How Do You Budget For A Cleaning Service?
When you are a busy parent or professional, or even both, it might not be physically possible for you to keep up with your housekeeping. However, it’s crucial that you come home to a clean residence so you can relax following a hectic day. If any of these situations seem familiar, then it might be time to look at your household budgeting to see if there is room for enjoying a professional cleaning service.
So, let’s look at some handy hints you can use to create a monthly budget and figure out if your home budget might accommodate the prices of residential cleaning.
1) Chart Your Household Budget:
The first thing you should do in figuring out whether you can afford professional cleaning services to making out a budget worksheet. There are quite a few printable budget charts you can use online, although you can also use templates covering household expenses in spreadsheets like Excel or other programs. Fill out every column for both income and the expenses you have, for things like groceries, student loan payments, and childcare. You might find it rather helpful to go back over your various bank statements from the previous few months so that you can find the breakdown between fixed and non-fixed expenses.
2) Don’t Neglect A Thing:
Some expenses might not happen every month. These can be things like annual credit card fees or quarterly car insurance payments. If you want to avoid having a rude awakening for bills like these, then you should set aside some money in every month of your household budgeting. You should also include any known outliers that your budget has. For instance, you may know that your car will be due for some new tires in the month of June. It even helps to actually track small expenses, such as your middle-of-the-morning coffee run. Once you get a clear picture of the funds you have coming in and going out, then you’ll be far better able to figure out whether or not a professional cleaning service might be a possibility for you.
3) Plan Things When You Are Able To:
Serious single expenses, such as vacations, might put huge dents into your spreadsheet of household expenses if you fail to properly plan. It’s also smart to set aside savings for expensive surprises like emergencies or car repairs. Use a resource like Mint in order to set some monetary goals and track the progress that you make each week. Just a bit of financial foresight can wind up making a huge difference in regards to whether or not you can benefit from any professional cleaning service.
4) Leave A Bit Of Wiggle Room:
You should want some flexibility in terms of your household budgeting. It’s nice to spring for a spontaneous lunch with your friends or just treat your kids to some afternoon cupcakes once in a while. Make sure that you have a little ‘fun money’ you can play with, when possible. Consider that the whole point of a budget is helping you see what you’re able to afford. It’s not about squeezing every penny you can until you’re miserable.
5) Get Price Quotes For Housekeeping Services:
Once you have a budget in place, then you can look to see if professional cleaning services are affordable. When you have a household expenses spreadsheet, you can research area cleaning services on the Internet or call their local offices to get pricing estimates. Be mindful of the fact that the cheapest services aren’t always the best. Make sure that you look at the prices, reputations, and consumer reviews of residential cleaning services when you make your choice.
If you finish your household budgeting and then discover that a professional cleaning service isn’t doable, be sure that you take a second look. There might be something nonessential which you might cut or just change so you can make up the difference. Or, just make housekeeping services a primary budgeting goal.
Hire a housekeeping service to get expert help. Call Maid Clan today!