Comments on: What Is Your Time Worth?

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:47:07 +0000

Psychsarah – you would have to move to Alberta!
We went out for dinner on Friday as a family as a celebration of school is out, we have done it every year since they started school. It was quite nice to sit there and let them know how things were going to begin to work around our house. Girls are now in charge of their laundry totally. The one that does do hers told her sister that she wasn’t doing hers. She was then called a name, to which we promptly stomped on that. The next day we also told the oldest child that the bank of mom and dad was closing and she had better get a job, full-time preferable, but a couple of part-times if needed. She isn’t going to school this fall as she isn’t sure what she wants to do. Also told the others that they were old enough that they could work at least one day a week if not more.

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:47:36 +0000

Hi Gail,
My comment is not actually regarding the specific topic of your article. It’s more about one line near the bottom, regarding your dog-less-ness. How sad. Sorry to hear about it. Just wanted to say hello from a fellow ‘fan of the canine’. We have two Shih Tzus (Emma, 9 and Tucker, 1.5) and they’ve brought us more joy than I can express. If you’re ever considering adopting another pup, I can’t say enough good things about Shih Tzus. They don’t shed (woohoo – that’s that much less time in front of the vacuum!) and are the perfect combination of playfulness and ‘napfulness’. Thanks again for all your great advice!

By: Amanda

Amanda — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:16:33 +0000

i am a mom of two great kids and a sloppy husband. I always cleaned our house myself, with everyone piching in from time to time. we are not rich, barely middle class it seems these days, we both work full time, and get home at 6pm.

The kids are older 16 and 12, and between shuffling them to friends, events, parties, games and practices 3 times per week, eating together is a challenge. The week-ends are precious and i don’t want to spend them waxing hardwood floors and scrubbing toilets and tubs.

If i had a free night, I would be at work thinking about tackling the washrooms or vacuuming the stairs, when i get home. By the time i get home i am stressed and complaining.

No fun to be around. Our solution?

We hired a great cleaning woman, to come in bi-weekly to do the big stuff, washrooms, floors, windows, dusting, vacuuming etc.

My extended family thought i was nuts, to pay for these services, but it was worth it for me and my family. On the precious week-ends, I can enjoy them with my family, instead of cleaning and making everyone help.

It was great for my state of mind and the fam as well.

and as a bonus, our cleaner works independantly (no agency), is friendly, and I feel as though we are helping her, as much as she helped us.

By: Mellow

Mellow — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:59:09 +0000

DH and I are similar to a lot of people I think, we take care of most stuff ourselves, and outsource what we’re not skilled enough to take care of. Though I am very tempted to outsource sanding and restaining the window frames–the idea of that task seems a little overwhelming. Plus DH is a plumber, so he often does odd jobs for others, and sometimes gets work in return–for example plumbing BIL’s basement, and in return he fixes and upgrades our computers gratis. I don’t think I would ever feel comfortable with someone else cleaning my home, though some days I wish I could hire someone to make all the kitty litter disappear!

By: Diana

Diana — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:50:58 +0000

Andrea, I think I know what you mean and I agree to the essence of raising a family as the first priority, and about the lessons you teach your child by example.
(I think it is hard to put out opinions in emails without offending someone, simply because the vocal emphasis can’t help).
But I also think that in the days of yore, people who cleaned or gardened for others actually took pride in that job and did it to their best ability. Not so trendy these days, at least not in North America.
And, did anyone read the expose in the Globe and Mail last year about how poorly housecleaners were treated? Outrageous!!

By: Andrea

Andrea — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:02:03 +0000

….SORRY to all those I’ve offended. ..seriously. My comment was too harsh..boo for me.

Gail’s blog today speaks volumes of the droves that “outsource” various things not just for those who really need to but those who do so because, well they can(affordability or not)..and tag time as the reason.
I’m one of the bad girls out there who doesn’t agree. I do agree with “dm”’s comment as well as I stand by the cleaning comment.**this is not toward single or widowed parents**but in a 2 parent family..if you have kids it is your job to raise them, period. In a go-go-go society..what would the world be like if mom or dad stayed home the first 5 years of the child’s life because their “time” and the child’s “time” is worth it. Living on one-income to raise a family is do-able. It’s living within your means that is hard but for the betterment of your child..they make it easier. I know there are exceptions to every rule…but it makes me sad when people plunk there kids in daycare and complain over the housekeeper’s abilities because they think they HAVE to have a second income and are sending the same message to their kids.
You teach and lead by example, hence you clean your own home and teach your kids to pick up after themselves and respect their own property, etc..and it’s really not that time-consuming.

Not likely I put this into the written word the way I intended here either and it’s probaby still offensive…….but I can’t be the only one who views it this way???…I’ll think of you guys when I clean tomorrow …and you can laugh at me when you’re saying thank-you to the cleaning staff.

By: Krista

Krista — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:37:41 +0000

I have a bit of a different outlook on hiring help. My parents and my grandparents both hired housekeepers at one point or another. I myself worked as a full time live-in nanny for a family.

All of these situations have ended up providing life-long friendships for me. My Grandma and I continued to visit the lady who vacuumed for her until the day the woman died. The lady who cleaned for my parents had a daughter my age who became a friend. I’m now Godmother to one of the children I looked after.

It’s not a new thing to trade tasks with other people, even if what you’re trading is cash. But we’ve come to see it differently in the last century – as something you do if you’re too rich to do things for yourself. But we need to go back to seeing it as a way to create a local economy and build relationships with new people. And sometimes, as has been my experience, it’s worth far more than it costs.

By: Jenna

Jenna — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:13:34 +0000

dm, I’m SO with you there. My SIL used to be a nanny, and she said that she even felt a tremendous amount of guilt in that she spent so much more time with the kids than their parents did.

On another note, I heard an interesting perspective about the hiring of cleaners…I can’t remember who I was talking to, but they said that in their country (if I could remember who it was I could tell you which country) it’s considered selfish to NOT outsource for things like housework, because the unemployment rate is so high that the middle- and upper-class are expected to say “thank-you” to the community in a sense by providing more jobs. That said, of course, there is apparently a much worse stigma attached to living beyond your means than there is in North American culture these days, so only the people who could TRULY afford it would outsource like that.

By: Linda

Linda — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:22:44 +0000

I love to cook, bake, cut grass and garden and would not want someone else to do it for me however housecleaning not so much. I found this free website helpful to keep me on track at home flylady.net for those of us who aren’t born organised
My husband and I like to do home maintenance and repair and try to learn “how to” however if it is something beyond our ability or comfort level we do call the professional, mechanic, appliance repair, and plumber are just a few we’ve called on over years. Their services are very much appreciated.

By: Ajana

Ajana — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:13:20 +0000

My time is worth 3% of my salary.

Currently my rent and transportation costs combined are equal to 39% of my salary. I have signed a lease for a place which is 12-15 minutes from work (depends on traffic) which reduces my commuting time from the current daily 2.5 hours round trip. The rent/transport combo will go up to 42% of my salary, a difference of 3%.

What is my time worth? Two hours a day x 5 days a week = 3%. And worth every cent!

By: MCR

MCR — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:26:06 +0000

Funny, I consider the time vs. money issue for absolutely everything I do – and have recently been thinking more about hiring a cleaner since my time is better spent with the family than scrubbing tubs and toilets!

@ Elizabeth – I’m now (as of tonight) in the market for a new vacuum and was debating including the Roomba unit in my research. I like the idea of turning it on and leaving it – how long does it take to do an average room (I have all hardwood or tile floors; no carpet). Wondering if it’s worth the $$?

By: an ostrich named sam

an ostrich named sam — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:22:44 +0000

I’m planning on having the inside of my house painted in the fall after the exterior renovations are completed on my home. It would take me at least 1 week to paint my entire main floor and I’d have to use my vacation time ( which I’d rather save for a rainy day). The cost to have it all painted works about to be a weeks wages so for me its money well spent!

As a single parent I can’t do everything and keep my sanity, so some things don’t get as often as my mother would like, but we’re a happy family and it’s that what counts!

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:52:37 +0000

we pretty much do all the ‘normal’ day to day house stuff ourselves, this may change once i’m back at work, but i have a hard time with the idea of someone else cleaning my house. we do outsource for stuff like major home improvements (got a contractor to do our basement), because we figure if we pay someone it’s done right the first time, where if we do a half assed job it will end up costing us more in the long run

By: Diana

Diana — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:16:03 +0000

To the ladies who work and do all the housework, as well (like me) think about “outsourcing” at home.
We have 4 bathrooms, mine, my husband’s, my son’s and one other.
The men are slobs so I finally said I would keep 2 BRs clean and it wouldn’t be either of theirs!! I leave them to their mess (although I do duck in once a month, or so…out of fear).
My men also do their own laundry and my husband likes to iron so all his french-cuffed dress shirts are perfectly pressed by their owner!!!

By: dm

dm — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:10:51 +0000

i am a full-time, live-out nanny. no one but me seems to consider this outsourcing the job of parenting. i love my job (and the kids!) and wouldn’t want to do anything else, but i still think it is weird to have someone else raise your kids for an hourly fee. are the two kids really only worth my hourly wages? it stops being about what my time is worth (as far as wages go) and what their childhoods are worth, in my opinion anyway. any comments?