How To Be An Amazing Housewife (Even If You Work)

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Life as a working mom is the hardest thing I have ever done.

And that’s not because I’ve never faced another challenge.  

I survived four years as a conservative Republican in New York City.

Okay, I lived in an outer borough, but still.  

And Mama, I know that even though you love your kids with everything you have, your life is difficult too.

Your life is hard because you barely pause to breathe.

Demands for your time come fast and furious,  piling one on top of the other.  

And if you don’t have a husband who shares your load, motherhood probably doesn’t always feel like the gift that God intended it to be.

So Let’s Change Course

Every family has similar chores to finish at home.

But a huge difference spans the gap between a working mom and a stay-at-home mom when it comes to getting them done.

Namely, forty to fifty hours a week, depending upon the time it takes to commute to work.

So you know what?

While we all want similar results, we don’t all need to follow the same path to achieve them.  

So take a deep breath.

And Reach For Your Wallet

As working moms, we should always aim to spend money thoughtfully and wisely.  

But not all discretionary spending is created equal.  

Money spent on the right things reduces stress, rather than adds to it.  

How?

By giving us more of the other resource working mamas never have enough of.

Time.  

5 Chores To Outsource As A Working Mom  

Because they free you to care for yourself and begin to truly enjoy your kids.

1. House Cleaning  You don’t have to be a surgeon or an asset manager to pay someone else to scrub your bathtub.  The grandma down the road can mop your floors twice a month, or a professional service can make your whole home sparkle every week.  
2. Grocery Delivery  For less than twenty dollars in most cases, you can buy a couple of hours to make a meal together.  You might even have time for a game night with the kids and their friends.
3. Ironing  My wardrobe was knits-only for most of my life, and then I discovered that the dry cleaner also irons.  But there’s a good chance your look is a little bit more polished than mine.  So spend a few dollars each week and hire this one out. 
4. Meal Planning  Don’t waste hours figuring out what to make for dinner each day, and don’t waste money on food last-minute take-out. Subscribe to a meal planning service, or purchase pre-made meal plans.
5. Entertaining  My mom turned every possible occasion into a reason to entertain, even if she entertained only her children and husband.  On World Series nights, she paraded through the living room with a tray of popcorn bags around her neck. And on my twenty-first birthday, she paired beer and wine with foods from the countries I visited on my semester abroad.  But to host loved ones when you lack the time to prepare, spend what you can to hire an event planner, caterer, or venue that will do it all.

Time Is Your Most Valuable Asset

When you pay someone else to do your chores, you buy back time that you would otherwise spend mopping, planning meals or decorating cupcakes.  

And for you, Mama, that may be the only way that you can find enough time to spend with your family.  

And to pray, exercise now and then, and maybe even to take a hot bath while you read something you don’t have to sign and return to school.  

Because those are the things that you can’t hire out to someone else.  

What do you think, Mama?  Is your time worth finding the room in your budget to outsource some chores?  Which will be your first to go?