At Your Service
No time this week to squeeze in groceries, clean the baseboards, book summer camps and research your next family holiday? How about drop off meals to elderly parents or unwell neighbours? Have you ever dreamed about all these chores being just a phone call away?
Well, you can. You can call up Amanda O’Reilly of BalanceInStyle, a new Ottawa concierge service, and she’ll handle everything.
BalanceInStyle is for anyone with a history of trying to cram 36 hours into 24, and who has had enough of the squeeze. Check out the company’s motto: “Our services are limited only by your imagination.” Its website adds the following intriguing promise: “As long as the request is legal and ethical, we will arrange it for you.”
As an example, O’Reilly once had a client who was partial to a brand of yogurt that was only available in the U.S. The client paid BalanceInStyle to drive across the border, buy the yogurt, and deliver it to her at home. Twice.
You can hire BalanceInStyle to run errands, clean your home (regularly, or for occasional chores—think oven cleaning and those base boards), organize parties and events, watch your home while you’re on holidays, wait for a contractor to show up, stage your home for resale, bring spa and salon services to you, wrap gifts, pick up the dry cleaning, shop for kids’ birthday gifts (or anything else you need), or cook and deliver meals, just to name a few of the possibilities. Let your imagination run wild!
She offers a New Mom Rescue Package that includes a chef who will spend a day preparing three weeks’ worth of meals for the freezer. The package can also include a half-day house cleaning, or whatever else you want to throw in (depending on your budget). Gift certificates are available.
Of course, nothing is free in this world. There are various pricing options that depend on how extensively you plan to use the service. Most people buy a membership plan that will suit their needs. Others would rather just pay as they go because they use the services when they are in a crunch. (The regular rate is $50 per hour.)
You do the math. If your own time is worth that much (or more), then paying someone to run time-consuming, unfulfilling errands may actually be better for your bottom line. And no matter how you slice and dice the numbers, it’s definitely good for your peace of mind—and it’s hard to put a price on that!
BalanceInStyle
www.balanceinstyle.com
(613) 796-2252