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?
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