Need check on cleaning/laundry help
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Anonymous
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I'm reviewing our 2015 budget and need some help with whether it's worth it or dump it. We have someone who comes in every week and does laundry at $150/week. So that's $600/month (not including taxes, which we pay - I just don't know exact amount yet). We also have a housecleaner for deep cleaning, floors, bathrooms, etc. at $100 per visit, so total $200/month (again this is without taxes, which I believe is fairly minimal). Both providers are trusted and been with us a long time (more than five years). We both work full time and have school age kids. I would like us to be frugal but not at the expense of our sanity and our jobs (which to be fair are very demanding).
Total help cost is $800/month (again not including taxes)…probably about $10,000 per year. I am curious - what do others pay for weekly cleaning help (including laundry and ironing)? While we could certainly cut both expenses, has anyone else cut it and regretted it? If we just cut the deep cleaning housecleaner ($200 per month), what would the right amount to give her if we let her go? She has been with us for many years. |
Anonymous
| How rich are you? |
Anonymous
| School-age children can do their own laundry and bedding. |
Anonymous
| 600 month for laundry?? |
Anonymous
| Keep the cleaner - do you own laundry. |
Anonymous
| That's crazy for laundry. Just get in the habit of throwing a load in every day |
Anonymous
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Agree with the craziness of the laundry cost. Unless this person is handwashing your artisanal Nepalese scarves for 2 hours, there's no way I'd pay that much per month (that's what our groceries are for a family of 4!) for laundry. Agree with PP who said to do a load every day. I do this and my kids are a toddler and preschooler (so arguably I have less time? DH and I also have demanding jobs).
It does depend on your HHI though. Ours is only $190K so no way would I spend $7200 per year on laundry help. |
Anonymous
| 600 a month for laundry is INSANE. |
Anonymous
| Get the housekeeper to do laundry. |
Anonymous
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That sounds like a awful lot just for laundry. How many people are in your family?
I pay $140 per week for our house cleaner. She does the sheets. If I wanted her to do laundry she would do so for an extra fee. I don't know how much as I wasn't interested. |
Anonymous
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I need to know more... what does she do while the laundry is running? Is the first load done when she arrives and she irons everything while the next load is running?
At $150/week, I imagine she's there at least 10 hours. That is a LOT of laundry. I certainly don't have an issue of $600/month for something that makes a family's life better if they can easily afford it, I just can't imagine 10 hours of laundry every week unless every single item is being ironed (and even then it is still a lot) and what she is doing the majority of the time while the machines are running. |
Anonymous
| Holy shit. Where can I sign up to do someone's laundry for $150 a week!?! |
Anonymous
Same here. I'd go do someone's laundry every week for $600/ month. Sweet gig. You can drop off laundry at a laundry service for probably a small fraction of that, but of course you'd have to pick it up and put it away yourself. |
Anonymous
Yeah and this laundress is using OP's electricity and machines. Pretty much no cost to her other than time. Sweet gig! |
Anonymous
I think its a lot of for laundry, but really the sorting and folding and hanging and ironing and putting away is the worst part of laundry. If I could have someone do that for me weekly I would. |