Poll: Do you have paid cleaning help?

[Deleted]

Just because I'm curious.  

Options are "yes" and "no", because you either do or you don't. Feel free to elaborate on how you're NOT super rich and they only come once a year on your birthday, whatever makes you feel better. Or gloat that you have a live-in full time maid, nanny, and cook. 

[Deleted]

Biweekly but only after we had kids.

[meltoine]

Nope. We used to, when we lived abroad. But we cannot afford it in the U.S.

[cincodemayo]

Not yet, but my sincere hope is that we can hire someone at least sporadically someday.

[mrshandy]

Nope, I thought maybe when DS went to K we might be able to swing one, but our savings are pretty paltry so we need to rebuild that first and then think about a cleaning lady.

[cece]

No damnit. I want.

[Deleted]

I'm a "no", but I hope to be a "yes" when we get rid of my stupid debt. Maybe next year!

[Cicero]

If we didn't we'd be living in squalor. Except for the floors. Those would be clean.

[AlpineSlide]

No.

I do want to hire a one time cleaning service right before dc2 is born.

[kershnic]

Nope, our apartment is dirty instead. I prefer plane tickets and must choose.

[rugbywife]

On my phone.

When we are both working, yes. So right now, no. It is something we had to 'sacrifice' while on parenting leave, that and my fitness costs (I work out at home instead) save us $450 CAD a month.

[kershnic]

Aug 28, 2015 12:08:57 GMT -5 @cookiemonster03 said:

No.

I actually just talked DW into it and then promptly got pregnant. No housecleaner for me. Sob.

With four kids including twin infants a house cleaner might no longer be a "luxury"! 

[pinotgrig]

We used to but cancelled them when it was close to my due date. Since I was going be at home on ML, "I would have all the time in the world to clean!!1!!" Lolol forever at me.

[bowies]

Yes. We have room in our budget since we don't spend money to visit our crazy families. (Except this year.)

[Deleted]

I love that this is something where the have-nots are just blantantly, honestly jealous.

[ECB]

For the clean kitchen and bathrooms every other week - we will be hard pressed to give it up, ever. The rest of it I could deal with. It's cleaning those rooms that I HATE.

[wavepool]

Our last two experiences weren't good. I'm no perfectionist, but they didn't put anything back and I still felt like I needed to clean. If I could find someone I really liked and was worth paying for, we may try again.

[namasteak]

Yes. They come 2x/month and it is $120/month I got by reducing our eating out & grocery budget. Totally worth it to me!

[zarapipe]

No. My goal is that in 1 year we can afford a monthly cleaner to come and do the deeper cleaning.

[tulips]

Nope

[deo]

I am usually a no, but I did hire a cleaning company this summer to do a deep clean of the house before we listed it to sell and they continued to come every 2 weeks until it sold. Once we move we will go back to no cleaners.

[redheadk]

Yes. Every other week.

[glitzy07]

Nope.

I hired someone once for a single deep clean before C's first birthday party. I wasn't impressed with the service. I do wish I could afford it though (who doesn't?)!

[Velar Fricative]

Yes, biweekly. I always used to like cleaning and was good at it, and then when I was about 20 weeks pregnant with DD we decided to splurge on a cleaning lady and never looked back.

ETA: This is definitely a case of where the poll results just don't reflect what I thought was the reality here. Wow!

[turtlegirl]

Nope. Never had it and we'd have to make a decent chunk more to even think about it.

Our budget is stretched very thin right now with getting a bigger house and adding another kid this past year.

[rex]

no, i'm poor lol

i would love someone just once a month to do all the annoying deep cleaning tasks, but it will have to wait until i am working full time too. student loans eat up a lot of our income.

[ribollita]

Yes, weekly.

I will throw this out -- many years ago @spenjamins shared that she paid her housekeeper during the housekeeper's maternity leave and it really stuck with me as something that wouldn't be something I would automatically do but is well-deserved. We later hired our first housekeeper and I have always paid holidays/vacation if she doesn't work that week for whatever reason. So thanks @spenjamins for making something so obvious, obvious to me.

[starlily]

No.

Maybe next year we could afford one every other week.

[dancingirl21]

Yep, biweekly and she is worth every damn cent.

I will likely SAH if/when we have #2 and while finances will certainly be tighter than they are now, I will figure out a way to cut something else to keep her.

[water*drop]

No. Maybe after the student loans and daycare bills are done.