Overwhelmed? Outsource to Your Kids

Parents these days are more overwhelmed than ever. As a work at home mom, you likely wear many hats and have many responsibilities.  You have to do your own work, help kids with homework, run kids to their extracurricular activities, clean the house, cook the meals, etc.  Doing it all can feel like too much.  However, before you think of hiring a housekeeper or picking up a fast food meal to save you time, why not consider outsourcing to your kids?

Teens to the Rescue

If you’re the parent of a responsible teen, much can be outsourced to them, if they’re interested.  If your teen would like extra money but doesn’t have the time to commit to a part-time job outside the home, you may be able to help.

Are you busy every Wednesday night and have trouble getting dinner on the table?  Hire your teen to cook the meal.  He’ll gain valuable experience that will help him when he moves out on his own, he’ll get a little extra cash, and you’ll no longer have to rely on drive thru.

If your teen is very responsible, he can even help you with your business by filing, managing your email, updating old posts, etc.

Tweens Are Eager Money Makers

Tweens, too, may be interested in making extra money.  No matter the size of your family, laundry seems to pile up quickly.  Hire your tween to wash and fold the laundry all week long, taking that chore off your very full to do list.

My tweens happily wash my car for $2, saving me the additional $6 or more it would take me to go through the car wash.   They have fun doing it, and they love the extra money.

Even the Littles Can Get in on the Act

Even younger children will be glad to help out.  One mom I know pays her 8-year old to do all the dishes.  This child doesn’t mind doing the dishes, and she loves the increase in her allowance.

Shouldn’t Kids Help for Free?

Of course, every family needs to make their own decision regarding chores.  In our family, we pay a basic allowance for routine chores they're expected to do, and then we’ve made a list of additional for hire chores that I would like to be relieved of.

At one time I was considering hiring a house cleaner to come twice a month.  But then I thought, I have kids who are eager to make more money.  Why not pay them a lesser amount to do what a house cleaner would do?  The extra infusion of cash has prompted them to deep clean the house.  I get a cleaner house for a lesser expense, and they get extra cash.  I love watching them wisely use their money and learn to manage it.

If you have additional mom jobs you do that can be outsourced, why not consider outsourcing to your kids first?