Our busy schedules are the masters of our life, stealing precious hours of our free time with chores and errands. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could hire someone else to do these chores for you at a reasonable cost? Well, the reality is a lot closer than you think!
Plenty of menial chores we used to spend valuable free time and money doing ourselves can be locally or even internationally outsourced. Better yet, you don’t have to be rich to take advantage of these time-saving measures; every day people are depending more on outsourced domestic labor than ever.
- Pet Grooming
We love our pets, but if you have a cat or dog who requires regular washes and cuts, you’re better off hiring professionals!
How many times have you struggled to control your dog with a pair of expensive trimmers in your hand, only for the results to look less than perfect? Pet groomers don’t just wash and cut your pet’s fur, either. They can also clip nails and perform other minor medical procedures.
The cost usually depends on the size of your dog or cat and the extent of the work. An average price is around $50 for a professional cut, but could be more or less depending on your needs.
- Valet Storage
Self storage facilities are usually a nightmare for people who have to use them. Those impersonal concrete lockers are a bleak place to spend your Saturday afternoon. If you’ve left it for too long, you may even forget what’s in there!
Valet storage is the solution so many of us have been looking for. In this model, the storage facility picks up your goods and stores them safely in a warehouse. Your possessions are indexed so you can check the contents of your storage place online at any time. When you want something back from storage, you order it to be returned and the valet storage facility will bring it back to your home. Sound easy? It is!
Stow Simple self storage represents the best of valet storage and is a good place to start if you’re looking to upgrade your self storage.
- Laundry
Fact: no one likes doing laundry. It’s time consuming and boring, but it’s necessary and takes an amount of skill to get right. Most people slave over their washers and dryers every weekend thinking that laundry service is too expensive for them.
Think again! You can get your laundry cleaned, dried and folded for $1-$2/lb. in most areas. Whether you like the laundromat to come pick your laundry up and drop it off when it’s ready, or if you don’t mind taking a trip to their physical location, outsourcing your laundry will free up a lot of time you can spend doing something you love instead.
If you’re still not convinced, find out how much you spend on laundry solutions and energy every month. You’ll be shocked to find how affordable $1-2/lb. really is.
- Shopping
Until recently, online shopping was reserved for finding exotic or specific items that were normally unavailable in our area, or inconvenient to purchase in person. Now, you can buy everything from groceries to toiletries online and have them shipped to your home quickly and affordably.
Walmart.com, for example, has free shipping on orders over $50, and Target.com is even better with free shipping over $25. Chances are, your favorite clothing brands also sell online, and groceries are easier than ever to purchase. Some sites, like Blue Apron, allow you to shop by meal choice. Peapod gives you extensive choices and lots of ways to plan your diet.
It’s time we all started valuing our free time and leaving the details to those who are more qualified. You can support your local community and enjoy your weekends a little more by using some of these handy services.
