Oh, and my husband was originally resistant – “Do we really need to pay someone? What if I just do it instead?” I had to really push. But now he loves it so much and says he can’t imagine not having her. We have been doing some belt-tightening lately, examining every expense. We cancelled Netflix but agreed that we will give up just about everything else before we even consider giving up her help!

Sorry, just now seeing your reply! I am almost certain you could find someone to do this once a week. I like twice a week because it minimizes boredom and food waste and things taste/seem more fresh (she is usually prepping salads for lunches, and a 6-day-old salad seems sad!) We started at $20/hour and now pay $28/hr + mileage if she grocery shops or runs other errands. We always prioritize meal prep, but she also does other household stuff depending on time/need. For example, last week we were out of town, but she still came to water plants, wash sheets, go to the bank and post office, put away laundry, run the robot vac, and generally just ensure that the house was nice to come home to. She doesn’t clean (except for dishes and counters) – we also have cleaners – but will do anything else related to running our household.

@Seppie – this is a great idea! Some of this help does come embedded in a nanny role but I know that a number of people have hired differently once their kids age out of needing a sitter. Or the person does some hours during the school day and then helps drive after (necessary for kids who are older sometimes).

For people who work from home, the second option is very doable. There are a lot of things one can cook that require minimal preparation and hands-on time.
Another thing to keep in mind – the more you make something, the faster you get at it. I love fresh salads, and I make those multiple times a week – and I’ve gotten pretty fast and efficient… Also, using a big chef’s knife and vigorously cutting stuff is kind of therapeutic after a stressful day at work 🙂

Also, I refuse to call food “left-overs’. Things like stews, soups, meatballs – I make enough to last 2-3 meals. That saves on time and mental energy.

Clean up – I haven’t quite figured that out and it takes a significant chunk of time each evening… But that’s, in part, because my kids love snacking and love preparing fun snacks, which involves using a ton of dishes and utensils… I haven’t managed to get them to consistently clean things up…. work in progress!

This is incredibly cool. I wonder whether I could pay someone to cook a large batch of food one day of the week so that we can eat leftovers for a few days. Currently my husband makes a meal like this on Sundays but we literally fight about it every week because he “forgets” that this is his job and has to be reminded to think about it on Friday so he can plan to get the ingredients and to set aside some time for cooking. How much does something like this cost?

My husband and I pick meals on Mondays and Thursdays – usually with the PlateJoy app but occasionally supplementing with long-time faves. This is quick because lunch is always a big salad and the app makes it so easy to have a healthy variety. Sometimes I shop, but if I don’t have time, K does the shopping before she preps on Tuesdays and Fridays. We’re to the point now (about 6 months in) that she also takes on some of the cognitive labor. Things like, “I’m going to cook and spice the half head of cauliflower that we didn’t use last week and you guys can add it to your tacos..”

I know that you and SHU get some of this by virtue of nannies, but wanted to throw it out as an option for people like us who don’t have kids at home.

I found K by using the “senior care” job search on Care dot com, but made it clear that we aren’t seniors yet. She’s been a stay at home mom for several years and is really turning this into a business now that her kids are in school It’s good for her (she enjoys the work, listens to audiobooks the whole time, and gets paid fairly) and it’s more affordable than any personal chef services I’ve found.

I feel like I’ve found the holy grail of meal planning/prep and I have you to thank for the idea!

@Coree- sounds like you all are eating well and fairly quickly too. I really do think it’s possible — and in many cases it’s not a huge trade-off. I think sometimes people make it sound like you’re eating terribly if you opt for quick meals but I really don’t think that’s true.

Last night, we had instant pot sweet potatoes (so much faster and more moist than baking them), fried eggs, and sauteed green beans. So a decent number of pans, but quick, easy, plenty of veggies. Tonight it’s tacos with some leftover rice, tin of beans, roast sweet potatoes and mushrooms, and chicken for T and me (husband is veggie). We tend to have homemade pizza on Fridays (or kid and husband do, I can’t eat tomatoes at night without really bad acid).