If there is anything we have so loved about not having a household help, it would be enjoying our privacy. Jeff and I have had the freedom of having the house to ourselves for more than three years until Jed came. Even then, the arrival of our little guy did not get us convinced that we needed one. He was less than a year old when we hired a nanny because I tried working again in the corporate world. It did not last three months since I was told by my obstetrician to have a complete bed rest because I had threatened miscarriage. We lost the baby at 12 weeks.
It was a “Nanny Nightmare” for us and the girl was just with us a few months! We totally regretted having to hire her. Thus, our choice to be helper-free for the succeeding years. For the most part, we were practically without helper for 9 years until 2010, when my virtual assistant tasks took over the bulk of my domestic responsibilities. It was crazy to try to juggle various tasks in a day, including homeschooling, three different online tasks and the chores when I only had a couple of arms and one body to be at one place at a time. I cannot even begin to describe the roller coaster ride it was. Yes, we loved the privacy of not having a helper. But if that means my sanity would be at stake, then it was another thing altogether.
Living in the tropics have us battle continual dust, dirt and insects. This means, a once-a-week cleaning is not something we can settle for. It is amazing even that just a couple of hours from mopping the floor, dust starts to collect all over again! And we live in a village, at that. How much worse could it be if the house is along the main road!
We did find a reliable helper in 2010 but she had to leave for the province a few months back to give birth. Letting her go was sad for all of us. Although we did not actually do a personal background check on her, she turned out to be honest and reliable. The one that came before her was with us only 5 days but left us with a P5,000 telephone bill! Denna was a blessing in more ways than one. Not perfect. But that fact that I only had to tell her once about my expectation and I did not have to repeat myself earned her my respect. She’s a wonderful cook too! I call her my assistant.
It has actually been three months since we have started to adjust back to doing everything ourselves. Although I still have a my online tasks, I have let go of my more demanding virtual assistant job. It is imperative to keep me sane. Now that we have been helper free for three months, I have realized a few more benefits of having no house help beyond just loving the privacy that we enjoy.
Since my helper left:
- Our electric bill has downed to almost half.
- Laundry necessities: detergent, fabric softener last almost three times.
- The dishwashing detergent lasts 4 times than it used to.
- Supplies in the pantry do not run out as fast.
I guess with hiring a helper, it really is a given that overall household consumption hikes up. We have to understand that helpers may not have the same regard for saving on utility bills nor any other consumables like we do. I might as well pat myself on the back for slowly (but surely) getting back to the grind into our “no-helper routine.” Some days are crazier than usual. But I manage, for the most part. 🙂
