A mother’s helper isn’t always a caregiver or babysitter. Subsequently, as a mother of five, I’ve learned to get creative with my task list. It’s ludicrous to think that parenting while managing your home should always be a solo act. Therefore, enlisting some local time saving services is a must for me.
Let’s face it–there is NEVER enough time.
As a former business owner, the idea that time is money still rings true. Equally important, lack of time also equates with increased stress. As a result I’m always on the lookout for services that offer a good value and save me time!
Let me tell you about my current favorite time saving services on the Seacoast and beyond.
Anyone with children knows that keeping your living space clean and organized is an uphill battle. If you have any doubts, I invite you to read this! Kid mess is absolutely universal. Furthermore, the mess in my house becomes so all consuming that I occasionally have a cleaning person help out. Mel’s Cleaning, a Maine-based business, offers a “Busy Mom Special”. The owner is a mother herself, so she gets it! From cleaning my over-worked oven to literally scraping the pudding from the wall, my house craves a good deep clean.
If you haven’t looked into Hannaford to Go, stop what you are doing and immediately report to Google. Hannaford to Go isn’t offered at all locations, but the service is so marvelous that I drive 20ish minutes to use it. It’s so simple, a cave woman could do it. After ordering my groceries, I schedule a pick up. Since I ALWAYS spend at least $125 (five kids), the $5 service fee is waived, making it FREE. I’m giddy just thinking about it! Next, you simply go to your local Hannaford during your pick up window, and a staff members brings your items to your car. They even load your groceries.
“Hannaford to Go” makes me feel like a celebrity.
While Hannaford to Go has really stepped up my meal planning, every now and then dinner is an apocalypse, and we treat ourselves to take out. If I resort to that, I certainly don’t want to coordinate picking our order up. Let me introduce you to Takeout Guys. If you live within their service area, they will happily shuttle your meal from the restaurant to your doorstep. They partner with lots of quality eateries. You can also order, get estimated delivery times, and check your delivery status right on their website! Easy, peasy. Any yummy.
Like many people with growing families who are mindful about their budget, I am a self-proclaimed IKEA addict. Shipping charges are notoriously expensive from IKEA. Sadly, toting a van full of preschoolers to Stoughton, MA isn’t exactly an option. This is where Peg and “Sven Delivers” come in. Peg makes bi-weekly trips to the Swedish retail giant, buys requested items on your behalf and delivers them directly to you! At your request, Sven Delivers can even arrange for a local carpenter to assemble your purchases. Their fees are based on your purchase price. Ultimately, Sven Delivers is one of my all time favorite time saving services.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how affordable these time saving services can be. They are often less than hiring a mother’s helper and doing the task myself. Parenting has taught me many things and enlisting some local time saving services is one of the decisions I’ve made.
