r/workingmoms • u/daughterofabiscuit • Apr 20 '26
Working Mom Success Spending to make life better
What do you guys spend money on to make your life easier/better? Working is part of my identity and I love my job. My husband and I are also in the very fortunate position to be saving a ton already for retirement and 529 accounts for our 2 kids (3.5F and 2 months M). What are some ways to spend extra cash to make life easier/more enjoyable?
Things we already do:
Cleaner every other week
Paid someone to do mulch delivery/spreading
Paid for our pool opening/closing
Planning to take 2 nice vacations this year
I don't really have a set budget but maybe something in the range of $500-$1000/month? Or once time purchases ~$5000?
What can we afford to let our lifestyle inflate that has been "worth it" for you?
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u/thosearentpancakes Apr 20 '26
Same tax bracket -
I love grocery shopping, so I donāt do delivery. I do shop at my favorite store and I donāt bargain hunt
Babysitter - I will schedule someone to watch my daughter, any time sheās got a half day or school closed. I know a lot of parents have to white knuckle that due to finances.
Date night - upped the frequency, nicer resultants, getting a new cute outfit or makeup
Better camps - my daughter goes to a full day, full summer program. One camp. Itās a mint (650/week) but so much less hassle.
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u/childish_cat_lady Apr 20 '26
I will never be convinced to turn grocery shopping over to someone that's not me or my husband lol. I value the ability to choose our own produce too much and hate plastic grocery bags.
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u/runsfortacos Apr 20 '26
Same. Well Iāve leaned into recently due to time constraints but I donāt really like it
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u/Ker0zelvin Apr 20 '26
For me, grocery shopping is enjoyable depending on the time and day that you go. Most evenings between 5-7? Terrible. Crowded. So many people rushing to get stuff for dinner/lunch the next day. Including yourself. You feel the countdown. Weekends? A gamble. On a random Wednesday mid morning? Perfect. I can take my time. Really stop and make sure im getting everything on my list. Maybe consider stocking up on some sale items, but due to a 9-5 schedule I have to take a day off for that.
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u/maudieatkinson Apr 21 '26
I used to think that about the mid mornings but now Iām squaring off with the paid shoppers who are getting groceries for other people!
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u/wvmountainlady Apr 20 '26
I did grocery delivery when I first had my baby and found someone amazing who always picks pretty good produce. I was able to set them up as preferred and now they're pretty much the only one who shops for me. If it weren't for her though I'd totally not want to chance getting red potatoes instead of a red onion (yes, it's happened with another shopper).
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u/Fluid-Village-ahaha 7M/5M. Working my by choice Apr 20 '26
Same. I can spend an hour in a grocery store and just enjoy it. When we had a first baby, my Whole Foods trips were a nice mental break :)
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u/thosearentpancakes Apr 20 '26
Itās my favorite mommy & me time actually. My daughter actively helps me shop and itās a great way to encourage her to read.
Shes also involved in what we choose to eat and whatās a whole food vs a processed food without it being a thing
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u/AgathaC2020 Apr 20 '26
When my second was born we upped our cleaners to once a week which has been huge.Ā
We generally try to outsource as much as possible. I feel so fortunate we can, but I view it as the closest thing I can to buying time. Stuff that is key for us: 1. All landscaping (weekly grass cutting, spring and fall clean up, including opening and closing our irrigation system, mulching, handling leaves, etc.) 2. Weekly grocery delivery 3. Weekday daytime dog walker (before our sweet pup crossed the rainbow bridge)
We also have a full time nanny. I mostly WFH so this means I get to BF, and while I have a separate office upstairs and have clear boundaries with my kiddos, I love that I can see them when I grab lunch, etc. I also find having complete control over my kids sleep schedules and not having to spend time doing drop off and pick up (my son does do morning preschool but my nanny handles that) makes my life a lot easier.Ā
Finally, we have a peloton and tonal. My husband and I both wake up before the kids and workout together. I love this time each day and being able to get a (really good!) workout in at home is the difference for me between regularly working out and not.Ā
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u/Background_Lunch5408 Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
We have money set for what we call āfunctional improvementsā - things that are larger ticket items but not big home improvement projects. We use it for things like someone to do odd jobs like hanging shelves, or purchasing home items that help our days go smoother. Granted, we live in an older home, so you may already have a highly functional home and routine - but these are things we enjoyed that helped!
We live in an area with very cold winters, and bought heated outdoor stair mats that are set on a timer. Iām pregnant, and neither me nor my husband had to worry about me slipping on the way out the door all winter.
I felt like I was constantly opening and closing hard to reach blinds and clearing space to reach them, so just ended up sitting in the dark. The solution was remote controlled blinds. Not cheap, but huge quality improvement.
Our basement retains and then drains water (intentionally, itās a design thing) but I was tired of stepping in a puddle in my basement when I was trying to do laundry in wet weather. So we bought vented floor mats to keep our feet off the floor but let the water run underneath.
So basically - I think the value is in having the budget to fix what is annoying you!
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u/Moissyfan Apr 20 '26
This is fascinating. I have never heard of that kind of basement.Ā
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u/Background_Lunch5408 Apr 20 '26
I know it sounds made up - I absolutely panicked the first time it rained after we moved in!
Itās not a finished basement, just concrete, in a house built in about 1930. In theory, any water that seeps in is supposed to drain out through small channels where the wall meets the floor, and funnel to a drain or a sump pump. It should be really unobtrusive. However in action, when it rains a ton, or feet of snow melts quickly, or the drainage just gets backed up with debris, I end up with a damp floor. Not flooded, but enough that it absorbs into any shoe mats and my socks get wet if I walk through.
And, it turns out, way easier to let it ride and just use drainage tiles than to try to make the whole basement dry, which would be costly and could then disrupt the foundation (Iām not totally sure the how and why there, tbh). We only fixed the ābrokenā part - that my feet were getting wet š
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u/findmeonaboat Apr 20 '26
- Cleaner every other week
- grocery delivery
If my husband didn't like to cook so much I would totally pay for more prepared foods/meal kit etc to reduce mental load of cooking + prep time.
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u/kitt3n_mitt3ns Apr 20 '26
Hmm here are some things we spend on:
- monthly cleaner
- grocery delivery (more of a special occasion thing)
- biweekly facials
- classpass membership for workout classes
- bringing grandma on vacation with us
If my baby was older, Iād pay for a fancy gym with childcare. Since your baby is so young, have you considered a night nurse or PP doula?
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u/User_name_5ever Apr 20 '26
Robot mop/vacuum for every night around the dining area and litter box
Litter robot litter box (cannot emphasize this enough)Ā
Buying foods that make cooking easier (minced ginger cubes in the freezer instead of fresh ginger, minced garlic instead of fresh)
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u/outandaboutmom Apr 20 '26
I love my robot mop/vacuum. Is it as good as vacuuming/mopping by a human? Of course not. But so worth it for the nightly tidy
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u/User_name_5ever Apr 20 '26
Yeah, this is in addition to a cleaner every two weeks. Enough to keep it not gross.
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u/rez105714 Apr 20 '26
Yes to the robot litter box! It resolved quite a bit of unrealized tension in our marriage.
And on the robo vacuum, I hated it at first because I couldnāt stand how āinefficientā it was BUT I love to start it when I leave the house and canāt watch it. Thatās when it does its best work lol
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u/CamelAfternoon Apr 20 '26
Do you have a robot litter box recommendation?
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u/User_name_5ever Apr 20 '26
That's the one I recommend - Litter Robot
Message me if you want a referral code
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u/Strict_Difficulty_90 Apr 20 '26
No shade. But for all the working mamas who canāt outsource, thatās okay too!
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u/Shineon615 Apr 20 '26
100%. I canāt do 99% of what everyone else is sharing and thatās okay.
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u/Strict_Difficulty_90 Apr 20 '26
Happy some can no shade at all. But also realize that most working moms are doing it all
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u/OliveKP Apr 20 '26
Beyond the āservicesā stuff, for us a big unlock has been a deep freezer in the basement and a Butcher Box delivery/membership. The combo is so helpful for those āoh shit whatās for dinnerā moments. Our family is a big fan of their cod sticks and their chicken fingers, and I do a lot of ground beef cooked w taco seasoning. I also do a lot of brisket or pork butt in the slow cooker.
But mostly I like that I can set up the recurring subscription and forget it, and the deep freezer means I donāt have to worry about space. Itās expensive but I also think that without it weād eat a lot more take out/delivery, which adds up quick.
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u/eldermillenialbish11 Apr 20 '26
Can I ask what plan do you have with butcher box? I've almost started it several times but get overwhelmed with their choices (and then I got the thought of should I just buy 1/4 cow from a local farmer lol). I use Wildgrain to have Sourdough delivered and put in our deep freeze so this sounds right up my alley.
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u/soxiee Apr 21 '26
I bought a 1/4 cow and it was pretty worth it! Came out to like $4/lb and lasted us 3 years (granted, we were not consistent about pulling from the stash)
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u/User_name_5ever Apr 20 '26
We do a half cow or whole pig once a year from a local farm. Don't know what's for dinner? Just grab a cut and go from there.Ā
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u/OliveKP Apr 20 '26
Love that. I was a vegetarian for 18 years so am still building my comfort level w different cuts of meat (hence my reliance on ground beef) but maybe someday Iāll get there!
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u/learning_hillzz Apr 20 '26
Roborock, laundry service and having meals (fully cooked) delivered by a local private chef.
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u/Alas_mischiefmanaged Apr 20 '26
Um how did you find this local private chef? And how much per week? This would be a huge time saver for us and I donāt know how much more it would cost than just doing cook unity /factor type stuff for ready made food.
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u/kitt3n_mitt3ns Apr 20 '26
Not OP but I searched for this on instagram in my area for postpartum time
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u/Tacoislife2 Apr 22 '26
Not op but I know people who do this in the uk itās Ā£50 an hour - in their case the chef comes to their house and cooks all the meals with the groceries the family provides - the chef does 3 hours of meal prep which the family can freeze up for the week. . Itās all fresh ingredients and the family works with the chef on the menu.
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u/frugaletta Apr 20 '26
Currently we pay for wash & fold for my and my husbandās laundry every other week. I still wash our linens and the babyās laundry myself, as well as our delicates, but this has made a huge difference in managing the laundry mountain.
We do grocery delivery 9/10 times and HelloFresh. Robot vacuum. Takeout.
We want to hire a cleaner but I have so much clutter I need to deal with since having our baby last year plus two scaredy cats, any advice from other moms here? Small apartment in NYC.
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u/plantainbakery Apr 20 '26
I was nervous about my clutter when we first hired our cleaner, but she would put things away and organize things in a way that really minimized the clutter - like she lightly re-arranged a few things on our countertops and even though itās the same amount of stuff, it looks like thereās less, itās more streamlined in a way that I didnāt think of when I set it up. I still sometimes get stressed the night before she comes by, because I feel like I need to put absolutely everything away (how is she supposed to know where itās supposed to go?) but somehow she does, and it looks a hundred times better after she leaves.
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u/dpoduval Apr 20 '26
Cleaner every other week
Housekeeper 4 times a week for 2 hours each to take care of dishwasher and laundry (and other knick knacks depending on time left)Ā
Breville barista for coffee. I like my lattes
Robot vacuum/mop runs everyday and takes care of dog hair
Grocery delivery is a very rare thing because we like picking our own groceries. They always get stuff wrong and we hate asking for refunds lol
Lawn mowing and turning sprinkler system ON/OFF is outsourced.
We're getting a pool right now so we'll be outsourcing opening and closing of that too.
We try to go on at least 1 fancy vacation every year. Cancun last December, most likely London or Paris this year.
We have a cook that comes in once a week and fills the fridge.
A lot of these are less about luxury and more about my husband having cancer, and being unable to do much. But we're fortunate to have enough income to outsource as much as we want.
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u/millennialreality Apr 20 '26
Walmart in home delivery subscription Every other week housekeeper POOP SCOOP is our most critical quality of life outsource Yard mowing Teaching my kids how to swim
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u/Grouchy-Extension667 Apr 20 '26
Agreeing with this. Swim lessons at the local Y is some of the best money Iāve ever spent. Kids are busy, occupied and I worry less (I still worry and watch their every move in the pool).
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u/champagnepeanut Apr 20 '26
Our nanny is the best thing we spend money on. My husband and I also do monthly massages, and I have an unlimited membership to my favorite workout studio (solidcore).
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u/goldcountryfox Apr 20 '26
Adding, we do many of these but the one I have to add is we send out laundry weekly. They pick up, wash/dry/fold and drop off once each week. I mainly send out the kids clothes, my husbands clothes, and anything I donāt feel the need to wash myself (pajamas, sweats, etc). This has been a huge time saver for me!
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u/eldermillenialbish11 Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
We are probably in a similar place financially. Here's what came to mind for me of what I think is worth it
What I do not think is worth it
- Cleaning- I've commented ad nauseum on this but it's not worth it for us to have bi-weekly/weekly cleaners, they don't clean to my standards so I just have a pretty strict cleaning schedule. My husband helps a lot and I put on a my airpods max with noise cancelling and just knock it out.
What I do think is worth paying for
- Grocery delivery via Shipt...gladly pay the 20% tip to have someone bring it to me, I probably shop twice a week just to manage my kids produce consumption!
- Summer Nanny- I don't have to manage summer camp sign ups (other than the fun 2 hr to half day ones), she comes to me, takes the kids to their camps/our community pool, keeps my kids up to date with their summer workbooks, meals plans lunches, and snacks for me. Does it cost like $12K for the summer...is it worth every penny...also yes
- Outdoor projects- Hanging my Christmas lights, hiring people to redo our front landscaping, mulching, staining our deck/porch...anything to not have to spend a weekend doing it
- Vacation- We go out on an international Spring Break each year...it's our one major trip and our whole family looks forward to it
- Home Upgrade- This is where we save monthly and spend a lot of money...I just got custom doors for my office, we put a built-in in our dining room, we want some custom organization in our loft. We save monthly and have a fund for these types of upgrades
- Random annoying tasks that just feel good when they are done- There are some neighborhood teenagers with business like garbage can cleaning, car detailing...take all my money
- Home Gym- Not having to leave my house to get a workout in...Rogue/Titan Fitness gets a lot of business from us
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u/WebDevMom Apr 20 '26
One that we do that Iām not seeing here is paying to alleviate pain points, one of which for me is picking up prescriptions (errands in general are terrible for our family). So anything I can arrange to get delivered/shipped straight to our house is perfect š¤©
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u/lesmis87 Apr 20 '26
CVS typically delivers for ~$5!
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u/WebDevMom Apr 20 '26
That may be true, but Iām not a fan of CVS and this is why: if your prescription fulfilled with insurance is more expensive than the cash price with a GoodRx coupon, not only do they not default to giving you the cheaper price, but you have to ask for it on every single prescription, by taking the time to call them on the phone and leaving them a voicemail. That is predatory business practice, in my opinion.
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u/KooBee79 Apr 20 '26
This is what we do:
- Grocery delivery, or click & collect.
- seasonal garden maintenance. My husband likes to mow the lawns and sort out the pool. We have a guy who comes every couple of months and does big stuff.
- Robot vac that mops.
- Doggy daycare (specific of course, we have a dog that needs a lot of stimulation).
- Delonghi Rivela fully automated coffee machine. No capsules, but Iām not fluffing around making coffee. I just hit the button and get my cappuccino exactly the way I like it.
Planning for holidays is huge - knowing I have a trip to look forward to really helps!
We donāt have a cleaner but I do think about it often.
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u/Alarming_Fig_6576 Apr 21 '26
Between my husband and my cats, my floors get gritty within hours of sweeping. It drives me nuts. Plus my baby will be crawling in a few months. Iām graduating with my Masterās degree in three weeks, so I decided to treat myself to a robot vacuum.
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u/Naive_Buy2712 Apr 20 '26
Vacations are always a priority for my family!! My house is not as ādone upā and curated and decorated as my friends. But I prioritize vacation spending, you can never get that time back.
My husband decided he wanted to be our house cleaner and I pay him $150 every two weeks instead. It works better for now, it feels like our house is actually cleaner and more manageable!
I do spend on grocery delivery when needed (usually I just pick up but in a pinch Iāll do it).
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u/lesmis87 Apr 20 '26
Wait, this is genius. We share a bank account, but he has a set fun budget that depletes quickly due to an expensive hobby and cleaning stresses me out/takes all my free time but heās opposed to a house cleaner.
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u/Naive_Buy2712 Apr 20 '26
I was not thrilled about it at first, because I was like, with what time? But he actually breaks it up pretty nicely to where itās not taking his entire day on the weekend. And I feel less guilt about doing any deep cleaning because he is getting paid to do it. We have a joint account and then we each have our own account that we transfer money into with each paycheck, for our fun money. But he gets a little extra equivalent to what we were paying the house cleaners before. It was also stressing me out because every other week I would have to run around like a crazy person to straighten my house up for the cleaners to come. Now I donāt have that stress and itās actually a huge weight off my shoulders!
Not to mention the cleaners we had used for almost 8 years we felt had gotten lazy, and thereās a ton of stuff that needed extra cleaning to start.. so that was a large part of it but it is working out well!
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u/WonderWanderRepeat Apr 20 '26
Food would be a big one. I would LOVE to do something like HelloFresh for dinner 3 nights a week. I like to cook but 7 nights a week... ugh. Its the decision and planning that is really draining after working all day. I do a lot on sun but off loading 3-4 nights a week would be huge for us.
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u/Holiday-Algae-6050 Apr 20 '26
At home gym if you have the space. Upgraded smart TVs, sound system, lights etc. things that just work with a tap.
Fun subscriptions for at home date nights ā like appy hour or wine or cooking/baking things.
Organizing service and systems.
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u/gymgirlmilf Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
Cleaners every 2 weeks
Property maintenance / yardwork weekly in the warmer months
Other landscaping needs (spring/fall cleanup, ad hoc landscaping work, etc) fully outsourced as needed
Meal deliveries weekly (I order 10 meals that are delivered every weekend)
Grocery delivery most weeks. I dont mind grocery shopping but most weekends are so busy that I don't have time to go
Private tutor weekly for the kids. My kids have a lot of activities that I have to take them to. So having a private tutor come over once a week is super helpful.
The pool is something we take care of ourselves every year, but we got used to doing it so don't feel like outsourcing.
I've also thought about hiring an after school nanny (my kids are school aged now so I don't need a full daytime nanny), but they're really enjoying their aftercare programs, so I don't think this is a worthwhile expense.
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u/imisswine Apr 20 '26
Biggest things:
Housekeepers (biweekly or weekly, we have done both) Meal delivery, heat and eat-no prep required Gym that provides childcare (only use on the weekends but worth it)
One time splurge, worth every penny: professional organizer. Helped immensely in taming the chaos.
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u/angeliqu 3 kids, STEM šØš¦ Apr 20 '26
- cleaners every other week
- curbside grocery pick up always
- not worrying about food budget
- monthly date night
- choosing private over public when it makes sense (e.g., not waiting for speech therapy for our kid thatās funded by provincial health care and instead choosing private and just paying for it out of pocket and getting what we can back from our insurance)
- store bought costumes
- semi-private personal training twice a week
- flying my mom up to visit on a regular basis
- indulging in opportunities to see friends and be social and enjoy ourselves (e.g., an overnight trip to another city to go to a concert, a girlās weekend out of town)
- spending money to save money (e.g., upgrading appliances to reduce energy usage, quality shoes or outdoor gear thatāll last, buying phones outright rather than paying monthly fee)
My newest one is looking for a motherās helper/household assistant. Someone who can spend 4-8 hours a week here who can do some of the little tasks that need to be done regularly or just occasionally, think changing the bedsheets, cleaning out the fridge, defrosting the freezer, wiping down baseboards, switching out seasonal clothes, organizing and cleaning out cupboards or closets, etc. There are so many little tasks around the house that I see but never find time to get to because work, the kids, my relationships, the daily tasks of living just donāt leave time for. Especially since Iāve put more emphasis on myself in recently, working out and running and pursuing my own joy has been eating into what little time I did have.
Edit to add: I forgot the big one, weāre on a real life Love it or List it journey. Working with a realtor to see if we can find a bigger house locally but also working through the planning for a big renovation to gut and expand what we have. We need more bedrooms and also a mud room and better office space.
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u/JBeag Apr 20 '26
If I had extra money I would bump our cleaner to weekly instead of biweekly and have them do laundry too (especially linens and kids laundry). I would also get a massage once a month. I already spend a lot on fitness but I might add on the extra membership that I currently canāt justify since I already have a pricey gym I like.
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u/puzzle_process Apr 20 '26
Grocery delivery, house cleaners biweekly, nanny instead of daycare to get help with childrenās laundry
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u/Neither_Finance Apr 20 '26
If I could, Iād have someone sort my house and clean it weekly. Including all the pre-Cleaning lady tidying and all laundry and putting it away -all organized. I hate tidying up before the cleaning lady comes! Also Grocery shop and Meal prep for the week too. Basically organize my life an set me up for the week.
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u/Alas_mischiefmanaged Apr 20 '26
Not quite on your level since we had some medical set backs in our early 30s and only got our footing back in the last 5 years, but:
- biweekly cleaners, which we upped to after our second was born. Full cleaning every other time, otherwise just the bathrooms, kitchen, and downstairs.
- gardening weekly
- grocery delivery. Currently weāre trying to streamline our meal planning, so we are trying out some Hello Fresh recipes and Cook Unity meals, with the goal of just doing each maybe once a month, and predominantly cooking our favorite recipes from there ourselves in bulk.
- nanny 3 days a week for baby, and I pay her extra to put away laundry and unload the dishwasher. It is a lot of money, so we plan to stop around 18 months. Iām gonna miss her for sure!
- Motherās helper is something to consider if you just need help with those simple household tasks. Playing with the idea when we transition to daycare, but it feels a bit excessive to me even though logically I know weād spend less.
- postpartum absolutely ravaged my skin, so right now Iām doing facials every 6 weeks. Will probably continue for another few more months.
No big vacations planned for us in the near future other than quick road trips! Weāre totally happy with that though.
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u/eltejon30 Apr 20 '26
We are currently saving for a gut home renovation in a VHCOL city, so Iāve cut back on conveniences for the time being. That will be a HUGE quality of life improvement once done.
HOWEVER, I would absolutely love to have a personal assistant once or twice a week to run errands - pick up prescriptions, do returns, mail packages, go to the bank etc etc. maybe schedule appointments and help with correspondence, insurance claims etc. it would be amazing to outsource all that stuff.
My other aspirational thing that I will likely do once the house is finished - hire a profesional organizer to help declutter and create an organizational system for the whole home. That would help tremendously with my mental health, especially with a small child.
Oh yes and bringing our nanny or grandparents on vacation!!
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u/DumbbellDiva92 Apr 20 '26
We are probably going to upgrade our couch before baby #2 arrives in September! Husband and I slept separately when my daughter was a newborn (one of us in babyās room on a twin bed, the other in master bedroom). We donāt have a bedroom free to do that exactly this time around, but weāre figuring a really comfy couch should work well enough to do something similar?
We also have a full time nanny. Weekly cleaner. CookUnity for at least one weekly dinner (rest of the time a mix of MIL cooking once a week, takeout, grocery store premade meals, maybe like once a week we cook).
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u/brainbl0ck Apr 20 '26
I've got certain salary milestones that, when we hit, we up our standard of living somehow lol. So with the current milestones we've gotten, we have a weekly lawn mower, pre-mixed protein shakes (instead of the powder kind), grocery delivery service, and just recently added eating out 1x a week (I got a raise last month!)
We do a nice vacation a year, although 2026 is our first year doing 2 "big" vacations and we might do 2 next year as well.
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u/doctormalbec Apr 20 '26
Also for anyone with babies - a night nurse/doula. Best money I have ever spent in my life.
But in general, house cleaner every other week is a must for me. Also people to do yard work and pool cleaning/set up. We also do grocery delivery occasionally if we really donāt have the time to get to the store.
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u/totoro_457 Apr 20 '26
Iām curious what made the night doula so worth it to you. We had one for several weeks and actually didnāt really find it to be worth the money, but we seem to be in the minority.
I guess from my perspective, I exclusively breastfeed so I have to wake up every time the baby wakes anyway, so all the doula was doing was changing her and putting her down (baby has always been very easy to put down so maybe thatās part of it?).Ā
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u/doctormalbec Apr 20 '26
I exclusively pump, and I have an oversupply so I donāt have to pump overnight. Basically I get the sleep I desperately need. May be mostly beneficial to people bottle feeding.
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u/totoro_457 Apr 20 '26
Ah that makes sense! Thatās nice that you donāt have to pump overnight. I have an oversupply as well but not sure if I have enough of an oversupply to not pump overnight if I were to do bottles. Maybe - but I didnāt want to risk harming my supply.
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u/Ladygoingup Apr 20 '26
Sometimes when things get busy like full weekend, I pay someone to do laundry via Poplin app.
We pay for landscaping occasionally as well ( we donāt have a lawn as we live in the desert)
We havenāt done this yet but I know people pay for poop pick up for dogs in yard.
I also get massages 2 times a month and thatās not making life easier per se but itās making me feel better!
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u/moscatodogiscute Apr 20 '26
Grocery pickup/delivery saves so much time and energy for me
Hire someone to do flowerbed cleanup & mulching
Home cleaner that comes out once a month
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u/Famous-Issue-2018 Apr 20 '26
Meal delivery service. Thereās a lady from my home country who cooks delicious healthy food and delivers it to my house once a week. She a has a list of proteins, carbs, and vegetables to pick from and you can build your plate. She even does kidsā meals.
Weekly house cleaning.
Biweekly lawn mowing service. Weekly in the summer. The gardening itself I love doing it so they donāt do it for me.
Dry cleaning pick up and drop off.
Handyman who takes care of all small projects (like upgrading faucets in bathrooms, minor drywall repair, etc).
Biweekly delivery from Costco through Instacart and fill in the gaps with Whole Foods delivery on Amazon Prime.
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u/Alas_mischiefmanaged Apr 20 '26
Very intrigued by the meal delivery. How does it compare cost wise to regular meal kits or services like factor and cook unity? HF meals are way more work than theyāre worth; weāre going to cancel our subscription once Iāve compiled some meals my family enjoys. They do have a couple ready made things that are pretty good. We are currently trying cook unity, but their pasta dishes are the only consistent thing so far that I feel are worth it.
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u/Famous-Issue-2018 Apr 20 '26
The lady I order from chargers $10 per adult meal and $7 for the kidsā meal. She does give a 10% discount if you buy 12 and 15% if you buy 20. We live in a VHCOL area.
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u/Alas_mischiefmanaged Apr 20 '26
That is not bad at all. Where did you find your cook? The only thing I can think of is asking local Facebook parent groups.
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u/Famous-Issue-2018 Apr 20 '26
Sheās from my home country so I found out about her in a the local Facebook āPeople from X country living in X cityā. You can also try Googling āprivate chefs near meā or āprivate chefs in X cityā and youāll get results as well.
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u/Mecspliquer Apr 20 '26
Robot litter box for the kitties. We currently have one and a second normal litter box. We will be replacing the remaining normal one in about a month š
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u/Fluid-Village-ahaha 7M/5M. Working my by choice Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
Massages if you do not go regularly. Solidcore. Nice wines. Eating out.Ā
Hard to tell without knowing what you enjoy.Ā
I rarely splurge but enjoy not to worry about spending and buying what I need (eg ski passes, ski trip for a few days).Ā
Also weekly cleaners who do pickups and organize. I wish we moved to weekly years before.Ā
Also the new big thing I want is tankless water heaterĀ
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u/czmf Apr 20 '26
Home manager that does laundry, folding, un/loading dishwasher, resetting the house, pick up groceries, and pick up dry cleaning. My friend has recommended buying premade meals from a neighborhood private chef who bulk cook meals weekly which helps save time making decisions on what to eat/where to eat.
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u/voraus_ Apr 20 '26
House assistant 2x week for 3 hours a day - basic meal prep (washing/chopping veggies & fruits), packs kids lunches (not all, but some), light cleaning, tidies up clutter, folds and puts away laundry. It gave me a lot of my evenings back to enjoy with my kid and I come home to a clean house more often than not.
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u/Cocopanda14 Apr 20 '26
House manager would be my recommendation. They can do laundry/meal prep/life admin
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u/lesmis87 Apr 20 '26
I would probably add mani/pedis, weekly blowout, monthly massage, and daily coffee out. And increase food/wine budget!
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u/LS110 Apr 20 '26
If I could afford it, Iād pay someone to prep my lunches for every week day and heck, maybe even dinner for the family too!
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u/Curious_Wanderer_7 Apr 20 '26
Gobble meal kits, take half the time to cook than Blue Apron does so ready in 30-40 min, faster than waiting for a take out delivery.
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u/JustLooking0209 Apr 20 '26
My dream would be some sort of package with a professional organizer who could organize all our stuff and set us up with good systems and furniture/tools to maintain those systems.
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u/minmister Apr 21 '26
We bought a 2.5k robot lawn mower which has been a game changer. We had robot vacuums pre-kids but canāt keep our floors clean enough to use them post toddler š
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u/tempestnigh Apr 21 '26
Paying for hand wash items to be dry cleaned has been a big one recently (we wear a lot of wool). And this one might not be in the right vein, but rotating car seats! Theyāre unfortunately excellent, because theyāre expensive and we cannot go back. I seriously think it saves us a couple of minutes every trip haha
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u/ImTheMayor2 Apr 21 '26
If you have cats, the litter box robot cleaner is an absolute game changer. I think it was like $750ish
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u/JevorTrilka Apr 21 '26
Perhaps you can buy some automatic tools, such as robotic vacuum to help you make a clean each week. Also, you can subscribe the grocery delivery.
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u/kaleandbeans Apr 21 '26
A cleaner, someone to maintain our yard, and once a year...a big solo trip to recharge.
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u/easterss Apr 21 '26
What we do: Self care for you, your spouse, and together
Individual and couples therapy
Weekly cleaner
What I want to add: Chef made meals or meal prep when you need a break.
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u/MushroomTypical9549 Apr 21 '26
We went on a long vacation recently, brought $300 cash.
We mostly used it for tips and it was amazing. Used it for our luggage and anything else we could make it easier - first time we did that and it was worth it
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u/ladysubrosa Apr 22 '26
This weekend I hired a pro organizer and got my garage to a much nicer state than itās ever been, which would have been impossible right now with our baby
We also have gotten meal delivery microwave meals and meal kits since my pregnancy as we also had to move. I am hoping to cook and meal prep myself again someday, but with baby life itās so nice to not think about lunches and at least one dinner a night (without it being pricey or junky takeout)
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u/Tacoislife2 Apr 22 '26
Not me but I know people who have paid chef service do meal prep for them for the week and they freeze the food. Work with the chef on the menu for the fam for 2 weeks chef comes for 3 hours and makes it all.
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u/Strict_Difficulty_90 Apr 20 '26
We are not in same tax bracket lol. But a Tim Hortons daily iced coffee lol