The apps and services that changed my life
How I outsource the tasks in life I don’t want to do (and how I justify the costs).
There is a long list of stuff I don’t like to do (and doubt anyone particularly enjoys). Grocery shopping and dealing with customer service being two things at the top of that list. As a former freelance contractor, I still value my time based on a dollar amount per hour. Time is money, and I found I am willing to invest quite a bit to save time, especially if there is a person or service who is able to do the thing I don’t want to do, and do it even better than I can.
Here are a few ways I outsource my personal life to save time, energy and sanity.
Groceries delivered to our doorstep.
Although I don’t hate grocery shopping nearly as much as my husband does, it’s near impossible to enjoy shopping for cereal and toilet paper. Standing in the Whole Foods line at 6pm on a weekday only to realize I’ve forgotten an item on my list is my own personal hell.
Instead of navigating grocery stores, we’ve been ordering from Amazon Fresh for almost three years. Groceries (including eggs and milk) are delivered right to my doorstep in 12 hours.
Instacart is another grocery delivery option, now available in 18 cities across the U.S. The delivery fee depends on the size of your order and the delivery time that you choose, but I find that my delivery cost is about $6-$8.
I’ve decided that for any grocery runs under $30, I would rather save myself the stress of busy lines and gain an extra hour of time with my family after work. So it costs me up to $30 to have a relaxed and engaged game of trains with my son after work —worth it (to me).
Meal planning and grocery shopping in one.
The service that has truly saved us time, not only shopping for ingredients, but also meal planning, is Blue Apron. We’ve been dedicated users for two years and often prefer to stay in and cook than go out to dinner (which is partially fueled by our toddler’s table manners).
Pre-measured ingredients and cooking instructions for three meals arrive at our home each week. We prefer the quality of international cuisine of Blue Apron, but Plated and Hello Fresh are also great service options.
Dinner delivered in 20 minutes or less.
No matter how easy it is to use meal-planning services, there are evenings after work when even going near the stove makes you grumpy. Thankfully, the on-demand dinner delivery options in San Francisco are endless.
- Munchery delivers chef-prepared meals for $10-$12 each. It’s best to order the morning you want the meal. Click here for $20 off your first order :)
- Caviar delivers specific meals from some of the best restaurants in SF. Check it out here.
- We’ve been less impressed by the quality of Sprig recently (although I still love it for office lunch), but if you are hungry and want a warm, healthy dinner in 15 minutes, download the app and order from daily options.
Between Blue Apron, Munchery and Sprig, I haven’t had to worry about what to make for dinner in a long time — and I find that rather than using Yummly or Pinterest for recipe research out of necessity, I only use them for fun. Because who doesn’t still daydream about knock-off Starbucks Cranberry Bliss bars post Holiday season?
Our virtual personal assistant.
When we first moved to San Francisco, my husband and I didn’t realize childcare in the city fills up months (if not a year!) in advance. To save time and energy (and Skype credits as we were traveling at the time), we hired a personal assistant that we found via UpWork for $4 an hour to call every daycare in SF to ask about availability and monthly costs, and save our options into a Google spreadsheet organized by closest distance to our house so we could make an informed decision.
It took some time to figure out the best way to work together with our assistant, but we now assign our assistant any miscellaneous task that we don’t want to do (unless we have to). This includes anything from booking travel and managing visa applications to arranging a Salvation Army pick-up at our house.
I’ve also recently used Get Service to deal with what would have otherwise been a two-hour phone call with Comcast. Their services are still free and work to resolve any issue you’ve recently had with a business.
An on-demand research assistant.
I love Wonder. It’s like having an on-demand, personal, graduate-level Ivy League research assistant who never sleeps (or complains). I’ve used Wonder to ask for the best and longest waiting lists in the world and what events are happening in SF based on what I love. They can even prepare a travel itinerary. I primarily use Wonder for work-related questions, but also use them when I need a weekend itinerary. Click here for a free question!
Don’t do more housework than you have to.
I’m sure many of us feel a responsibility to keep our homes clean, organized and beautiful. Beautiful is the fun part — the other two not so much. So what is the value that I place on keeping my home “homey” without having to do more than an hour of cleaning a week? Turns out, in our case, about $150 per week.
Our housekeeper is an extension of the family. She comes once a week and treats the house as if it’s her own, cleaning our home as well as going so far as to wash, fold and put laundry back in our closets where it goes. She cleans the refrigerator and puts away groceries. It simply took a conversation and light managing of tasks on my end to come home to a clean home at the end of a long week at the office.
If you don’t have a housekeeper, there are apps galore for household chores. Although I don’t use Handybook for cleaning, I have used them to repair and paint a wall. I’ve also used Task Rabbit to organize my garage and help a friend move.
And just in case you need a suit cleaned or don’t own a washer and dryer, try Washio. They come to the front door to pick up your clothes and will return at the same time on the next day. They even bring you a cookie!
The total cost of outsourcing housework is between $150-$200 per week. We decided that the value of not having to work about cleaning, laundry, household repairs, organization or dry cleaning was worth that cost. I still think it’s the best investment in our marriage we’ve ever made.
Stop going to the post office.
Making a trip to the post office and standing in line can be a pain. Use Shyp instead! You use the app to describe what you want to send and Shyp comes to pick it up at the house 15 minutes later for a flat $5 fee. Shyp also works to get you the lowest shipping rates, saving you time and money in the end.
Subscribe to household supplies.
Instead of realizing you’re out of soap in the middle of a kitchen scrub down, always have necessary household products on hand with a monthly subscription. I’m in love with The Honest Company and receive a monthly shipment of household supplies so we are never running low.
Previously we used Amazon Subscribe & Save. I’ve also experimented with Google Express and Target Subscribe & Deliver.
There’s an app for it all.
Re-reading this, I’m worried my life comes across as a laundry list of startups…but honestly? Startups are the companies that best tap into how our needs and behaviors are changing and what they can do to simplify our lives. Though some may think these services add an unnecessary cost into our budget, I find gaining time and energy to spend with my family and doing what I love, not to mention the fun of discovering new products and services, is well worth the investment.
What are some of your favorite life-saving apps and services? Let me know so I can give them a try!
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I’ve recently joined LIFT Agency as Director of Strategy. LIFT connects subscriber and retail brands to their customers in today’s hyper-connected world.
Disclaimer. I have no official connection to these brands nor was I compensated for mentioning them here. All opinions are from my own personal experience.
