You may spend roughly five hours more per week as a caregiver than your husband does.

Even if you generate half the income in your family, you’re most likely spending more than twice the amount of time on housework than your spouse. 

Here’s the real kicker – your husband probably has three and a half more hours of leisure time than you. 

This inequity is a societal issue, so don’t take this out on him. 

Your husband may even be an exception to the findings of a 2023 Pew Research survey. Go home and tell him what a gem he is.

The reality is that you have the power to change it by leveraging technology and services like Instacart or HelloFresh.

Let’s run through some tips for outsourcing “mom stuff” that will give you some much-needed whitespace or time for self-care.

What’s the value of your time?

The first thing you need to do is understand what to outsource based on the expense.

Determine whether or not it makes sense to increase some segments of your household budget – just like you do with your business, right?

Calculate your hourly wage:

1. How much did you make last year?
2. How many hours a week do you typically work?
3. Multiply your weekly hours by 50 to get your annual hours.
4. Divide last year's earnings by the number of yearly hours.

Now you know what your time is worth - your “dollars per hour” - and you’re ready to evaluate where it makes the most sense to buy leverage.

Obvious choices for outsourcing household responsibilities include hiring a nanny or cleaner. But sometimes those are budget breakers. So, let’s run through some other ways to buy yourself time.

4 Not-So-Obvious Ways to Leverage More Time for Your Empire – and Yourself

1. Incentivize allowances for your kids. Encourage children to take on chores by offering incentives for tasks they enjoy doing. 
2. Use grocery delivery and meal prep services: Save time on grocery shopping by using delivery services like InstaCart. (Trust us, you’ll save more than you spend because there’s way less impulse buying!). Is there a local company or franchise that delivers ready-to-eat meals every week? Or, if you enjoy making your own food, meal-prep kits are an option. 
3. Automate tracking household finances: When you set up recurring bills on autopay, all that’s left is a quick review and manual payments for any unusual expenses that pop up during the month - like plumbing or household maintenance.
4. Outsource tasks you don’t do well: If certain tasks take more of your time due to a lack of expertise or repeated mistakes, consider hiring professionals to handle them.

Wendy is a perfect example. She used to manage household bookkeeping. Not only did she hate it, she realized she wasn’t very good at keeping the details sorted out. She and her accountant finally decided to outsource monthly bill payments and bank reconciliation. 

There comes a time when household services are necessary. Take some time to decide if it’s time to bump up your household budget so you can pump up your empire.

Listen to Empire Building Podcast Ep. 41. Efficiency Hacks for Busy Families for MORE!