Weighing cost of things we can do for ourselves
ONCE seen as the preserve of the wealthy, nearly half of us now admit cleaners, gardeners and dog walkers are a necessity rather than a luxury.
According to topcashback. co.uk, we’re spending more than £100 every month on these services. Nearly a quarter of us admit to using a cleaner, gardener or handyman to help us around the house because we’re too busy.
More people said they would pay for these services than would pay for their laundry to be done or for an accountant to look after their tax affairs.
More than 10 per cent of those questioned seemed to be investing in a new generation of help by using robotic hoovers and other new devices such as Amazon Echo and Hive to help us with the chores at home.
The top time-saver was the car wash, with more than half of those questioned admitting to never washing their own vehicles, while nearly 40 per cent said they would happily pay to never have to vacuum their own carpets again.
It seems to be a case of keeping up with the Joneses for many, though, since only one third of these questioned said that they could easily afford these services from disposable income.
Fifty percent said that lack of cash means they can’t use these services as often as they would like.
Natasha Rachel Smith, of topcashback.co.uk, said: “Who wouldn’t want to make life a little easier if they could? If you’re short on time, looking for a little help can be extremely tempting.
“Despite these services becoming a lot more accessible, with most available at the click of an app, they can still be expensive.
“Our research shows it’s important to live within your means but that doesn’t have to mean going without.
“More and more services are going online, meaning you can make the most of voucher codes, discounts and cashback offers.”