A Helping Hand: Outlet for Personal Assistants and Hired Help

Our never ending quest to find work-life balance will eventually lead us to this question - Should I hire someone to help? While this may not be financially possible for some, it is worth researching. Let's take a look at some of the options available.

Youth Services

Summer is a great time to seek out affordable help from a trusted neighborhood teen. Perhaps you already have a list of babysitters that you call regularly. Why not contact them and ask if they would be interested in working as your personal assistant a day or two each week? As a point of encouragement, you could mention that "Personal Assistant" would be fantastic item to list on their resume when they go out into the job market. Some of their tasks could include light cleaning, office or closet organization, shopping assistance, birthday party preparation, garage sale assistance, lawn care or even taking phone messages so you can focus on housework. You'll be surprised at how much time you will gain, in addition to the list of your accomplishments by the end of the summer. Be sure to offer a fair price and pay a small bonus at the end of the summer based on their efforts and reliability. This will give them incentive to say YES when you ask for their assistance next year!

Delivery Services

Do a quick internet search to find out which services in your area offer front door delivery for your dry cleaning, groceries, dairy products, etc. For a small fee, you'll save time and help conserve our fuel resources!

House Cleaning Services

This has become quite a competitive market, and if you thought you could never afford a cleaning service, check again. The average U.S. cost for private home services is $60 - $80 per visit (3 hours on average) which will clean a 3BR/2BA home. To get the most from your service, hire out only the tasks that are most cumbersome to you. This will vary from person to person. Make a list of which chores are easy for you to keep up with and which you tend to fall behind with. This will help you decide what you can continue doing and what you are willing to pay for. Then ask the cleaning service for an estimate of those tasks only.