I am a 26 year old guy. Most weekdays, I leave my apartment around 7:30am and get home around 9:00pm. On weekends, I am busy watching movies, curing hangovers, and de-stressing from the week. Lately, that does not involve a lot of time for cleaning.
The Cost of Having a Maid
I have a fairly small apartment. Cleaning the entire thing very thoroughly takes about two hours. I don’t mind grabbing a Clorox wipe and cleaning off the toilet or counter tops, but I hate scrubbing the tub. I hate mopping. I hate vacuuming. It is something I have always done out of necessity, but it is not something I would ever miss.
I had a maid come by and quoted me $40 per cleaning. At six times per year, that is $240. I am a clean person, so I don’t need my apartment cleaned more often than that.
The Value of My Time
The maid charges about $20 per hour for the cleaning. Do I value my time at more than $20 per hour? My employer does, as I am paid more than that for going to work. If I can earn more in that hour than $20, it is surely worth it.
However, I can’t say for sure that I would always use every hour productively and couldn’t find two hours if I needed to clean the apartment. That means I have to decide what my time is worth to me and whether it is a better use of my time to clean or my money to have it cleaned.
Is two hours of free time worth $40? Even more, is two hours doing something I don’t like worth $40?
I Hired the Maid
Yes. I gave in. Frugalistas can have a field day hating me for this one, but I would rather spend the $40 and have two hours of time to do something I enjoy while skipping something I do not enjoy.
Maybe growing up having a maid come diluted my perception, but I am happy to pay for this service. Some people would be willing to pay me to write freelance articles or do accounting work for them. I don’t mind accounting or writing. I keep the economy going by hiring someone to do something I don’t like at a rate I find acceptable.
Your Experience – Is it, or would it be, worth it?
Do you have a maid? Do you want a maid? Do you think I am lazy and ridiculous? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.
Image by cauchisavona.