The Ultimate List of Outsourcing Ideas to Help Moms Keep Their Sanity

Some cost money, some cost nothing—but all save your sanity.

Let’s start here: most moms I know don’t jump straight to outsourcing (myself included!). We try to juggle it all ourselves until we’re running on fumes. But here’s the truth - outsourcing isn’t a luxury, it’s a strategy. It’s about reclaiming time and mental space so you can actually enjoy being a mom (and a human).

Before jumping straight to outsourcing…(or if you’re anything like me…spending hours researching and then talking yourself out of it and convincing yourself that you can just do it yourself…until the next month when you’re ragey and frustrated that the dishes are piled up, you haven’t taken a shower in a week, and you have laundry to do for days….hypothetically speaking…), it’s important to do a couple steps with yourself and your partner.

Step 1: Get Clear on Your Budget

Before you hire help, get on the same page with your partner about money. Download an app like Monarch and track your spending for a month. You might be surprised at where your dollars are going, and it helps take the emotion out of the conversation. Using an app also helps surface real data rather than every conversation about money turning into a “me vs you.” Numbers don’t lie, and having clarity turns “guilt spending” into “wise investing.”

Step 2: Divide What’s On Your Plate

Stop what you’re doing and buy these Fair Play cards. My husband and I did this when I was pregnant and it was SO helpful. The cards gamify household responsibilities so your partner can actually see the mental load you’ve been carrying. Once you’ve sorted the cards, you’ll know what stays on your plate, what swaps to theirs, and what you both want to outsource. Similar to Step 1, using a card deck like this helps facilitate an objective conversation unified around the goal of simplifying your life rather than a feelings-based “me vs you aren’t enough” conversation.

Step 3: Outsource (and Breathe)

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: mom guilt. We’ve all felt i - the little voice that says “good moms should be able to handle it all.” The problem is, most of us are comparing ourselves to a time in history when women were expected to do all the household work and didn’t have a second job outside the home. Today, most families are dual-income, calendars are packed, and we’re more isolated than ever. We used to live in villages where the load was shared; now it often feels like we’re on our own island. One way to look at outsourcing is that it’s helping build your village back. This is especially helpful if you’re like me and live 12+ hours away from your family. It’s choosing help over hustle, and it’s one of the kindest things you can do for yourself and your family.

Here’s the fun (and hard!!) part: actually letting go. Below is a massive list of outsourcing ideas. Some cost money, some are free, but all are designed to help you buy back your time, protect your energy, and remind you of the hard truth…you don’t have to do it all.

Household Help Ideas

• House cleaner (weekly, biweekly, or monthly deep clean)

• Laundry service (wash & fold, pickup/delivery)

• Professional organizer (closets, playrooms, pantries)

• House “reset” service (tidy, fold blankets, restock bathrooms)

• House manager (coordinates vendors, maintenance, errands)

• Yard/lawn care (mowing, landscaping, seasonal cleanup)

• Handyman (repairs, furniture assembly)

• Pest control subscription

• Free/Low-Cost: swap cleaning days with a friend, toy/clothing swaps, reset parties, borrow tools from a community library

Food & Meal Ideas

• Grocery pickup or delivery (Instacart, Shipt, Amazon Fresh)

• Meal kits (HelloFresh, Blue Apron)

• Prepared meal delivery (Factor, CookUnity, Territory Foods…or even local options…in Houston, there are several moms who run home businesses meal prepping for other moms…genius!)

• Home chef for batch cooking/freezer stocking

• Bulk snack box delivery (Costco, Thrive Market, Subscribe & Save)

• Coffee subscription (because, priorities)…or really putting anything on subscription or Amazon subscription so you don’t have to think about reordering when it runs out

• Baking/cake orders instead of DIY for parties

• Wine or mocktail club (fun!)

• Free/Low-Cost: meal swaps with friends, potluck nights, freezer meal parties, share a Costco/Sam’s membership

Kids & Family Support Ideas

• Babysitter/nanny (regular or occasional)

• After-school programs or enrichment classes

• Carpool swap or paid service

• Homework/tutoring help

• Summer camp (yes, planning ahead is outsourcing mental load)

• Birthday party planner or venue package

• Kids’ clothing subscription boxes (Stitch Fix Kids, Rockets of Awesome)

• Diaper subscription (Amazon, Coterie, Hello Bello)

• Toy/book rotation library

• Free/Low-Cost: babysitting co-op, homework “study club,” carpool rotation, library story time or toy checkout

Personal Care & Wellbeing Ideas

• Therapy or coaching (outsourcing mental load counts…our team at Get Mom Ready would LOVE to meet with you! You can book a time with one of us here.)

• House call massage or chiropractor (or I have a monthly subscription to a massage place to hold myself accountable for going because it’s the only time I feel fully relaxed)

• Blow-dry bar or nail memberships

• Wardrobe capsule stylist or rental (Nuuly, Rent the Runway)

• Online fitness classes or Peloton

• Nutritionist consult (Meredith Mayo, our Get Mom Ready coach is a certified nutritionist! You can book a call with her here.)

• Doula or postpartum support

• Free/Low-Cost: accountability buddy for workouts, skill swaps with friends, gyms/churches with childcare

Admin & Logistics Ideas

• Virtual assistant (email, calendar, gift shopping)

• Bill pay automation (banks or apps)

• Travel booking agent (Costco/Amex concierge)

• Subscription for birthday cards/gift reminders

• Digital photo organizing service

• Tech setup (router, smart devices)

• Tax prep/bookkeeping

• Free/Low-Cost: calendar swap with your partner, free apps (Google Calendar, Monarch, library holds), carpool text thread, ask family to “own” recurring tasks

Lifestyle & Community Ideas

• Dry cleaning pickup/delivery or Wash & Fold drop offs

• Amazon Subscribe & Save (toilet paper, pet food, paper towels)

• Seasonal décor setup/tear-down (Christmas lights, Halloween yard)

• Pet walking/grooming services

• Vacation nanny or sitter

• Errand runner (TaskRabbit, local college student)

• Gift wrapping service (holidays, birthdays)

• Free/Low-Cost: holiday décor swaps with neighbors, closet swaps with friends, pet sitting trades, group teacher gifts

How to Use This List

1. Circle 1–2 things that make you feel the heaviest right now.

2. Try it for a week or a month (swap, trade, hire—whatever works).

3. Notice what space it opens in your week and your brain.

Outsourcing doesn’t mean you can’t—it means you don’t have to.

A Final Word: Rebuilding Your Village

If you feel that sting of guilt creeping in, remember this: you were never meant to do it all alone. For most of human history, moms had a built-in village—neighbors, extended family, aunties, older kids—sharing the daily load. Somewhere along the way, our culture traded that interdependence for isolation, and now moms are told to carry everything with a smile. No wonder we’re exhausted.

Think of outsourcing (whether it’s paying for grocery delivery or swapping carpool duties with a friend) as a way of building your village back. It’s not about doing less for your family—it’s about being more present with your family.

So here’s your permission slip: pick one thing to let go of this week. Trade it, delegate it, or pay for it if you can. Then notice what happens when you have just a little more space to breathe, laugh, or sit on the floor and play.

You don’t need a perfect system—you just need a village. And this list is your starting place.

Reflection Questions

• Where in my week do I feel the most drained or resentful—what task feels heavier than it should?

• If I outsourced just one thing, what would bring my family the most peace right now?

• What expectations am I holding onto because of comparison—either to another mom or to “a different time in history”?

• Who could be part of my modern-day village if I asked (a friend, neighbor, family member, service)?

Want more sanity-saving ideas? Share this list with a mom friend who needs the reminder she doesn’t have to do it all—and subscribe to Get Mom Ready for weekly encouragement, real talk, and practical tools for motherhood.