Outsource your chores
You can pay someone to unpack your groceries, wash your shirts and drop a lasagne round to your mum, finds Katie Newton.
From cooking to cleaning, laundry to lawn mowing, the list of jobs to do around the house can feel endless. And while it’s increasingly common for time-poor professionals to hire cleaners, gardeners and babysitters, which other chores can be outsourced?
Kate Fitzpatrick is a lifestyle manager and will take care of almost any domestic chore you can think of, from putting the groceries away (making sure the beer labels all face the same way) to decorating the Christmas tree. ‘‘I once was asked to search for a client’s earring that they’d lost after an event,’’ she says. ‘‘I spent an hour searching for it in the bushes.’’
Fitzpatrick will also organise dinner parties, find nannies, redecorate baches and drop meals around to friends or family members who are unwell. ‘‘It’s amazing how often I’m asked to buy a meal and put it in a dish so it looks homemade,’’ she says. ‘‘I’m an expert at moulding a bought lasagne into the right dish.’’
She has a handful of regular clients, who she describes as ‘‘people who have very busy lives.’’ ‘‘We build up a relationship, it’s based on trust,’’ she says. ‘‘I really enjoy everyone who I work with.’’
Tracey Gollings from About Time Lifestyle Management in Wellington says that when she started six years ago she wasn’t sure how the business would fare due to New Zealanders’ traditionally ‘‘can-do’’ attitude. She now has a waiting list for her services. ‘‘It’s a booming industry. There is just so much work out there.’’
‘‘Once people get past the idea that they don’t want to have to ask for help, they end up giving me more and more jobs,’’ she says. ‘‘People are working so hard these days they just don’t have the time that they used to.’’ Gollings, whose rate starts at $40 per hour, has mainly corporates, politicians and high level public servants on her books. ‘‘Trust and confidentiality is so important in what I do.’’
For those of us who can’t afford or don’t need a full-service concierge, other companies can provide specialised help.
Door-to-door laundry services are available in most of the main centres like the app-based Laundromap, which will send a driver to collect your dirty laundry and deliver it back washed, dried and folded within 48 hours. Six kilograms of clothing costs $36, with dry cleaning, pressing or mending extra.
Cooking can be avoided entirely by using a meal delivery service such as Angel Delivery, who will supply a week’s worth of evening meals, desserts and snacks for $405 plus delivery. For those who prefer their food made on site there’s the option of a personal chef, who can be hired for a special event, holiday or on an ongoing basis. Prices vary, but usually the cost covers the menu design, purchase of raw materials, meal prep, service and clean up.
If you want your produce to come straight from your backyard, there are garden maintenance services who will make you a vegetable garden from the ground up, building beds, feeding the soil and planting your veges of choice. They’ll also provide ongoing maintenance and harvest what’s ready. Those who want to take selfsufficiency even further (without actually doing anything themselves) can also outsource beekeeping, fruit harvesting and composting.
Goodnest is an online booking service which takes the hard work out of finding tradespeople from the usual gardeners and cleaners to appliance repair people, locksmiths and stain removalists. Tradies are pre-vetted and insured, and the prices are set competitively. CEO and co-founder James MacAvoy reckons the business has grown 60 per cent in the past year. ‘‘Finding enough tradies is the problem,’’ he says. ‘‘We’re always trying to keep up with the huge demand.’’
Other service providers who will come to your house include mobile valets to wash the car or boat, professional organisers to sort out the pantry or wardrobe and pet sitters, who’ll often clean cages, air bedding and administer medication too.
Then there are the companies who provide assistance with specific life events. Relocation experts provide assistance in obtaining IRD numbers, opening bank accounts and buying or renting property, and some will research the local schools, doctors, dentists and amenities.
A growing part of Fitzpatrick’s business are her ‘‘moving on’’ services, where she helps people move into a retirement home or downsize after a divorce. It’s her favourite part of the job. ‘‘It’s where I can make a difference,’’ she says. ‘‘I really understand vulnerable people, who often have no family to help.’’
Some elderly people get quoted an exorbitant amount by moving companies, while her services start from just $2000. ‘‘There’s a real element of emotional support.’’