March 7, 2023
On Cracked Eggs, Cut Down Lists and Clean Clothes
This month really flew by, cuz I promise it was JUST February 1st. I canโt keep up. Probably because Black History month is winding down and Womenโs History Month is winding up. Meaning Black women are the moment ๐๐พโโ๏ธ and in such high demand to speak, partner, or collaborate that weโre running around like headless chickens.
I humbly receive the blessings. But if youโre looking for me, Iโm the person who canโt keep up with everything. And when Iโm not peopling, youโll find me somewhere facing the wall in silence cuz: introvert.
Anywho, letโs jump into whatโs on my mind this week.
Rant
We canโt afford to be breaking eggs in 2023.
Instacart has been bae since before the COVID-19 pandemic. But grocery stores became an absolute NO GO for me during lockdown. Now we go together real bad, and they always deliver my groceries. ๐ฅฐMeaningful, tweetable quote. Click To Tweet
But this week weโre lowkey fighting cuz the dude delivered my groceries without ringing the doorbell or sending a message to let me know. I kept wondering โwhy is it taking so long?โ Turns out, my order was just sitting outside my front door for whoknowshowlong.
When I saw that one bag only had eggs in it, I picked it up delicately with one hand and the last two bags with the other. As Iโm walking in the house, I feel liquid on my feet and realize the eggs are leaking. I put them on the kitchen counter, open the box, and see FIVE. WHOLE. EGGS. BROKEN. ๐ญ๐ข
EGGS COST TOO MUCH FOR THIS, SIR! Feels like theyโre $35 a dozen right now. I think about how kids used to throw eggs as pranks for Halloween. โ๐พ They better not even think about throwing their college tuition like that today. Easter Egg hunt? Better use fake ones because in the year of our Lord 2023, we canโt even spare em for things like that.
Whenever my shopper is a guy, I be like ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ cuz I just KNOW we gon have some issues. And somehow the store is out of everything I want that week. Theyโll say โtheyโre out of bagels.โ ๐คจ ALL THE BAGELS GONE?? Was there a nationwide recall? Did yeast go on strike? Did bread get banned?? Then come through with some ridiculous substitutes. Like the time this man replaced my Italian soda (San Pellegrino Limonata) with sparkling water.
These are the moments where Iโm like, maybe I do believe in gender roles. Cuz you know who donโt miss? Older women. Theyโll get you the freshestttt fruits and vegetables, or send pics to help you pick items meticulously. So Instacart, donโt give me a 20-something dude for deliveries no more. And ban them from shopping for anyone elseโs eggs but their own.
Letโs pray my next delivery is by a woman named Ethel cuz she gon get me right. ๐๐พ
That brings me toโฆ
Reflection
Time is money, so outsource if/what you can.
The one thing we cannot get more of is time. So until we can be in two places at once, our best bet is to get someone else to do some things for us. Thatโs why Iโm constantly trying to figure out how to outsource my responsibilities. I need less stress in my life, and itโs certainly not gon come from doing MORE.
Even though He Who Breaks Eggs did me dirty, I wasnโt like โlemme go to the store next weekโ because I know good and damb well I ainโt got time. Iโm barely caught up on the things I HAVE to do. Now would I have broken my own eggs? No. ๐ BUT what I have done is save 2 days of my time by letting someone else grocery shop for me.
According to the Instacart app, Iโve gotten 57 hours back in just the last year!
Iโm over here right now like: what do *I* HAVE to do that no one else can? Because Iโd rather use the money I earn to buy the freedom of giving everything else up to someone else. Sometimes I feel like Iโm drowning in my to-do lists. And I donโt even have kids!
Shoutout to the generations of women who went to work, came home, cooked dinner, and didn’t cuss anyone out. Our mothers, grandmothers, great grands are superheroes. Cuz after spending all day on the computer, I don’t wanna talk to human beings after 6pm and cereal is my best idea for dinner. ๐ซ So I donโt know how they did ALL of that during a time when men were only expected to be responsible for keeping the lights on and nothing else. Especially without the privilege of outsourcing things like we do.
We quietly agonize over hiring help and suffer through a lot of guilt around it. But the truth is, our already abundant list of personal and professional responsibilities gets longer everyday. And even when weโre not doing physical labor, weโre doing immense emotional labor to keep track of everything we need to handle.
Weโre out here tryna work full-time jobs, maintain side hustles, keep our houses in order, spend time with loved ones, have me-timeโฆ AND be amazing partners, siblings, friends, employees, colleagues, or whatever else, while ALSO trying to keep our minds, bodies, and souls together.
Itโs TEW MUCH. ๐ฅต๐ฅต๐ฅต
That is why Iโm here to remind us all that if we can hire the help weโve been thinking about without breaking our banks or putting anyoneโs livelihood at risk, then we should.
You might be thinking that you canโt afford to outsource certain tasks. But sometimes the question is: can you afford NOT to? Think about all the ways you get stressed out when things you have to do or deal with go undone, deplete your energy, or simply do not bring you joy.
So, before you talk yourself out of hiring a helping hand, see if itโs *actually* as expensive as you think. Donโt just assume you canโt afford to outsource anything. You may have had the budget for what you need all along.
The assistant. ๐ฉ๐พโ๐ผ
The nanny. ๐คฑ๐พ
The housekeeper. ๐งน
The chef. ๐ฉ๐พโ๐ณ
The meal kit or grocery delivery membership. ๐ฅ
The laundry service. ๐งบ
Invest $100 in that personal assistant that charges $20/hour, so you can do something that energizes you for 5 hours instead. Spend the extra $10 on delivery to save yourself the time, gas, and headache of in-person shopping. Book the $150 housecleaning service, and get back 6 hours of your day in a spotless home.
Imagine how much lighter youโd feel by removing even one item from your plate.
Because I have just the recommendation for that.
Recommendation
Fire yourself from laundry duty and hire HappyNest Laundry Service.
One thing Iโve always hated doing is laundry. I can write a 1,000 word piece in 20 minutes, but it takes me 4 days to fold one load. ๐ฉ There have been countless times when Iโd wash and dry my clothes, then weโd just be staring at each other likeโฆ
Uh uh. Get somebody else to do it.
A friend recommended a laundry service a couple years ago and lemme tell you: it ๐๐พ changed ๐๐พ my ๐๐พ life.
When you sign up for a service like HappyNest, you can get your dirty laundry picked up today and dropped off clean and folded tomorrow. CLEAN AND FOLDED. Like magic. So all you gotta do is put them away. FOLDING CLOTHES WHERE?!? ๐
๐พ
I usually send out 1-2 bags of laundry a week, then schedule delivery for the weekend so I donโt have to deal with putting it away til then. I get a reminder the day before pickup and a notification when the driver is on the way. Itโs such a major cheat code!
I just recommended it to one of my girls and after trying it, she feels the same way.
HappyNest is dope because you can get service weekly or only when you need it. No contracts or subscriptions. And while pricing varies by location, the average cost is ~$2 per pound.Worth every dime because I cannot count how many hours this service has saved me! ๐๐พ
Once registered, youโll receive a personalized HappyNest laundry bag that holds 40-60 lbs. Then all you have to do is fill it up, schedule pickup, and wait or relax while they rinse and repeat. ๐ฎโ๐จ
And those of us that clutch our pearls at the thought of anyone else handling personal or important tasks can stay in control by choosing our washing, drying, and folding preferences. So whether it’s what detergent to use, how to fold your socks, or where to leave your bag during drop-off, they tailor your experience to how you want it done.
For all my fellow businesses out there, they even provide customized commercial laundry services for Airbnb, salons, barber shops, fitness centers, restaurants, medical offices, and more!
Sign up today and take laundry off your to-do list!TAKE A LOAD OFF WITH HAPPYNEST
Comment below and tell me what responsibility or activity do you need to outsource the most? ๐
Talk to yโall later!
Disclaimer: I receive commissions for purchases made through some of the links in this newsletter. All thoughts and vouching are mine. I keep it true. ๐ฏ
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Luvvie has visited over 25 countries, and averaged over 110,000 miles of travel a year. This is a guide to pass on cheat codes sheโs learned to create as little chaos as possible while traveling.
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