Hiring a Cook Was the Money-Saving Hack My Family Needed

After having moved from New York to London, I got pregnant and five months ago, my son entered the world.

As a lawyer with a type A personality who is used to jostling, I expected to make the most of my time during maternity leave.

I imagined cooking nutritious meals from zero, make long walks through London parks with my newborn nesting against me and embracing the domestic life that I had suspended for years of memories and customer meetings.

Reality, however, was far from that.

My aspirations collapse

Week after week, the grocery store I bought with diligence would withered intact while my husband and I reached our phones to order another cycle of take -out.

Between white nights, constant feedings and overall maternity adjustment in a new country, my culinary aspirations quickly collapsed.

The break point occurred when I calculated our monthly food expenses, which were an average of $ 670 on take -out points. The combination of the wasted grocery store and excessive delivery orders looked like a burden for our bank account.

In addition, I felt lethargic, I had trouble losing an excess of baby weight and I never felt satisfied. Since I was going to my son, I knew that my diet played a decisive role in obtaining the right nutrients.

Something had to change.

I hired a cook

The solution appeared in the most unexpected places: Facebook. A friend of our region had recommended the Facebook group “Indians in Watford”, where I found a local cook available for reasonable $ 15.

She came with stellar criticism from other families. I sent her a message to organize a telephone call and instantly felt aspects of my education and the insights of my mother, in her.

She is now coming to us twice a week, preparing breakfasts, lunches and dinners for the full work week.

The weekly investment of $ 90 it costs us is absolutely transformer.

Food is no longer something I worry

She knows many kitchens, including Indian, Thai, Indochina, Italian and Mediterranean.

Breakfasts include chia puddings, tofu fogs, freshly cooked croissants and cut fruits. Lunches are generally different peppers, jumped, Indian currys such as chickpeas, vegetables or baskets and pans.

There was an initial period of trial and error in which we asked him to prepare more spicy meals, to avoid certain currys such as Gombo and green beans and to reduce salt. Now meals are exactly how we prefer.

This does not require any mental effort on my part, and food is no longer something that my husband and I are worried. On weekends, we in turn in the kitchen and we allow take-out dishes such as a treat or a meal if the sleep calendar of our son allows it.

Our food expenses have decreased considerably and I have more physical and mental energy

Now our monthly food expenses on average about $ 270.

As an unexpected bonus, its nutritious meals and controlled by portions make me feel more energetic and one more step to adapt to my clothes before pregnancy.

I first felt a lot of guilt to the outsourcing of cooking, especially because of my pre-baby vision of what maternity “should” look like. Finally, however, I was forced to recognize my limits.

In the business world, I learned to delegate effectively. Why not apply the same principle to maternity unit?

Without having to prepare meals or to do post-cooking cleaning, I have more time to bond with my baby and the mental space to enjoy this precious new chapter in life in London.

What I initially considered an indulgence proved to be the most intelligent financial and well-being decision that we could have taken. We also hired it to clean our house and sometimes take care of my son if I need a break to take a solo walk or take a meeting.

What I learned is that sometimes the best hack of life is not everything yourself, but finding the right help at the right time.