If you have to outsource chores, what is the Mustachian way to do it?

[Kaplin261]

So if your in a position that more time working or learning produces more income and mundane things like cleaning toilets can be outsourced. How would you do it in a Mustachian way to get the biggest bang for your buck?

I have been thinking about hiring a chef for 8 hours 1 day a week for $20 hr. The chef would go to the grocery store get the grocery's I have on the list, bring grocery's home cook and prep everything and also clean my home. I may even start a aqauponics garden and have this on his/her chore list as well.

[FLBiker]

We don't do a lot of this, but we do hire a cleaning person for $20/hr for 3-4 hrs ever 3-4 weeks.

My wife likes cooking, and I don't mind doing the landscaping, so we do those ourselves.  We're realizing, though, that some larger house projects will require a handyman if they're ever going to get done.  We just don't have the time w/ our new baby.

$160 a week seems like a lot, with paying for groceries on top of it.  I'm no chef, but I could grocery shop / make meals for the week in less than 8 hours.  I guess it depends how much cleaning you want done.

[ketchup]

My sister-in-law watches our house and dogs for us sometimes when we're out of town.  In exchange, she and her boyfriend can use our house for sex.

I also made a temporary one-month family-friend roommate do yard work (LOTS of yard work) in lieu of rent last year.  That was oddly satisfying.

[FLBiker]

My sister-in-law watches our house and dogs for us sometimes when we're out of town.  In exchange, she and her boyfriend can use our house for sex.

I also made a temporary one-month family-friend roommate do yard work (LOTS of yard work) in lieu of rent last year.  That was oddly satisfying.

Thanks!  That made me laugh twice!

[historienne]

We do something similar to your proposal - someone comes in two hours a day (4-6) to do cleaning, grocery shopping, and cooking.  We pay $12/hour, though.  She's not a chef, just a homemaker whose children are in college now.   We plan the recipes and write the grocery list (although sometimes we ask her to make stuff that she can make and we don't have recipes for).  It's definitely not actually mustachian, but yesterday I left my house at 7:30 am for work and didn't get back until 10:45, and we have a young child, so this is how we stay sane.  I don't anticipate having these hours long term (I teach at a SLAC, and am up for tenure next year, so right now I have a lot of research deadlines and it's also good politics to show my face at campus events) so this is a short term fix for what is hopefully a short term problem.  Getting tenure is VERY valuable to me, both economically and personally, so it's worth it.  And while my husband could pick up the slack, my marriage is also very valuable to me.

[Kaplin261]

We don't do a lot of this, but we do hire a cleaning person for $20/hr for 3-4 hrs ever 3-4 weeks.

My wife likes cooking, and I don't mind doing the landscaping, so we do those ourselves.  We're realizing, though, that some larger house projects will require a handyman if they're ever going to get done.  We just don't have the time w/ our new baby.

$160 a week seems like a lot, with paying for groceries on top of it.  I'm no chef, but I could grocery shop / make meals for the week in less than 8 hours.  I guess it depends how much cleaning you want done.

Will probably only end up doing it every other week. Leaving us with about %25 of the cooking,cleaning and shopping.

[FLBiker]

We don't do a lot of this, but we do hire a cleaning person for $20/hr for 3-4 hrs ever 3-4 weeks.

My wife likes cooking, and I don't mind doing the landscaping, so we do those ourselves.  We're realizing, though, that some larger house projects will require a handyman if they're ever going to get done.  We just don't have the time w/ our new baby.

$160 a week seems like a lot, with paying for groceries on top of it.  I'm no chef, but I could grocery shop / make meals for the week in less than 8 hours.  I guess it depends how much cleaning you want done.

Will probably only end up doing it every other week. Leaving us with about %25 of the cooking,cleaning and shopping.

Interesting.  Where did you find a chef who would clean?

[Sailor Sam]

First idea: Find a cheaper way to obtain the same goal. Ex: if you hiring an actual professional chef, consider hiring a non-professional who can cook. Culinary students come to mind, if you live in the right place. Hell, if you live near a regular college, you might get a good hit. Craigslist (or local equivalent) could also work, but might have to wade through the crazies.

Second idea: calibrate the amount of time the helper actually needs to accomplish your goals. Eight hours for 1 week of meals + shopping seems high.

Third idea: share the service with a neighbour or friend, to utilize economy of scale. The chef could make 2 pans of lasagna, etc. Your friend-neighbour would be advantaged by the chef working in your house instead of theirs, and disadvantaged by having to retrieve the meals. It wouldn't have to be 50/50 either, if the neighbour-friend only wanted 1 dinner/week.

[Kaikou]

My sister-in-law watches our house and dogs for us sometimes when we're out of town.  In exchange, she and her boyfriend can use our house for sex.

I also made a temporary one-month family-friend roommate do yard work (LOTS of yard work) in lieu of rent last year.  That was oddly satisfying.

Thanks!  That made me laugh twice!

Omgd

[surething22]

My sister-in-law watches our house and dogs for us sometimes when we're out of town.  In exchange, she and her boyfriend can use our house for sex.

I also made a temporary one-month family-friend roommate do yard work (LOTS of yard work) in lieu of rent last year.  That was oddly satisfying.

Dead. So good.