Let me start with the part people don’t always want to say out loud: you do need to make some money before you can outsource. There are seasons where you simply can’t yet, and that’s not a failure, that’s a season.

As a single mom, I have lived through both sides of this. I’ve had seasons where every dollar had a job. Where outsourcing wasn’t an option. Where I was the system. The cleaner. The cook. The scheduler. The everything.

This post is not written from the place of forgetting that reality, and there are times when I still handle most of this myself. That is just reality.

What I’ve learned is this: Once income starts to grow and you finally have a little air, what you choose to outsource first matters just as much as how much you make.

Outsourcing, for me, is not a flex. It is my first line of defense against burnout, decision fatigue, and the slow drain that happens when you’re trying to build a life without any structural support.

Here are the five things I touch first when I have the ability to reinvest.

1. My Meals (CookUnity)

Outsourcing my meals means:

• I’m not making food decisions multiple times a day (I order lunches that I really enjoy and cook dinner for my kiddos)
• I’m not defaulting to under-eating or emotional eating
• I’m not losing 30–60 minutes daily to prep and cleanup
• I’m not burning mental energy on “what’s for me?”

When life gets loud, my meals don’t. I open the fridge. I eat. I move on.

And as someone who has lived on both sides of financial strain and financial breathing room, I can say with confidence: when you finally have margin, this is where it pays you back fast. Your brain needs solid nutrition to perform.

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2. My Fitness & Nutrition Decisions (Coaching)

Having a coach wasn’t just about aesthetics or performance. It was about removing one more daily layer of mental labor.

There were seasons where I couldn’t afford this level of guidance. I relied on free plans, guesswork, and willpower. That’s real.

That consistency bleeds into my parenting, my leadership, and my emotional regulation.

3. Home Tasks

Let me be real about this one because seasons matter. I do not currently pay for house cleaning. There have been seasons where I absolutely did, and during those seasons, it was one of the most valuable outsourcing decisions I made for my sanity. But right now, that’s not a line item in my life.

What is non-negotiable for me in this season is grass cutting.

As small as it sounds, outsourcing lawn care is worth every penny because:

• It removes a recurring physical task from my plate
• It eliminates another weekend obligation
• It keeps my home functional without stealing my energy
• It protects my time with my kids

And when I did outsource cleaning, the benefit was the same: My house stopped feeling like a constant backlog of unfinished labor.

This is the real lesson here, outsourcing shifts with your season, but the point is always the same: protect your capacity wherever you can.

4. Scheduling, Workflows & Digital Admin (Automation + AI)

This one is huge for me because it doesn’t always require big money, just intentional setup.

I automate and outsource:

• Post scheduling
• CRM workflows
• Project dependencies
• Follow-ups and reminders

This is first-line defense because my brain cannot be both:

• The creative engine
• The strategist
• The executor
• And the storage unit for every micro-task

Even in tighter seasons, this is one area I believe in prioritizing early because it saves you the one thing you cannot ever earn more of: clear mental space.

5. Care for Me (The One That Took the Longest to Justify)

This is the one that took the longest to allow myself — especially as a single mom.

For a long time, I had no issue spending on my kids, my business, or emergencies. But spending on support for me felt indulgent. Optional. Something I could “earn later.”

Now I understand: When I outsource care for myself, I don’t just feel better. I function better.

Meal prep. Coaching. Support. Structure. All of it is preventative, not indulgent.

And yes, there were seasons I simply couldn’t afford this level of support. I survived those seasons. But now that I can choose differently, I will never put self-support last again.

The Real Shift

I don’t outsource because I’m overwhelmed. I outsource so I don’t become overwhelmed.

And when income grows, I don’t immediately scale harder. I stabilize first.

Because the goal is not just to make more money. It’s to live in a body and a mind that can actually hold the life you’re building.

Outsourcing, for me, is not about doing less. It’s about staying well enough to do what actually matters.