)...we've done this pretty much no matter what. Does it mean we've cut out going out to dinner or whatever? Yes, of course.

You two can't clean a 1 br apartment without help? You both doing surgical residency or something?

[Anonymous]

Weekly or bi-weekly will change your life. If your spending $3000 on stuff just cut out some of the stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow--you people are crazy. This for us has been a marriage saver for years...once a week, about $60
(1bdr apt)...we've done this pretty much no matter what. Does it mean we've cut out going out to dinner or whatever? Yes, of course.

You two can't clean a 1 br apartment without help? You both doing surgical residency or something?

+1. My condo was spotless with about 2 hours of work a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure about disposable - but we were at 275k HHI and I felt I couldn't justify. Just bumped to 650k HHI and am now doing it every week at 100/week. It's so amazing I am tempted to ask them if for twice a week they'd do 75. They charged 150 when it wasn't weekly, maybe you can negotiate down for weekly? That's what I did.

Classic DCUM.

NP here: more work, steady income, known family, cleaner home so less work, bulk discount. Very reasonable to negotiate the rate down. Ignore the snark and jealous harpy.

You earn $650k/year and are nickle and diming your housecleaners. I have no issue with weekly cleaners (we have a weekly cleaner at 250k HHI) but I do have issues with trying to pay a sub-living wage.

maybe they have a small house?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow--you people are crazy. This for us has been a marriage saver for years...once a week, about $60
(1bdr apt)...we've done this pretty much no matter what. Does it mean we've cut out going out to dinner or whatever? Yes, of course.

You two can't clean a 1 br apartment without help? You both doing surgical residency or something?

+1. My condo was spotless with about 2 hours of work a week.

What a person does for a living is irrelevant. I prefer not to spend two hours of my free time cleaning. I prefer to spend it making a nice dinner for my family, playing with my kid, going to the gym etc. That and my crew does abetted job than I would, in less time. How this is complicated or difficult to understand I don't know. We all make choices, I choose to spend money here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For us it was more about time than income. No cleaner when I was a SAHM since I figured cleaning was part of my job. DH's income was $140K. I went back to work FT @ $85K and getting an every-other-week cleaner was essential IMO. DH at first didn't want to. He swore he'd share housework equally. HAH! That lasted one month and then we got a cleaner. Cheaper than a divorce.

+1

This exactly. It's about the opportunity cost of time. I guess some people enjoy cleaning. I'm
Not one of them, neither is DH.

[Anonymous]

Having a cleaning lady extended the marriage by five years or so. No more cleaning lady since divorce, I couldn't justify the expense, my time outside of work is free.

[Anonymous]

I had a cleaner even when I made $50k. For me, it's more important than cable or eating out.

[Anonymous]

We do it biweekly at $125 each time. So $250 a month. HHI is 275k and I sah.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If both parents work full time then it's necessary

For you, maybe. Not for everyone. I think its great to hire cleaners if you want to and can afford it, but a family cleaning up after themselves rather than paying someone else to do it is hardly necessary. Insisting that it is "necessary" and not a luxury just adds another thing we need to do to keep up with the joneses.

[Anonymous]

It is not about the jones, it is about marital harmony. Have had a bi-weekly cleaner my entire marriage. Would like to go to weekly but that is not in the budget.

Having a clean home takes a stress off of the table.