What is the value of the cost of the service in comparison to: relationships, peace of mind, and your ability to manage other priorities?
The main areas of outsourceing are in these categories:
Grocery Shopping
Meal Preparation
Cleaning,
Errands/ Transporting Children
Laundry
Please share what companies you use and if you like them. Anythoughts on a good cleaning service? Is Peapod worth it? 1-800-Diapers?
Some of the thoughts shared on peapod were: It forces you to create a meal plan ahead of time and reduces impulse buying. Delivery fees are worth the service.
BJ's/Costco/Sam's/Price Club are good places to shop IF you go with a list and stick to essential items. Other than that you can blow your budget while you try to save money.
All the mom's who use an outside cleaning service say that it is the BEST money they spend.
Any other ideas and tips on outsourcing?
3 comments:
I missed the discussion this month because Brendan was born that morning, but I definitely would love to hear insights on outsourcing. I am usually loathe to spend extra money for things I can/feel like I should do myself for a lot less. However, I have used Let's Dish and Super Suppers in the past for meal assistance (especially great during 1st trimester of pregnancy!) and I really liked it. I wouldn't do it all the time, but for those crazy times, it is SO worth the extra cost- and you do save a lot of time and stress!
Sorry I also missed this month! I would love to hear any tips that were shared! I use 1-800-Diapers but ONLY for diapers. I don't think the other stuff is as good a deal. Stella only uses Pampers and they are pretty cheap ... can't beat next day door step delivery when I realize I have 3 diapers left! Love it!
I wasn't able to make it either, but would love to hear ideas...
These are mine: I use Peapod when I'm particularly organized that week and know that I have a big chunk of time I can be home to wait for the delivery, but other times I have used Harris Teeter's "Express Lane". You can order online the day you want the groceries and pick them up 4 hours later. They shop for you and bring them to your car - it's $5. I think the idea is great, and you can put in notes for what quality you're looking for or substitutions you would accept. My only complaint is that I have had bad luck with the HT by my house and about 3 times in a row they were missing major things from my list. They more than compensate you, BUT it means another trip to the store usually to pick up the missing items.
I recently learned about amazon's "Subscribe and Save" (http://unclutterer.com/?s=Subscribe+and+Save). They sell non-perishable grocery items at clubhouse/warehouse prices. By subscribing, you can set up your account to send you papertowels, for example, every 2 months or however often you need to replenish your stock. I have been doing a lot of snooping around on their site and I'm definitely planning to sign up for this service. A lot of items fall under their "super saver free shopping" but you can also pay a set price to cover all your shipping needs through amazon for the year - use it as often as you want and never pay again.
I use 1800diapers.com, which I love. I order wipes, diapers and diaper cream from them. I love having a ready stock of those supplies and never having to lug around those enormous boxes. Can't beat door-to-door service! Plus the less time I spend in Target, the better b/c I always end up leaving with so much more than I went in for!
I also have someone come do the major cleaning at my house 2x/month. She doesn't work for a company and is really reasonable in what she charges. I only have her do the major stuff - dusting, washing floors and bathrooms, scrubbing down the kitchen appliances, cleaning out the fridge, changing the sheets...that sort of thing. You can not put a price tag on the work she does - not b/c its the best in the world, but b/c it just relieves so much stress from my life! Definitely the best money we spend.
I have found the more services/things that I can order online more than pay for the shipping costs. They keep me focused on what I really need, eliminate impulse buying, force me to be more organized with my planning, and also free up so much time in my day so I can do the things that I really want to do.
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