# Do you currently have "household servants"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 29, 2016, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414 "2016-04-29T12:18:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/21 "2016-04-29T17:51:25Z")
Nothing - cooking, cleaning, cooking - requires so much time or effort that we need to hire help. With the kids gone, the house doesn’t get as dirty as it used to, and yardwork is less than a couple of hours total over the week (and we enjoy most of it.) When our kids were younger, we thought there was some merit in showing the kids the importance of caring for our possessions. Just recently I raised the topic w/ my wife, saying if she wanted to look into some general cleaning, I had no objections. Especially now that our income is higher and our expenses lower than before. She wasn’t interested. Maybe when we get older and more decrepit… ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/22 "2016-04-29T18:05:28Z")
Nope. I live in a two-bedroom walk-up. My wife cooks, I clean, and my kid can watch his own damn self. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/23 "2016-04-29T18:16:54Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > As a follow on to the GQ thread about the history of[household servants](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=791124) in England and then digressed into the US, I thought I would pose the question as to who currently has some form of household servants. > > I would qualify household servants as cleaning service, lawn maintenance, in home child care, etc., done on a regular basis. > > We use a weekly cleaning person, weekly lawn maintenance, a regular gardener, regular baby sitters and part time nanny. None of our folks live with us, but most have access to our house, even if we aren’t at home. > > Poll to follow. We do have a gardener come by once a week, but he does a number of house in our neighborhood. By no means is a once a week gardener a household servant. but i voted yes, based upon your wording of this pool. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/24 "2016-04-29T18:16:56Z")
I’m curious what people pay for these services. I pay the cleaning girls $100 every 2 weeks and lawn guy $140 a month for the non-winter months. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/25 "2016-04-29T18:17:57Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > I’m curious what people pay for these services. I pay the cleaning girls $100 every 2 weeks and lawn guy $140 a month for the non-winter months. $65 month. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/26 "2016-04-29T19:03:07Z")
The best money I spent for 6 out of the last 7 years was on a weekly housekeeper. It cost me $100/week but I often said I’d rather pay her then eat. Then oil price went in to the toilet and it turns out I would rather eat then have a house keeper. The last two years we also hired a gardener since the 4 hours it was taking me to mow and do basic maintenance was killing my weekend and having them take care of it for $60 was totally worth it and I ended up with a better looking yard. The last year we haven’t had any helpers. As we’re getting back on our feet we’re already dreaming of having more help and it will probably go nanny, housekeeper then gardener but we’ll need to get to $200k/ year to do it all. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/27 "2016-04-29T21:07:04Z")
$40 per hour for two landscapers that come by for an hour every other week. They can “mow and blow” much faster than I can, plus they have younger and intact backs so they can keep our yard looking good without pain. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/28 "2016-04-29T21:15:10Z")
Paying for occasional services is not the same as having servants. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/29 "2016-04-29T21:20:48Z")
Nope. We got rid of the lawn, so yardwork requires about 2 hours twice a year. I take care of the livestock and run the vacuum around once a week or so. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/30 "2016-04-29T22:20:28Z")
Even if I were a billionaire, I wouldn’t want anyone else putting my socks in the drawer. If my life were so busy earning wealth that I didn’t have free time to do that, I’d consider my days wasted and wish I had them all back again. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/31 "2016-04-29T22:28:24Z")
Housekeeper each week. She straightens up, does dishes and cooks. If she has time she’ll throw in a load or two of laundry. General handyman and lawn guy. He and his sons take care of the lawn/gardening and do small repairs - broken screen most recently - and powerwash the house when I tell them to. I see there’s a request for amounts. Housekeeper: $80/week Lawn and Maintenance: $35/week and extra for special projects ---
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/32 "2016-04-29T23:55:38Z")
I voted “no,” but we live in a community with an HOA, and included in the fees are maintenance for the front lawn/landscaping. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/33 "2016-04-30T00:34:18Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > I’m curious what people pay for these services. I pay the cleaning girls $100 every 2 weeks and lawn guy $140 a month for the non-winter months. $120 every two weeks. She spends 4 -5 hrs here and cleans all the bathrooms, washes floors, vacuums floors and furniture and does a deep clean of counters and tables. My house always smells amazing on Elizabeth days. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/34 "2016-04-30T01:24:55Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > Yes. > > I live in a country where the gap between the rich and poor is so large that people will work for what I consider next to nothing\* in order that they and their families can survive. Pretty much the same here in Indonesia. We have two maids, two guards, and a driver. We don’t need all those staff, but giving people jobs is a way to contribute. Legally speaking, the mandated minimum wage doesn’t apply to household staff, and so most Indonesians pay their help substantially less than that. But like most expats, we pay at or above the minimum wage. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/35 "2016-04-30T02:31:08Z")
A friend and I share a cleaning lady. Two days here, two there. She only works 4 days a week, is paid significantly above minimum wage, and has health insurance. We are also very flexible, and she has worked for us so long we consider her a family friend. This is not the norm here. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/36 "2016-04-30T03:25:32Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Housekeeper each week. She straightens up, does dishes and cooks. If she has time she’ll throw in a load or two of laundry. What sort of cooking does she do? Like, just dinner for the one night she is there or does she prepare food for the week or freezer meals or what? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/37 "2016-05-01T01:43:28Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Even if I were a billionaire, I wouldn’t want anyone else putting my socks in the drawer. If my life were so busy earning wealth that I didn’t have free time to do that, I’d consider my days wasted and wish I had them all back again. How about having free time to do other things besides folding socks? ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/38 "2016-05-01T01:51:25Z")
I think the guy that mows my lawn would be pretty offended if you told him he was my household servant. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2016, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/39 "2016-05-01T02:26:06Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > What sort of cooking does she do? Like, just dinner for the one night she is there or does she prepare food for the week or freezer meals or what? Usually two meals per week. I travel a lot so we have to coordinate it. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2016, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414/40 "2016-05-01T04:50:20Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I would qualify household servants as cleaning service, lawn maintenance, in home child care, etc., done on a regular basis. I _am_ a household servant! 😃 At least according to this definition…although I did realize it earlier this year. As I was entering a clients home to walk their dog, I was greeted by the neighbor’s home healthcare worker and my client’s housekeepers. When I was bringing the dog back I had a nice chat with the gardener that a lot of the neighbors use and then greeted my client’s pool guy. It suddenly occurred to me that I didn’t know any of the neighbors and I’d only actually met my own client once (I’m with an agency). I knew all the service workers…because I was one of them. That made me laugh. I love my job and I don’t mind being “the help”. ETA: No, I don’t have any household servants myself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-currently-have-household-servants/753414.md?page=3)