Are you fed up with your house chores? Welcome to the 21st century, where you can hire other people to do the stuff you are too annoyed to deal with yourself. From laundering (no, not money laundering) to flathunting, you can find all kinds of services related to home maintenance.
You can find some tasks more daunting than others. Here’s the list of the top four most annoying things you’d rather pay for than do yourself. No, we’re not talking about dusting and cleaning. They might be annoying, but way too general. We’re talking lifestyle changes.
1. Prepare Breakfast
Some have no problem preparing dinner for their family, but breakfast? Dear God, no! Who wants to spend the first half an hour of his day cutting onions to make an omelette with? Before even coffee! Theoretically, you can slack off and just spread some butter over a couple of toasts. Realistically, buttered toasts for breakfast every day are maybe not the most nutritious idea. “Preparing breakfast” also applies to coffee.
The Solution:
When you just don’t have the energy to make anything in the morning, go to your nearest café, which offers a breakfast menu. Treat yourself to a tasty snack, a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice. It is a fine replacement for oatmeal and cereal.
Alternatively, you can skip breakfast altogether (not advised) or opt for some fruit. Nothing spells a “Great day ahead” better than a banana and an apple. Be ready to get hungry in an hour, though.
2. Dirty Laundry
Do you complain when you have to do the laundry? Even if “it is not you, it is the washing machine that does the hard work”, you still have to sort the clothes.
If only the washing machine were able to differentiate between clean clothes and laundry and to hang the clothes on dryer lines (or move them to the dryer and remember to take them out and them fold them. Yes, we see you.). But enough complaining!
The Solution:
Launderettes! They are a heaven’s gift to any student, especially if the said student lives in dorms. Of course, you still need to figure out what washing powder to use. The good news is there’s always somebody around ready to help. Even better news – you don’t need to wait two days for your clothes to dry off. For a small fee, the specialists who work there will even launder your shirts and pants. And if you are lucky enough to live near a launderette with an arcade, you are in for some pretty good times.
3. Flat Hunting
If you are a student, it is the worst period of the academic year. Stress, panic, and hopelessness build up before you finally explode like a big ball of nerves. No, we’re not talking about the finals. I am talking about Fresher’s Week.
It might seem counter-intuitive at first. After all, Fresher’s Week is a seven-day period where you spend your evenings at free parties around campus. You’re constantly treated with free food and club discount coupons, and classes haven’t started yet. Soon, you realise the month is almost over, and you still haven’t found a place to stay. You spend all night on Gumtree, frantically looking for a flat – any flat! Just as you are about to give up, you find a single-room apartment where you sleep in the kitchen and share the bathroom with three other people. The location is inconvenient, but at least it’s still within the city’s borders.
This applies to non-students as well. You have to admit looking for a place to live with your entire family – wife, kids, and two dogs is even more stressful than the scenario above.
The Solution:
Contact a real estate agent a month in advance and let him do this tedious task for you. You specify the details – namely, which neighbourhoods are of interest to you and how much you don’t mind spending, and you are in the clear.
4. Moving Out
Eventually, you will have to move out of your rental. It might seem easier than flat hunting, but it isn’t. You prepare a checklist for all the important belongings, ask a friend to help you with the transportation, and clean the place thoroughly before you move out. In the end, your landlord charges you additionally for a wine stain behind the fridge, which was there when you moved in. Besides, it is behind the refrigerator. Nobody’s going to see it anyway. You end up leaving half of your belongings behind because you can’t find a vehicle big enough to transport them. Your future suddenly doesn’t seem so bright.
And, yes, we know “move out” isn’t exactly something you can pay other people to do for you. The title refers to all the pesky tasks related to the occasion.
The Solution:
If you are moving somewhere far away, you should use the services of a man with a van. It actually helps for short distances as well. It’s both a time-saver and literally an item-saver!
The more important thing is never to try and clean the flat yourself. Your landlord will always look for the slightest imperfection he can charge you for. Why spend time and nerves when, in the end, he still won’t be satisfied? You should always book an end of tenancy cleaning when your lease is about to expire. If you find a good provider, you can hire movers and cleaners simultaneously and save a lot of stress and hassle. Yes, you get charged for the moving and cleaning bill, but at least you get the rest of your deposit safe and sound.
Final Thoughts
Some things are just not worth it doing them yourself. From minor problems like who’s going to make breakfast to bigger ones like who’s going to do the end of tenancy cleaning, these tasks can be time-consuming and frustrating. However, by outsourcing them to professionals or using convenient services, you can save yourself valuable time and energy. While paying for these services may seem like an extra expense at first, it’s important to consider the long-term benefits and peace of mind that come with it. So go ahead and invest in your own sanity–let someone else handle the dirty work while you focus on what truly matters in life. Remember, sometimes it’s worth opening up your wallet to close the door on those pesky chores!
