Cooking for one (Mark Three)

moneyistooshorttomention

Admits to wondering at intervals about a cleaner - but then it rather gets resolved for me at present by not being able to afford one. There'll come a point where the question isn't "academic" anyway - as I will be able to afford one when I'm a bit financially straighter. I would think the going rate for cleaners is £10 per hour in an area like I live in. No "reason" for having one for me - I just don't want to do it myself.

Tries to figure out at intervals how long I think I'd need one for if it came to it and I assume it would take one, say, 2 hours each week to do a bungalow with 2 bedrooms/1 bathroom/1 kitchen - ie cleaning the bathroom and kitchen and hoovering throughout (but very little need to do that - courtesy of having a Roomba robot cleaner). I'd think 2 hours a week would cover it and, say, 2 days a year for springcleaning type cleaning (wash curtains/carpets/seating/inside of windows/clean interior of washing machine/skirting boards/doors).

So - at paylevels where I am:
- £20 per week for weekly cleaning
plus
- £160 per annum for springcleaning

PasturesNew

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I would think the going rate for cleaners is £10 per hour ...., 2 hours each week
- £20 per week for weekly cleaning
plus
- £160 per annum for springcleaning

So, just save up £2/week and have one big clean up every 2 years ... £200 for one session/blitz.

It's not "difficult" keeping on top of most of it a little at a time.... so just once every 2 years should give you a clean start

Although you then think about more interesting ways of spending £200.

moneyistooshorttomention

:rotfl:You gotta bear in mind where my cleaning standards come from (not that I'm prepared to put that effort into being the one to do them myself.....:cool:). Offspring of armed forces family = I leave you to guess just what standard of cleaning I think my house "should" be done to - and the rather wide gap between that and what I personally am prepared to put the effort into doing.

Something more interesting - errrm...like the £200 or so I have just spent/just about to spend on ceramic pots and big plants (including trees) for my garden you mean....:rotfl:. That counts as more "interesting" in my book - you can guess just what I think of the concrete paving stones/concrete paths/tarmac currently in a sizeable part of my garden I imagine. If you saw me viewing a YouTube video of my home city yesterday and heard the words "......and even public areas look better than that in many places there". So going up a standard or two from "public Home City standards" for this being a private home - and...yep....that is a LOT of money I'm going to have to spend on this garden to get it sorted...:(. This could take a while....and meanwhile the "distraction technique of nice plants in nice pots on the 'hard surfaces' ".

caronc

Similiar costs round here but the company I'm going to use work in pairs so £20 per hour but they can blitz a place in that time so I'm looking at £20 per fortnight or getting them in for a two hour session monthly so basically £10 a week which is doable for me without squeezing other things (like my garden budget) too much. I reckon then quarterly getting them in to do things like windows/woodwork would be enough - again with two so another hour so another £80 over the year which again is ok for me.:)

PasturesNew

If you're up for a bit of cheap mince, it's on offer at L from today.

450g of turkey mince, £1.49 (£3.31/Kg)
https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/Offers.htm?articleId=10873

Let's face it ....for most people, "it's all the same" in a lot of mince recipes. That can be chilli as easily as beef would be.

Or - it's a great time to knock up a moussaka or cottage pie.

It's only when a meat is a "feature" that what it is actually matters.

I'll probably get me a bit of that, make a chilli. I never did get the beef last week because first I already had other food in .... then when I looked they only had 2 packs which were a bit fatty .... not bothered I "missed out" this time. This turkey mince will be a good buy instead (and 70p/pack cheaper than the beef cubes).

This week's veg is all a "bit posh and unnecessary and/or not to my liking": Avocado/79p, Spinach/69p, Garlic/59p, Asparagus Tips/99p

moneyistooshorttomention

caronc wrote: »

Similiar costs round here but the company I'm going to use work in pairs so £20 per hour but they can blitz a place in that time so I'm looking at £20 per fortnight or getting them in for a two hour session monthly so basically £10 a week which is doable for me without squeezing other things (like my garden budget) too much. I reckon then quarterly getting them in to do things like windows/woodwork would be enough - again with two so another hour so another £80 over the year which again is ok for me.:)

Bit problematic the fortnightly bit.

What happens alternate weeks re the cleaning of kitchen and bathroom/s and hoovering? Thought - you could get a Roomba robot cleaner to do the hoovering on those alternate weeks?

[Deleted User]

I used to have a cleaner, when I was working and children were young and you get the occasional cleaner who is very good but most did a quick whizz and sprayed scent into the air to hide the fag smell

Breakfast was hm granola with milk, just now had some hm berry/apple compote with hemp, walnuts and yogurt. Lunch has to be salad because I don`t want to compost it and will have hot crispy toast with emmental cheese melting on it. I have expensive lamb to cook today, only 300g but I also have a whole celeriac and will tip some tinned soya beans in. Added celery, leeks, carrots, spelt pearls shallots garlic and spices will turn it into comforting bowls of food. At a guess I will get 4 meals to freeze plus one for high tea. I`ll get it ready now, pressure cooker 20 minute and that will be all the cooking for today

bouicca21

I hate cleaning, got plenty of better things to do with my time, so having a cleaner is my personal luxury. I'm on my own so once a month is plenty. In between I occasionally have to sweep the kitchen floor, and rather more regularly wipe the work surfaces and sink/draining board.

Wednesday2000

I had a berry, banana and spinach smoothie and WM toast with avocado again. Yum.

caronc

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Bit problematic the fortnightly bit.

What happens alternate weeks re the cleaning of kitchen and bathroom/s and hoovering? Thought - you could get a Roomba robot cleaner to do the hoovering on those alternate weeks?

I'd manage in between ok I think:)

kittie wrote: »

I used to have a cleaner, when I was working and children were young and you get the occasional cleaner who is very good but most did a quick whizz and sprayed scent into the air to hide the fag smell

Breakfast was hm granola with milk, just now had some hm berry/apple compote with hemp, walnuts and yogurt. Lunch has to be salad because I don`t want to compost it and will have hot crispy toast with emmental cheese melting on it. I have expensive lamb to cook today, only 300g but I also have a whole celeriac and will tip some tinned soya beans in. Added celery, leeks, carrots, spelt pearls shallots garlic and spices will turn it into comforting bowls of food. At a guess I will get 4 meals to freeze plus one for high tea. I`ll get it ready now, pressure cooker 20 minute and that will be all the cooking for today

This company are very thorough, no slacking. The owner (it's just her and a partner) is ex-forces....;)

Love the sound of your lamb dish:)