I've been on both sides of the "Life is too short to clean your own house" argument. I have a 2100 square foot house, some of which is not in use (doors shut and vents shut). I was paying Merry Maids $141 every four weeks to clean my house. I paid people to clean for most of my adult life. I figured there are enough chores to do regularly, I work full time and make a good wage, and have limited free time, so why should I clean when I want to be spending my weekends the way I want to? And Merry Maids is not cheap. They do a good job, provide good service, would charge my credit card, and they were *reliable*, unlike cheaper services I had tried.
But...then I found this site and got ashamed. I also now have a boyfriend who doesn't mind pitching in, and is a good enough sport to do the floors, which is the thing I absolutely hate.
My approach was first to realize I was spending $1833 a year on maid service, when all I can think about is how to become financially independent. I realized I was working against my real desires. So, cleaning services seemed like low-hanging fruit when it came to increasing my savings rate. Out it went, along with the exterminator (except the termite contract) and the tax preparer/accountant.
I figure, cleaning is not rocket science. I can do it, unlike perhaps a plumbing or electrical job I would be more likely to pay for. So, how do I do it so it doesn't impact my lifestyle? I resolved to spend the 15-20 minutes I had fiddled on the computer every weekday morning before leaving for work, on cleaning something instead. Less low-information diet, more money in my pocket. It's working so far. The house is clean, and I also get other things done on those days when nothing is in need of cleaning. I am finding that as long as I clean things as soon as they start to look a little dirty, it is easy to keep on top of it.
And that $1833? It's part of the increases I made to my automatic monthly investments. So I won't be tempted to spend it on something.
I'm pretty new to the forum, and one thing I want to comment on is the number of things I see about someone being "Mustachian" or "non-Mustachian" as if this is a cult or something. Personally, I see this site as an inspiration that is helping me increase my savings rate (I went from 29% to 33% in a month), but we don't all have to make the same choices in order to share a common goal, or to have at least a similar mindset. I probably won't get to a 50% savings rate because I don't want to give up certain things, like my car and my pets. But I hope no one is going to hurl "Anti-Mustachian" at me like an epithet. I won't do that to others, either.