Asked on 19th March 2008  |  4 replies

Answered on 28th March 2008:

So...you need...a wife? LOL! That's what I always say, but my feminist alter ego corrects me that the correct term is "domestic assistant". I would use the classifieds (or craigslist) both ways...find people looking for housecleaning or childcare work and interview them to see if they are suitable. Prepare a list of all the duties you expect to be done (or hours you need help), post a job listing and see what happens. I gave applicants a list of tasks and told them I could do the list in three hours, and I would pay up to $60 a day to have the tasks completed, or $15/hr, "whichever came first"... I pay our household helper $15/hr, and she is worth every penny, recently I gave her a raise to $17.50 (after 6 months of excellent service). I don't have to pick up or de-clutter when she comes, she knows our family well enough now to incorporate that into her cleaning/organizing.

7 replies