Speaking of Easy

I am joining the monthly “Let’s Look,” but this month is going to be a short one for me because I do not do much outsourcing. But, I am very interested in hearing what others do so that I may steal it! If you have some great ideas for Outsourcing, please join over at Mix and Match Mama or A Little Bit of Everything Blog!

Shopping

I do outsource quite a bit of shopping. Not all of it. I just got my grocery order delivered for the week and sometimes I will order and pick it up. But, I get 10% off if I shop in store, so I only do that when I am just feeling like I can’t handle a grocery trip. I do think that I may save 10% not going to the store though. I am an impulse shopper, so I often will pick up things we don’t need. I also outsource my pet food shopping. No need to carry heavy dog food bags through the store and out to the car if I can just get them dropped off at my house!

Taxes

Definitely outsource my taxes. Previously we owned a rental and we both had a few independent contractor jobs on top of our regular employment, so it was complicated. We have since sold our rental and I haven’t done any independent contracting recently, but my husband still does some independent contractor work, we both have multiple jobs and a couple of his are out of state, so we have kept our tax person. It is nice to go in, have it done and know that we are protected if anything is done incorrectly.

That’s it for me. But, here are things I would like to outsource, but struggle a bit pulling the lever to make it happen:

Housecleaning

I really, really, really need a housecleaner! But, here are my reservations:

1. We have so many pets. We have two dogs and three cats and I feel like they release so much hair and dirt and such that it feels like a lot for someone else to deal with. This is equally a reason we NEED a housecleaner. I go back and forth.
2. We would have to clean up for them to clean. I realize how ridiculous this is. I KNOW in my mind that we are just “picking up” and they would actually CLEAN. But, this is what comes to mind when I think about hiring someone.
3. We have what feels like a lot of stuff. I know we aren’t really THAT bad. But, we tend to have a lot of stuff around all the time. It feels embarrassing to have someone come in and clean around it. I’m getting ready for Girl Scout cookie season and we’ll be the cookie house. I often have a lot of piles of paper for grading and school. I know this is probably another reason we NEED a housecleaner, but I am not rational when it comes to this.

Please help me make this decision! Are these three excuses ridiculous?

Home Maintenance

The one thing I really liked about renting was having a maintenance person who would come and fix anything that broke or wasn’t working. I often would like to have someone I could call and would show up to fix anything that breaks around the house. We get it done, but it often takes a looooong time.