Insourcing tally for the week #12....

 

Preparing for our trip meant that insourcing fell by the wayside for a while...well not the actual insourcing which is second nature around here, but the writing about it.

 

So just a reminder on what this thing I call 'insourcing' actually is.

 

In a nutshell, it's where I value what I do in the home. I actually assign a dollar value to my tasks, equivalent to what I would pay somebody else to do them....what's called 'outsourcing'. So if that's the value to someone else of that task, why shouldn't I assign the same value to my own efforts?

 

It's not an actual financial transaction as such, although NOT spending the money on outsourcing these tasks is certainly a huge saving, and one that allows us greater financial freedom in many other areas of our life.

 

It's just a way of demonstrating, that your contribution to the home does NOT have to be purely financial, and that leaving the home to be paid for a 'real job' is not the only answer, if you're willing to put in a bit of effort and treat 'home' as your 'workplace'.

 

It certainly gives you, and those around you, a new perspective on your worth!

 

So without further ado, here is last weeks list....

 

Laundered, dried, folded and ironed 12 loads of washing, including school uniforms, pillowcases, and serviettes. We love real linen serviettes and set the dinner table prettily every night, so those can mount up! Value if outsourced? Let's say $20 per load of stuff washed, folded and/or ironed, and that's really conservative! So let's call that $240 worth. I actually hate ironing, but Faux Fuschia, whose entertaining and colourful blog here is well worth a read, says 'yes' (in her own words) to ironing, decluttering, and baking. In fact, she claims that ironing lowers her blood pressure, or rather viewing piles of ironed thing-a-me-jigs does. Tackled with a few cerebral bits of TV viewing (she favours Real Housewives of Melbourne...I'd probably say Downton Abbey), it's less of a trial. Worth a try, I say!

 

My oven is not working so no baking for us but I did manage to make griddle scones using this recipe here, which were very nice, and crepes and pikelets which were enjoyed with Nutella, or fresh fruit, or jam, and pronounced a success. Savings on bought snacks, around $50.

 

I cleaned the house saving $100 on a cleaner.

 

The menu for the week was upmarket tasty, including Roast Chicken with garlic mash, Lamb cutlets with polenta and roasted tomatoes, Eye Fillet of beef with wasabi kale coleslaw, Singapore noodles, Fresh and Healthy nothing-out-of-a-tin Spaghetti Bolognaise, Ratatouille tartlets, and Pad Siew. The ingredients for those meals totalled about $60. For the three of us to eat equivalent meals out, would have been in the realm of $600. Now don't laugh. I know people who actually do this. More power to them. But we don't, so I don't think it's unreasonable to attach a significant value to this. Saving $540.

 

I made two pairs of pillowcases and trimmed them with some saucy black lace. Very ooh-la-la. A good pair of pillowcases is up around the $40 mark, so let's call that a $70 saving after material costs are subtracted.

 

I washed my car at the DIY carwash. Price to have them do it $48. Price for me to do it $5. Saving $43.

 

That's an astounding total of $1043!

 

Now you might say, but that's ridiculous, nobody would pay that money for those things. I can assure you that YES THEY DO. Week in, week out. And like I say, more power to them. But in the context of my posts here, and the contribution of the stay at home parent, this is a realistic way of valuing your tasks in the home.

 

Downgrade some of the meals to equivalent takeaway if you want, and apply 'mates rates' to things like cleaning and gardening and ironing if it brings it into line with your expectations. I bet you'd still end up with a value of up to $700, or $700 that you'd have to spend to outsource those tasks if you worked outside the home.

 

So come on, what did you insource this week? What was your value in the home as a stay at home partner and parent?

 

Tell me everything....

 

...Mimi...