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I think she means this city data parenting forum....go to general forums and scroll down.
I have nothing against SAHMs -- but do wonder why a SAHM can't cook, clean and look after kids.
Isn't that what our moms and grandmom's did..stayed at home,,and TOOK CARE OF THE HOME, and all the tasks/duties/chores at went with that!
I have one friend who when at the time she only had ONE kid -- had part time help (one person who did combo babysitter/cleaning stuff, a young au pair type). I gently asked her (trying not to offend) at the time, "You only have one child? You're home all day, you need help to do what you do?" You can't clean while he naps? or let him play by himself (in the same room) for 10 mins while you do something else?"
Hubby and I own and operate a janitorial company. And I cook due to my onion sensitivities -- I'd be ill all the time if I had to depend on frozen or precooked foods due to onions, which really are in everything.
But as I get older, I see more and more people -- men and women of ALL AGES -- who were apparently raised in a vacuum. They know what they need to know about their jobs and the rest of the world is a complete baffling mystery.
They don't know how to cook or clean. No one ever taught them. And these aren't stupid people. From a friend whose daughter would pee on the sofa and instead of blotting and cleaning it up, she'd just spray Febreeze "Deep Clean" on it (but it says deep clean) to a highly educated woman who didn't know she should change her furnace filter so she didn't change it for six years, to simple hemming or sewing on a button, or how to make a simple marinara sauce without opening a jar of Ragu.
These are things I was taught by my parents, and yes -- some life skills at school. (I'm old enough to have taken sewing and cooking in junior high)
And as for cleaning -- a lot of what people know about cleaning they get from commercials. Which is SCARY.
I use a Swiffer WetJet at work in the elevators because it dries SO quickly, and it makes the floors look good. I had someone ask me about it for home use and I said I wouldn't use it at home, it doesn't work well.
You see -- all the bad stuff Swiffer says about a mop? Goes doubly for the Wetjet pad. You can't rinse the pads out, so that dirt and grit stays on the pad. And it might be "locked in" but it's locked in on top. So after you wash a floor for a bit, you're essentially "cleaning" your floor with dirt.
I proved it to her by taking a clean white paper towel, and dampened with water and rubbed the freshly swiffered floor. The towel came up black.
And once again -- the reason Swiffer gets away with this ad campaign is because people have forgotten the proper way to mop a floor. You need two buckets. A hot soapy water bucket and a hot rinse water bucket. You put the mop in the soapy water, wring it out, wash a section of floor, put the mop in the rinse bucket, agitate it for a couple of seconds, wring it out and then either rinse off that section of the floor that you just mopped if your floor cleaner requires it, OR put the mop back in the soapy water and start again. When the rinse water gets foul, dump it and get fresh hot rinse water.
The only time you can get away with a one bucket system is if your floor is very small and lightly soiled.
Im only going to speak to the nail salons. I dont think that there are enough people getting their nails done to support all the nail shops, same thing with barber shops/hair salons.
Why you see so many of these around is because they are one of the easiest businesses on planet earth to start. They dont have things like the Department of Health on their back, the equipment and start up costs are very low (especially for only a nail salon), and the barriers to entry to getting in to these fields are low as well.
I bet next to restaurants, hair and nail salons are one of the most likely businesses to fail.
Are there any other "everyday conveniences" that you pay for?
I suppose having a yard service cut my grass would fall into that category, too, right?
I do not overpay for anything. Sometimes that means cooking or doing something myself, but occassionally, its actually cheaper to get things done, then do them yourself.
Case in point. I dont know if any one has shopped at Walmart (many grocery stores do the same thing), but they make submarine sandwiches fresh (with different kinds of lunch meat, cheese, etc.). I use Walmart as an example, because their sandwiches are much thicker then most grocery stores.
Any how, a half roast beef sandwich cost me $2.58 recently, with Boars Head Roast Beef. Now, if I were to go to the deli counter, and buy just the roast beef content that was on that sandwich, it would be over $2.58, thats not even including the 4 slices of cheese, tomato, bread, or lettuce.
Another case in point, professional carpet cleaning services. When I moved recently, my wife and I checked out what it would cost us just to rent a machine and buy cleaning product, and the cheapest we came to was around $70-$75. Keep in mind, this was one of those portable carpet cleaner systems, and there was no guarantee we would even be able to do it correctly. Instead, I could pay someone about $100, to bring a truck mounted cleaning aparatus, and guarantee the work. It really was a no brainer there.
We do have two small children (6 and 4) and a bigger house (though not much bigger than yours) and regardless of how much I try to get them to do their share of chores, the house does not stay clean if I rely on them. They are very messy - especially the older one who has a perfect case of ADHD.
Even if we lived in something as small as yours, having two messy children would make it just as difficult.
Yeah, definitely, but no kids, here. The mess is all ours (and the dog's. Mostly the dog's).
No nail salon I've seen in my area has ever closed....and there are a LOT.
I wouldn't think of a nail salon's as (relatively) easy to start...rental store front, manicure desks, pedicure soaker massage chairs with foot whirlpool basin and stands, sterilizers, polish, scrubs, wax, waiting area, reception desk...cheaper than some businesses sure I guess, but easy to start....MAYBE.
And they are regulated, so do fall under health rules. A couple of complaints and the health dept could be on the owners back in a heartbeat.
You see -- all the bad stuff Swiffer says about a mop? Goes doubly for the Wetjet pad. You can't rinse the pads out, so that dirt and grit stays on the pad. And it might be "locked in" but it's locked in on top. So after you wash a floor for a bit, you're essentially "cleaning" your floor with dirt.
I proved it to her by taking a clean white paper towel, and dampened with water and rubbed the freshly swiffered floor. The towel came up black.
And once again -- the reason Swiffer gets away with this ad campaign is because people have forgotten the proper way to mop a floor. You need two buckets. A hot soapy water bucket and a hot rinse water bucket. You put the mop in the soapy water, wring it out, wash a section of floor, put the mop in the rinse bucket, agitate it for a couple of seconds, wring it out and then either rinse off that section of the floor that you just mopped if your floor cleaner requires it, OR put the mop back in the soapy water and start again. When the rinse water gets foul, dump it and get fresh hot rinse water.
The only time you can get away with a one bucket system is if your floor is very small and lightly soiled.
Yes, the Swiffer wet mops ick me out. Honestly, so do mops. I'm firmly of the scrubbing the floor by hand school, and also use the two-bucket method. Nothing seems nearly as clean to me as a floor scrubbed by hand.
- Dunkin Donuts coffee every morning.
- Lawn care as needed.
- Hair dyed at a salon using all-natural botanical color 3X/year.
- House cleaner comes 2X/week. We have more than a few cats and this really helps us keep on top of the fur and mess.
No nail salon I've seen in my area has ever closed....and there are a LOT.
I wouldn't think of a nail salon's as (relatively) easy to start...rental store front, manicure desks, pedicure soaker massage chairs with foot whirlpool basin and stands, sterilizers, polish, scrubs, wax, waiting area, reception desk...cheaper than some businesses sure I guess, but easy to start....MAYBE.
I think the only thing easier might be a lawncare business. Seriously, you need no heavy equipment, your only inventory is nail polish, and you could easily operate the whole endeavor by yourself with one person.
Quote:
Originally Posted by selhars
And they are regulated, so do fall under health rules. A couple of complaints and the health dept could be on the owners back in a heartbeat.
Yeah, I dont think OSHA is hanging around, nor is the Health Department coming in for random inspections.
Quote:
Originally Posted by selhars
I'm just amazed at the sheer number of them.
You see this with any business with a low start up cost that is primarily service instead of product based, and its magnified when the given skill set doesnt require much training or education.
Check the phone book for lawncare or janitorial/cleaning businesses, or look around at how many "Jani-Kings" or "Albano Cleaners" are around. All the same concept.
I splurge for a house cleaner once every two weeks. Hubby works at home, two messy kids 7 & 10, two cats and a mastiff. I come home to tornado-like detritus - every night. I could use the house cleaner twice a week, but we can't afford that.
Y'all are right - Swiffers and their ilk are worthless. The floor steamer units are good for disinfecting once the floor is clean - I have one of those.
When I clean the floors (which I hate to do), I make a game of it with the kids. We fill the sink with hot water and dish soap, pull out raggedy old bath towels, soak them fully (one per person), put on loud, blasting dance music, and dance all over the kitchen floor until it's clean, rinsing as needed. Then we use dry raggedy old bath towels to dry the floor. It's a great workout.
I wish I could do that on my wood floors. I have not found a wood-cleaning product that a) gets things clean and b) can be used in the above manner.
Starbucks - love it - but refuse to buy their drinks. I do buy the bagged coffee and you get a free tall coffee (and it can be iced) with every bag you bring in to the coffee shop.
Twice a year I get a haircut & "highlights" in a salon. DH buys me a full massage at a spa for a birthday present every year. These are all things I would love to do every day, but even if I could afford it, they just strike me as frivolous on a regular basis.
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