How to Get the Most from Your Part-Time Housekeeper on a Tight Budget

You've hit that point. You have the money to hire a little extra help but aren't anywhere near the financial level required for employing a full time housekeeper. Your obligations outside of the home are growing, but responsibilities inside of the home are keeping you from growing professionally, socially, and spiritually as you'd like. So how can you get the most from a part-time housekeeper on a tight budget? How can you be sure, on your limited resources, that hiring domestic help won't be a total bust? For tips on making the most of the time you do have with your housekeeper each day, week, or month, read on.

Part-Time Housekeeper Budget Saver #1: Have weekly meals prepared and frozen. While having meals prepared daily by a professional can get expensive fast, stews, casseroles, and one-dish meals can be prepared on Saturday or Sunday by your hired help and used throughout the rest of the week. Have your part time housekeeper prepare three to four meals in the oven or on the stove that can cook as he/she is going about his/her other duties, and have the meals frozen for future use. Each weekday night, simply reheat and add fresh veggies to complete the meals. If all natural and fresh ingredients are used, your frozen meals will taste homemade and delicious despite a few days in the freezer.

Part-Time Housekeeper Budget Saver #2: Concentrate on the floors. While you can likely find the time to straighten up and throw the dishes in the dishwasher each day, mopping the bathroom and shampooing the carpets probably aren't on your to-do list. Daily traffic wreaks havoc on floors, and a dirty floor is the first indicator of a dirty home throughout, but who has the time to clean them each week? Be sure that your housekeeper vacuums underneath all furniture, mops and treats all hard surfaces until they shine, and shampoos the carpets once a month. A good rule of thumb here is to ask him/her to pay special attention to areas that require a bit of extra care. While you may be able to find the time to go over high traffic areas with the vacuum, let your housekeeper concentrate on getting Fido's hair out of the corners.

Part-Time Housekeeper Budget Saver #3: Focus on organization, not perfection. Having everything in its place is impossible if there is no particular place for anything to begin with! Ask your part-time housekeeper to organize shelves, closets, drawers, etc., during the first few visits to ensure that daily upkeep becomes simplified for you permanently. It will be his/her responsibility to make sure that everything has a place, and it will be your responsibility to make sure that it all gets there on a daily basis.

Part-Time Housekeeper Budget Saver #4: When it comes to laundry, focus on the linens. Sheets, blankets, pillow cases, furniture covers, towels, etc., are usually the last to be cleaned on a busy person's housekeeping list. Because the concern is generally geared more toward just having a clean pair of socks to wear each day, the linens get left behind. As such, they wear faster and offer less comfort when used. Ask your part-time housekeeper to clean linens during his/her visits, and take care of filling the underwear and sock drawers yourself.

Part-Time Housekeeper Budget Saver #5: When it comes to dusting, focus on electronics. While you can find the time to dust off the coffee table yourself once a week or so, wiping down the keys on your laptop probably isn't going to happen. Unfortunately, electronics accumulate dust faster than any other household object. Because the task can be so time consuming and tedious, have your part-time housekeeper forgo dusting tables and chairs and set his/her sights on TV's, DVD players, surround sound systems, video game consoles, computers, and even movie cases and game cartridges instead.

Remember, the key to making the most of a part-time housekeeper on a tight budget is knowing how to utilize his/her skills for the tasks that you simply do not have the time to do but are crying out for your attention daily. If you know it needs to be done, wish you could do it, but find yourself forgoing time with your family in a desperate attempt to haphazardly get it done, delegate it to a professional. While complete domestic bliss might not be the best goal for now, spending more time on what you love while maintaining an organized and healthy home is within your reach.