No, I Will Not Be Giving Up My Cleaning Lady

A few weeks ago my husband and I were meeting with our new financial advisor.

He was suggesting areas in which we could cut back on some expenses.

Poor guy. He doesn’t know me well.

He had the poor sense to suggest the one area that is absolutely not an option: Carin, our house cleaner who comes twice a month.

This woman is amazing. She jumps right in and does what she does. Every other Tuesday afternoon I look forward to coming home to the smell of a clean house.

I digress. Back to my story.

Poor Will. The look on his face when I said “absolutely not.” (Honestly, I’d rather sell a kidney.)

I could see him open his mouth, most likely with the desire to say something to the effect of “well, you did ask me to help you.”

Oh, sweet Will.

Hear me when I say I will not be giving up the two glorious Tuesdays per month when I come home and my house smells clean, surfaces are mostly cleared off from all the clutter, my bed is made, and the stove is clean and shiny. Or the two times a month I can see the vacuum lines in the carpet.

It makes me happy. And relieves so much stress.

Nope.

I will not be giving up my cleaning lady.

Later on during our call, when the topic came up again, I acknowledged how this would indeed be a big spot for us to save money. But the strain this puts on the relationship I have with my husband and daughter is not worth the savings. I will take on another day of clients if I have to before I let go of my cleaning lady.

A couple of days later, the guilt got to me.

See, friends, we’ve tried this before. 

We agree to give up this luxury to save money. With the agreement that he and our daughter will help.

Without argument.

That lasts about a week, maybe two. And then the arguments start. The whining when I announce it’s time to clean the house. The half-complete jobs that I have to finish or they don’t get finished at all.

I will not be giving up my cleaning lady.

Some things just aren’t worth the conversation.

Some things aren’t worth the strain it puts on other areas of my life. And relationships.

I recognize not everyone has this financial luxury.

Are there things that make your life easier, relieve your stress, or improve the flow of your week? 

What is the thing/are the things that you’d rather sacrifice anywhere else to keep? 

It’s okay to have things that make your life easier, run more smoothly or just make you happy. 

It’s okay for these things to be non-negotiable. They should be non-negotiable!

You are the only one who can determine how these things fit into your life and make it worth the expense, time or other sacrifice you make.

Now, more than ever, is not the time to be sacrificing things to make your life harder or put more strain on your already-limited time allotment in the name of savings. Women are spread too thin as it is, we don’t need to add to our stress.

So, no. I will not be giving up my cleaning lady.

All jokes aside, our financial advisor is wonderful. I appreciate him giving me content for this blog post. If you’re looking for a new advisor, check out Pursuit Street Advisors. (This is an unpaid/unsolicited recommendation.)

Hi! I’m MacKenzie, your Self-Care Mompanion

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and owner of Follow Your Arrow Counseling, LLC and Middle Path Wellness Collective, LLC. I specialize in working with Moms and who are stressed out, overwhelmed and not taking care of themselves as well as they take care of everyone else. I call this phase of life the “Mother Load.”

Being a Mom is hard. There are some days I really don’t like it, to be honest. Thank goodness there are other moments when my daughter tells me I’m her best friend that make up for all the crappy days.

Join me as we walk this road of motherhood together. It truly takes a village to raise our kids and maintain our sanity.