Lifestyle Choices

Vacuum cleaner: Don’t bang it about, it’s a sensitive machine and not magic. Pick up hairgrips or pins by hand because they might damage the engine. Empty the bag before it’s full. Service it regularly, because repairs are expensive, and stop using it if you suspect that it’s faulty.

There are basically three types of vacuum cleaner:

1. A hand-held, heavy upright model, which will be necessary for acres of carpet.
2. A small upright model, light enough to carry upstairs (even if you currently have a flat, people move house on average once every eight years).
3. A cylinder model, easily stored, for small areas and stairs, with special attachments for curtains and upholstery.

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I took my first unconscious step towards female emancipation and away from martyrdom when I decided that, instead of teaching the au pair girl to cook for the children, it might be a better investment of time to teach the children to cook for the au pair. After all, I don’t change the children every year. For the first time they always ate what was put before them and they eventually asked to do the shopping, a task which they performed far more frugally than I.

The next step was to find a new job for the au pair, and to invest the money saved on wages in anti-drudge machines. One was the fridge-freezer, the other was the dishwasher, and any working woman with a family could regard these as business investments to offset against her wages in the family budget. The cost of both machines was equivalent to the au pair’s wages for eighteen months, not taking her keep into account. Furthermore, I’ll never have to do the freezer’s homework and the dishwasher is hardly likely to have an affair with my husband. (more…)