Helena Zelenina
How To Become A Rich Housekeeper

To become rich or to be a housekeeper…

   “It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”
Dale Carnegie

   To become a rich housekeeper is just three words but I put huge sense in them. Many people think of housekeepers as women who forgot about their being long time ago and are entirely occupied with care of children and family, and yes, of course, in an old washed-off dressing gown, worn-out slippers and with hair-rollers on their head…
   Times changed, housekeepers changed too. I can say proudly that I am a professional housekeeper on my belief. Sometimes interesting things happen with me when I am presented to the strangers. It is always interesting to know a sphere in which your interlocutor works, and when I say that I am a housekeeper I see bewilderment on many faces, and to relief the tension I continue: – A rich housekeeper! But nothing changes…
   My goal is to tell you about what meanings I put in the concept of housekeeper.

   A housekeeper is a person who:
   1. Belongs to herself
   2. Plans her time
   3. Self-improves
   4. Harmoniously develops
   5. Takes care of her health and appearance
   6. Has her own private space
   7. Is financially independent
   8. Chooses holidays at any time
   9. Has an opportunity to have all the opportunities
   10. Can afford her many things
   11. Is married or alone
   12. Has children or is planning to have them
   13. Has an opportunity to be with her family not only when she needs it
   14. Reaches her children’s knowledge
   15. Is amicable
   I can continue this long list but I think many of you want to become such a person even just now. It’s not difficult, and I’ll try to state everything simply. And the most important thing is that it must help you, my future rich housekeepers.
   I never wanted to be a housekeeper, but when I married a new world was opened before me – the world of family life. I wanted my husband be satisfied with me. I kept the house in ideal order, prepared refined dishes, planted flowers, sewed curtains, and made the house comfortable… There is no need to tell you about it because each woman adoring her husband does all these things. With the advent of the first-born you are lack of time. No matter how you try, it is impossible to have time to do everything you did. Three years dreamily – tiredness, hunger for sleeping, eating normally and losing weight faster.
   At that time there was nobody close who could advise me. My husband is a wonderful person but he couldn’t help me because he worked to provide us with everything we needed. I am grateful to him. He allowed me to enjoy maternity.
   Soon the child goes to kindergarten. Adaptation, illnesses, visits for doctors seemed to have no end. Moreover, it was practically impossible to find a job because the child was small. And in those moments I began to think what a woman, who must to sit at home with her child some time, should do if she has no help, no work, and no relatives. At that time I felt very sorry because I couldn’t read anything useful – there was nothing to read, nobody wrote a book about the ways of earning money for housekeepers.
   Fifteen years passed and I wrote a book to help women, to give them not just an advice but real advice! In fifteen years I got big experience and my first advice – order in everything.
   So, let’s pass to our business and will discuss the details later.

Order and cleaning

Look over your house and ask yourself whether you know everything here. Can you, for example, find a particular medicine at night, blindly in the dark? It is a simple test but not everybody copes with it. And if you failed it you need to make the first step – to clean the house. May be you thought now how the cleaning is related to money and I say – directly related. I do it once in a month, I mean general cleaning. Everyday cleaning is not discussed at all. Look in every chink, in every corner to see, keep in mind and evaluate everything, to repair broken things, to throw out unneeded things – it’s simple. But the most important thing is documents, you easily should find any document – account, policy, insurance, etc. Any saving of time is future money.
So, cleaning has been made. That’s good. Now answer the question: How many coats, fur coats, suits, sport clothes, pairs of shoes are there in your wardrobe? You can think I am crazy but it isn’t so. If you want to go towards your aim you should go over your wardrobe again, and I am sure you’ll find this activity interesting. For example, you’ll notice that it’s time to change clothes or find a heap of old shoes which got out of fashion long ago. Also you remember that you didn’t give yourself a treat buying new evening dresses! Good luck! You’ll see how your mood will change!

Kitchen and dining-room

   My favorite place in the house is the kitchen. Do you still use a knife? In this case you need a food processor!!!! It was a joke, but a food processor is very helpful! How much time does a woman spend in the kitchen? Let’s count ourselves without usage of statistics.
   30 minutes for breakfast, 3 hours for cooking the dinner, 1 hour 30 minutes for good supper with dessert, altogether 5 hours a day multiply on 30 days in a month, receive 150 hours, multiply them on 12 months and receive 1800 hours, so in 10 years in marriage a woman spends 18000 hours in the kitchen, divide it into 24 hours and receive 750 days – so 2 years from 10 a woman spends cooking food. And we know that 1 hour of this activity costs 300 roubles, so we multiply it on 18000 hours and receive 5 400 000 roubles. We could earn this sum of money cooking food if somebody pays you for it, though what was saved is earned. In our case we need to reduce time which we spend in the kitchen because tiredness affects age changes. We don’t want to grow old ahead of time so I tell you what you should have in your kitchen:
   1. A combine
   2. A mixer
   3. A blender
   4. A juicer
   5. A dishwasher (as an ideal variant)
   6. Good knives
   7. Paper towels
   8. Cooking panel
   9. An oven
   10. A microwave oven
   11. A steamer
   12. A coffee machine (for fans of coffee)
   13. A refrigerator with a big freezer
   14. Electric multi cooker
   15. Accessories for table layout
   16. A freezer
   Ok, nothing was forgotten. All these things were invented by men because they know time price. We should be very grateful to them for it. A man invented pampers if you didn’t know, a washing machine and many other things for making our life easier. Read about it at leisure – it’s very interesting and instructive. They are geniuses, it is impossible to imagine our life without their inventions. We would go to the river in winter to wash clothes…

Return to our kitchen

   A test: can you to make a dinner for 10 persons in 40 minutes? Such a surprise! Don’t turn the page, try to deal with it!
   And what? Is it Ok? If yes, you are on the way to the dream! And if no, don’t feel upset, you will manage! Otherwise what is this manual for self-tuition for? Look, there is an oven; you can prepare several dishes in it at the same time. While it is heating up we cut all the vegetables from the fridge. We cut meat, pour it with any sauce, season with spices and put it in the oven for 25-30 minutes. So the first course is ready. While it is in the oven we chop the salad (10 min with knife, 2 min in a combine). We can also prepare many tasty and good for health dishes in an electric multi cooker without any energies. Before using any devices it is necessary to read instructions, because they are written by men. My precious husband taught me this rule and it helped me many times. From instructions you know lots of information about the possibilities of household devices.
   These devices are necessary. They are our helpers!
   And if you haven’t got such devices (or some of them), nothing terrible, you can buy them later, the main thing is that now you know that they are necessary for you.

Purchase of products

The next test is purchase of products. What do you buy at the shop? That is the question! First of all, make a list of products which you need to buy. Approximately count how much money you’ll spend and take this sum of money in order not to buy something unnecessary. At the shop if you buy semiproducts look at the realization term, the quality of products and the preparation time. Remember, you will cook for your family! As for me I don’t like semiproducts. If I have time I try to cook healthy food and buy only fresh products. Today it isn’t easy to find fresh products but I know where to buy fresh meat, fish, vegetables and fruits. Also I spend little time for shopping because I always have an accurate list. I’ll open a secret. In the kitchen on my fridge there is a piece of paper. During a week I write down the products which come to the end. It becomes easier to state a value of the next shop visiting. And I always adhere to the rule – buy only necessary things and just a little in reserve…

Reserve

I want to share my experience with you – how to lay the table for 10-15 guests in 40 minutes. As for me I like guests very much!
A good mistress always has dainties in her reserve: cucumbers, tomatoes, sauerkraut and fresh cabbage, pickled mushrooms, canned marrows, frozen berries and greens. All these things I grow in my own vegetable garden. So if in summer you stored up you won’t have any problems with entertainment of guests in winter. Bur the first course is necessary, so chicken meat should be in your reserve. It is dietetic and cooked quickly – 25-30 minutes. For meat we prepare a garnish, for example, potatoes (it is also cooked quickly – 20-30 minutes). If you have ready dough you can make pizza – it is quick, nourishing and tasty, and if you haven’t ready dough you can make it yourself easily.

Wonders

   I tested my friends-housekeepers; it was interesting and funny, even instructive. Many of my friends asked me to pay attention to their housekeeping. I didn’t refuse anybody because I wanted to help them very much. Women have lots of troubles but men think that we do nothing at home and don’t think that fresh linen, tasty food and clear house are our labour, time and life!
   I would like to see how BY MAGIC THE DIRTY LINEN WENT AND GOT INTO THE WASHING MACHINE, AND THE WASHING MACHINE ITSELF FILLED POWDER, CHOSE THE PROGRAM AND SWITCHED ON, PLATES AND DISHES WASHED THEMSELVES AND ROSE IN A ROW TO DRY! It’s funny; I remembered a cartoon about Feodor’s grief. If imagine that everything occurs by itself it is possible to shoot the movie about the poltergeist, but everything is simple for us, housekeepers – we see what should be done and do it, that is real magic!
   All the people get tired. Tiredness and shortage of time are the main scourges in the modern world. How to struggle with them? Many doctors advise to spend as much time as possible for the rest, swimming, sport and other activities. “Oh my God! When?” – cries the mother of three under-age children. She just wants to find some time to sleep!“I don’t even remember when I looked at the mirror last time!” What should she do? Where is the magic gin?
   Dear women, I’ve already told you how to find spare time for yourselves. If you don’t remember, return to the beginning of the book and do everything written there. That’s true! I tested it on myself. Now I have spare time!

The family is the whole business

   Now imagine that a family is an enterprise! It sounds funny only at first sight. It is a business for those who know what business is. For example, a husband (or a wife) is a manager; a wife (or a husband) is an assistant manager; children (adult) are employees; family friends are partners of the firm. A family has its budget, resources, storage facilities, assignments for the charity, dues, accounts, charges, income, holidays, and sick-lists. You don’t believe?
   Budget – income of the members of the family
   Resources – products, clothes, shoes, a flat, a house, a villa, a garage
   Storage facilities – stores (reserve)
   Assignments for the charity – delivery of unnecessary things, help to school (kindergarten) and relatives
   Dues – property taxes
   Holidays – as you wish
   Sick-list – your or your children’s
   Plans – purchases, travelling, education (your or your children’s)
   Income. In this case, income may consist of author’s emoluments or recompense, competent saving of money, interest on deposits, investments of the saved money… I guess you know or hear some of these terms.
   Something like that. Isn’t a firm? I am sure you never looked at your family from this sight.
   In the past I was a major manager. It was difficult for me to think in such a way. After a year of working from 7 a.m. till 11 p.m. without any holidays I began to ask myself: Is it ok? Is it right? Do I want to live in such a way? It seemed to me that something was wrong, particularly this:
   I didn’t see my daughter! I got up at 5 a.m. – she was yet sleeping, I came home at 11 p.m. – she was already sleeping. She was bringing up by her grandmother. At weekend I also couldn’t spend any time with her because either I was working or I was busy with housekeeping – washing, cleaning, cooking and so on.
   I hadn’t any time for my private life and self-developing. I didn’t read books, didn’t visit my friends and relatives, I grew older, got tired and wanted only to sleep.
   I left the service despite of high salary. Of course I gained competence and still remembered colleagues with cordiality; we were like a family the whole year. At work we celebrated different holidays, shared our problems, tried to solve them together and helped each other.
   One day I decided to stay at home, to bring up my daughter, to see her growing up. I wanted my daughter to see me kind, merry and beautiful but not always tired and exhausted. I wanted to guide her and take away from the kindergarten, to braid her, to play with her in the sandbox and to shake on a swing with her. I was very sorry about losing a year being absent in her life. She was 5 at that time. The only thing which reassured me was the fact that I was trying to do everything for her, I worked to give her everything she needed. I’ll improve everything… and I improve it every day now.
   I decided that my family was the firm, so the plan for its prosperity was needed. At present my family and I organize meetings and decide together how to earn and spend money, allot and give an account to each other for spending them. There is an order in everything! Everybody in my family has own purposes and plans. Everybody knows exactly what he wants. My children know why to study, an assistant manager knows who, where, when and what everybody does and asks the manager for advice. We began to understand each other better.
   Just imagine – A Council of Directors at the kitchen with their accounts of the done work. Great!
   Of course, nothing can be done easily. How to organize your life so as to have a family and money at the same time? First of all, it is necessary to place the priorities. Ask yourself: What is the most important thing in your life? And if you didn’t answer: my family – it means you don’t want to be a housekeeper, most probably you want to be a business lady. That’s ok. Anyway, read further and you’ll know which housekeeper to find so as not to do everything yourself! Of course, you should pay her but you are a business lady so it means you can afford it!

Only for future rich housekeepers!!!

   So, your family is an enterprise. Budget planning should be carried out once in a year. You decide how much you want to earn and how you’ll use earned money. You should plan your income and charge not forgetting to consider dues.
   Of course, I forgot to say the most important – before inaugurating your enterprise you should appreciate your knowledge, potential, abilities and teach your staff.

   The main production test
   A simple test: what do you like to do or what can you do best of all? This question is for those who don’t work for hire or don’t want to work for hire (let’s omit the point about the husband, it doesn’t matter in this case whether you have a husband or not; let’s speak about a woman, just a woman, who decided to begin new life, the life of a rich housekeeper).
   What can you do? Remember! I am sure you can do many things, but we need to find something particular you like to do and what can make a profit for your home enterprise. We should set a purpose and elaborate a plan, a business plan. To make it easier for you I’ll tell you about my own interests and may be you’ll choose something for you from my list:
   • Cooking, invention of new receipts, tasting
   • Canning of vegetables, fruits and berries
   • Marinating meat, learning how to use spices
   • Russian national cuisine and cuisines of different nations of the world
   • Making home vine and brandy
   • Seedlings growing
   • Cleaning
   • Washing, ironing, removing of spots
   • Plant growing
   • Design of houses and clothes
   • Marketing
   • Painting and drawing
   • Decoupage
   • Needlework (sewing, knitting or crocheting, embroidery)
   • Wall-painting
   • Woodcarving
   • Bringing up and teaching
   • Organization of children’s holidays
   • Baking of cakes and confectionary
   • Study of new receipts
   • Learning of foreign languages
   • Compilation of photo albums
   • Working with texts and drawing
   • Games for children in the open air
   • Swimming, teaching children swimming
   • Composing of horoscopes
   • Study of national dances
   • Karaoke
   • Landscaping
   • Working with leather and fur (design of clothes)
   • Floristics
   • Growing of vegetables, berries and fruits
   • Tailoring and design of curtains
   • Carving on the crude plaster
   • The Internet and advertising
   • Massage and cosmetology
   • Making of candles, soap
   • Making of a natural stone’s imitation
   • Bathing procedures of rejuvenescence, traditional medicine
   • Fitness, weight loss programs, composing of diets
   • Healthy food
   • Tempering
   • Baking of bread
   • Design of jewelry
   And many other things which I can’t remember…
   Here is everything I have time to do and you tell about shortage of time. But the most important for us now is to remember everything we can do to get profit from it without any efforts. The most interesting is the fact that what we do, we do just for no particular reason without noticing our talents!
   Now you know what you can do, but there is a strange thing – nobody pays you for it! But why? For sure, there were some situations in your life when you walked with your child at the playground, there were other mothers with their children who had lots of work to do, for example, to go shopping, but they had to walk with their children and may be they would like but felt shy to ask you to look after their children while they were going shopping. Our upbringing was based on help to neighbor, of course if you have time and you wish you won’t say NO. And what about offering to walk with a child? Many mothers need this service.
   There was the period in my life when my child was small, my parents were far away from me, I moved to another city so I hadn’t anybody who could go to buy some milk. And to feed my child I had to wait his waking up, then to dress him and took out the carriage from the second floor (there was no lift). Just imagine my state! And then I had to lift up the carriage with my child on the second floor! I just need to ask my neighbor to look after my child but I couldn’t, my education didn’t allow me to do it. Offer your service and may be somebody will agree. Advantages are evident – you walk with your child, look after some other children while their mothers are busy with something and get money for it! You can say that this kind of activity is not well paid and I can agree with you. Yes, not much but SOME MONEY! You know that nowadays, when there are lots of children and not many kindergartens, private kindergartens are not luxury but necessity. Think, may be you are a good teacher, you have an opportunity to do what you like and it isn’t a problem to find resources – the Internet will help you!

   Business novelty – landscaping!
   You have a good taste, gift of God to make our nature more beautiful and you love the beauty of streets, gardens and yards? For example, you created a paradise at your villa – a summerhouse, ornamental or real water fountain, a stone path, beautiful flower-beds, an elegant lawn? Your guests and neighbors admire your talent; you spent lots of energy and time to make this masterpiece? You do it with great pleasure? Don’t be shy! Tell about your talent and offer your service! 1-3 days are needed to project a landscaping of 100 sq.m. Value of this project is your creative potential. Let your hobby fetch an income! It isn’t difficult, if you want to be a professional, study and create, earning big money!

   Seedlings growing and planting.
   I am going to tell you a story of my friends. We got acquainted when they ordered me to sew the curtains. A customer was a married couple. When I came to their house to hang the curtains up I saw their two adult daughters who lived with them. To my surprise it was found that they couldn’t sew but it’s not important now. So they are not married and don’t work. They were at home whenever I came, always happy and cheerful. I was interested in what they are occupied with. They told me that they worked in greenhouses, grew vegetables, till morning to night. The salary was small. Their children were at home without care. And one day they decided to plant on their own land to be able to look after their children. Till those times 5 years passed. Now they have patrons, sell berry bushes, fruit trees, house– and garden plants, spruces and pines, exotic plants and many useful things for gardening. They built a house. They are happy and glad, very friendly family. Their daughters followed their parents’ steps and are occupied with their favourite work at home. They are a good example for me, I learnt much from them, for example, to value time and family and love the earth – our wet-nurse. They have a big economy, buy lands and broaden their business. As for me I buy strawberries seedlings from them.
   Cleaning is not just cleanness in the house but also a kind of fitness. You needn’t any washing vacuum cleaners or swabs. Believe me, I have these devices but use them very seldom and the result is not satisfactory. I like to wash the floor by hands and using a microfiber floor-cloth, physical activity and cleanness at the same time. Sorry, I digressed. Cleaning became the meaning of my friend’s life. She was so clean that when she visited me she washed my dishes, cleared the table, found some rubbish, rubbed off some spots which were unnoticeable for me. Yes, she was very clean. One day she got tired of working for a wage (she was an accountant in an important firm) and decided to inaugurate her own cleaning company. “Cleaning” means tiding up before and after maintenance, conflagration. At first she worked herself, then enlisted a stuff of employees and taught them. Now her stuff consists of 65 employees and she has an everyday income (Oh! It’s improperly to count other’s money). Despite of being well-to-do she clears up her house herself and is occupied with her business staying at home. Even such an example as love for cleanness can help to earn money and have spare time!
   Sewing and design of clothes. I like women who thoroughly select clothes for themselves and sew them to order. These are fashionable women who like to stand out from others not being striking at the same time. Look around – there are lots of women of this kind. So, there is another example from my friend’s life. My neighbor was working successfully as a barman for a long time. She was an expert in her business and liked her job very much. Of course, she wasn’t at home not just in afternoons but also at nights and at weekends. She didn’t notice how her two sons had grown up. She was surprised when her younger son asked her to organize a party in honor of his leaving for an army. We set at the kitchen and she was crying for not noticing how fast time passed.
   Her talent is to sew. When she was young she was invited in prestigious fashion houses as one of the best seamstress of the group, but she got married, gave birth to children and don’t know how appears to work in consumers services. But her passion for sewing didn’t disappear. At her leisure she sewed clothes for her family and for herself, moreover she designed them herself. She sewed for me an evening dresses and I always knew that they would be exclusive! When she was 50 she understood that it’s enough to taunt herself, she wanted to sleep normally, take care of her health, rest more and look beautiful. She began new life with offering her service in sewing her friends. A wedding dress for the bride, a dress for the bride’s mother, exclusive dresses for the bridesmaids and so on. She advised not only last word in fashion but also how to emphasize the figure, hide the defects, choose the colour which would set off your eyes. So she became thoroughly engrossed in sewing. You’ll say: “Not so much money” and I’ll tell you: “It’s in your hands”.
   Children’s holidays. Now I’ll be understood by those women who have small children. Child’s birthday is a vain day. A mother must organize everything to enjoy guests – children and their parents. From early morning she prepares – cooks food, welcomes guests, waits on them, keep an eye on everything around. And children make a noise. Then all the guests leave. A mother got tired but a heap of dirty dish is in the kitchen, the house is topsy-turvy.
   One day my daughter was at the birthday party of my friend’s son and she was so glad after visiting it. She told me that it was the pirates’ party. She was thrilled to bits.
   The time to prepare for my daughter’s birthday has come for me. The day before my friend visited me, we were talking and she asked me how I would enjoy guests who would come to the birthday party. I answered: “As usual. I’ll lay the table and buy a cake. Children will play with each other and I’ll chat with their mothers”. She was surprised very much and asked me: “Is it funny? Is it a real festival? It’s boring! Let me organize your daughter’s birthday party”. I agreed and didn’t feel sorry. First of all she advised me what to cook for children. They do not need delicacies and refined dishes. Sausages in the form of flowers cooked in the microwave oven, pizza, fruit, sweets, juice and a cake with candles in it – that’s all they need on the table! It’ll take you just 1 hour for cooking all these tasty things. And the most important is that she entertained not only children but also their parents. Altogether we found lost candles, played different games, staged a fairy-tale of the cuff, sang songs, popped balloons (by the way, it was the only rubbish left after the party). So it was great! Even I took part in the party and I was very glad. My daughter was so excited that she remembered about the presents only the following day. Nobody got tired. So nowadays this my friend organizes not only children’s holidays but also anniversaries, weddings, school ceremonies (by the way, she writes scenarios by herself individually for each client) and earns enough money without any efforts. I respect her very much. She is a grand person! I am thankful for her!
   Baking and cakes. I like refined cakes very much and I look for the new recipes on the Internet, I collect all the fancy receipts and write them down. Once I came across a very simple recipe of a sweet pie. On the photo it looked very appetizingly though ingredients were very simple, I thought that such a tasty pie can’t be baked from such the simplest and available products. I decided to check. It turned out as on the picture, children and the husband were delighted. I decided to add spice and finished this recipe (but it is a culinary commercial secret), and the pie became even more tasty. One day our friend visited us, he is an owner of pastry shop, and tasted the pie and asked the receipt of it, he was ready to buy this recipe, but I being a real rich housekeeper agreed to share the secret on condition that I will invent the name if this pie. Now this recipe is started in production. It is my real history, and you can do it too. And I will surely share the recipe with you, in other book. And at that time I made friends with the girl from the Jewish family, it has a mother-in-law, the true Jew, she is 63 years old. We treated her with my pie; she was so delighted and said that in all her born days she tasted lots of delicacies, but never had such delight from tasting food, her admiration inspired me on searches and creation of new recipes.
   Cooking. Everybody cooks food at home, I thought so till those times when I met a very well-to-do person who could eat at the restaurants every day. He thinks cooking at home took lots of time and energy and being a professional in his working sphere (he is an advocate) he thinks that specially taught people should do it.
   I couldn’t believe but he was right. As for me I thought about my family and it seemed to me it was a waste of money. But I thought so because I could cook very well though I am not a professional. I like to cook much. It happens to feed neighbors and call friends for dinners.
   One day I visited my friend with my children. Our children were playing while we were talking about beauty, health, so about everything and we didn’t notice how quickly time passed. She looked at her watch and, oh, my God! Her husband would come home soon. Supper was not ready. She had no time to cook what she wanted. Clutching her head she was thinking what she could whip up. At that moment I took initiative in my hands and offered her my service, she didn’t refuse. I love her for her trust. She took out all the products from the fridge, showed me where the necessary dish was and I being naturally a professional cooked a first course, salad, sauce and drink for 30 minutes. Everything was ready on time, her family was very glad, moreover they offered me to cook for them every day and I didn’t refuse. For me it’s a pleasure and a little income. More and more people want to buy my food. By the way, that well-to-do man is one of my clients and many of his colleagues are among them. You know, you shouldn’t be shy to do something for people from your heart. God gifted you. “Do not hide your talents in a napkin!” as the Arabic proverb runs. We need each other more or less. Be friends! Help each other! As the biblical commandment runs “love thy neighbour as thyself”. That’s true! And according to your work will it be done to you. Whatever you think of, for me it’s important to inform you that you can become a very important person and hardly famous. You live your life but don’t enjoy it.
   A rich housekeeper is not a woman who has lots of money all days long lying in bed or visiting beauty salons and dancing in the clubs at nights. That’s good too! Somebody is lucky and self-contented. In my opinion a rich housekeeper is a woman who is rich both materially and internally, has considerable life experience, is loved by her family and appeals to people, has perfect relationship with her husband and healthy children. She is good company, thick-and-thin friend, support for the family, domestic goddess. Yes, she is support for the family but the head of the family is a husband!
   To be bent on profound changes a strong motif is needed. Find it! For what will you come to the scratch to change your life in order to be with your family? For what do you get up early in the morning? For what had you decided to get married and give birth to your children? Ask these questions yourselves! And if at this moment you are to stay at home without any work and bread and butter, else with a child, then you needn’t any motives, and you must take a decision and have responsibility for your life and your children!
   Young girls dreaming about to get married for rich men, not everybody is lucky, don’t worry! It’ll be good if you are lucky and if not – read above!!!
   I am not a professional in people’s relationship and in my family everything happened, ups and downs, yes, don’t be surprised, everybody has them, but one day, this one day comes for everybody, I understood the meaning of my life, that I want to serve my family, my husband, my children and my parents! It is not shameful for me to say that I serve and I see the efficiency – my children are growing up healthy, clever and grateful, my parents are happy to have grandchildren, my husband is pleased with me and I am pleased with myself that’s not less important! I marched confidently towards it. For me it’s important that it would be comfortable in my house, that my family would rest at home, gather energies, that they would have clear and ironed clothes, tasty food and would be sure that I would always be with them both in grief and joy! It’s very important to know there is support in a family whatever happens. Guests of my children know our doors are always opened for them, my friends and friends of my husband like to visit us and feel themselves comfortable as at their home. We are very hospitable though we rarely visit guests.
   You’ll lough but the peak of my housekeeper career falls on the spring fast. You’ll ask why? On the fast I cook tasty lenten fare and our friends visit us at dinner or supper time. They have no time for cooking because they are busy with work. I already know who likes what; it’s not difficult to remember! The main thing is to love that you do, do everything with love and will it be done to you!
   What is saved that is earned! That’s true of our grandmothers. Many of women displeased that lots of money is spent on food, goods for home, household goods, and it’s not always possible to buy something for yourself. Fifteen years ago I was offered to be occupied with multilevel marketing, at that time it wasn’t so popular kind of activity and I being an all-round man of course was interested in it. At that time this kind of activity was also called business for housekeepers (by the way, it could be a good variant for those women who like to communicate, make acquaintances, multilevel marketing as an additional income). So I become acquainted with a very interesting production of a good American company which produces household chemical goods, not only ecologically clean but also concentrated. There is one magic means using which you can wash the dish, launder, clear, water flowers, wash the head. There are other good means buying which you’ll save lots of money. I tell you this because it’s necessary to examine a whole market of household chemical goods thoroughly and to find the best product company. Don’t be lazy, find time to go shopping, examine the prices and the quality of goods, and find where the prices are lower. You’ll save you money and time when you’ll know in which shop to go.
   Actually I like to be present at different presentations, there I revive and buy lots of useful things. That is a very interesting and simple business for housekeepers too. And if you remember your family is an enterprise so then I would call it examination of the marker or choosing of business partners, and a secret shopper. Save you time, because time is your life.
   There is one more interesting story from my life. One day I met a very interesting woman. There was the Exhibition of Economic Achievements and I decided to look newly-designed products. I came into a pavilion and saw a woman aged about 65. She was dressed in a very simple way: a comfortable knitted head-dress of strange style and a sweater of the year of socialism. Her enigmatic and charming smile attracted me. I wanted to talk to her very much. And I began a conversation. At that moment she was sitting and embroidering a very beautiful pattern. I asked her whether she wanted to sell her piece of work. She answered the following: “Last year I embroidered a picture of two wolves and spent 4 months doing it. On the earned money I and my husband travelled in Turkey. And now I am embroidering for order, so I can’t sell I, sorry. Our pension is not enough to visit some of the Russian cities but because of my hobby we live our last years podded. I was shocked with such easiness she talked about it, about her life; she works only to communicate with new people. I thought that she is a nice fellow. I want be as she is when I’ll grow old. I can’t bring myself to tell that she is old. There are lots of such people around you, look at her and learn how not to cheer up, enjoy your life, see interesting things around and not clam up.

My sweet sister is a rich housekeeper without any books

   When I told my sister about writing the book for housekeepers I thought she would laugh at me. To my surprise she not only supported me but also asked to write about her. That’s true, my sister is a unique woman. She has three nice sons from the first husband, something was wrong and soon they divorced. She got married for the second time (with 3 children) and now expects a baby. Nowadays it’s hardy to have four children. I never thought she is a housekeeper because she always worked and believe it or not had time to do everything (in contrast to me). She is an accountant with 2 higher educations, even with all things considered, she is a housekeeper because the family for her is on the first place. She can plan her time in such a way that she manages everything: to work and to bring up children and to keep the house. Her day is mapped out minutely. She does several things at the same time: with one hand she dresses her child, with the other hand she holds a mobile phone (solves some little problems related to her work). At these moments I think – here is the meaning of life – to be needed! I asked her where she gathers so much energy she answered the following: Imagine you wake up in the morning and your lovely husband keeps your hand and whispered that you have the most beautiful hands. That’s true – a woman loves with her ears! Children preparing to go to school and kindergarten say that their mother is the best and the most surprising thing for me in her family is that everybody knows about the Mother’s Day and it is the main holiday for them. I decided to remember this date too. And then as my sister says there are no impossible things in the world, everything I do, I do for my children, for my family. I am always in a good mood, I always smile, I like the world, I like my life, I am a rich housekeeper, I am happy being with my family!
   The sense of writing this book will never be revealed because each woman is unique and interesting in her own way. My sister liked the idea to help advising those women who as it seems to them come to a dead end, couldn’t find a decision or just appeared in a difficult situation. So she told us the following story: When she decided to give birth the first child doctors were alarmed, she and her child were in danger, but she was sensitized categorical and managed with all the difficulties of pregnancy, she was C-sectioned three times (she always dreamed of a big family despite of being the only child, I am her cousin-sister but we love each other as full blood sisters, we were growing up together). Her husband unfortunately appeared to be a fan of short drinks and very often fear stole in that it would be difficult to bring up three children with him. Her love died, patience wore thin and she decided to file for divorce. She saved her and her children from. She left alone with her children and said to herself: I’ll be happy anyway by all means. Her smile and shining eyes, kindness and care couldn’t be unnoticeable. She met her second husband whom she enskies, they love each other, he adores her children. Now all together they are waiting a child. And here is an advice from my sister: do that you like to do, don’t allow humiliating yourself, and don’t think that you are not needed. Look back if you don’t like something, don’t be afraid to change your life. Be active, all for the best!
   How many women changed their life –a lot. You don’t like your neigbour, she seems to you the gossip. Try to find common language with her, and may be, you will become the best friends. You are lonely – it seems to you, look, how many interesting people around you who want to communicate and be on friendly terms with you, don’t turn away from them. If you want to become the rich housekeeper, you will be simply obliged to communicate with everyone around, prepare, you will have no time for simple pastime, you will be needed for everyone, and they’ll call you, write and ask for suggestions. And you will help them, after all you are not simply a housekeeper – you are the centre of the world!!!
   So how to decide – to become a housekeeper or to work, to work for the state or to work for yourself? How to plan the time? How to raise children, when to find time for a family? How to care of the relations with the husband? Why we can’t go to holiday all together? Choice for you, power of circumstances sometimes prevents to make a right choice. When I rushed about in the decisions to be or not to be, the psychological test which helped me to know my true intentions caught my eyes.

The main test

   So it was the following. It was needed to answer the question, or to be more precise, to find a decision in the following situation: 6 months remain to live. What would you do on condition that you shouldn’t think of earning money. As for me I thought: Oh! It’s easy; I’ll manage in five minutes! Nothing of the kind! All the time I was thinking how to earn to provide my children. Let’s do the following: you’ll think of what you would do. It’s very interesting, your potential will open before you. I spent three days trying to find a decision, the results made my brain reel.
   And now I’ll tell you how this test influenced one my friend. She being in a good mood decided to test herself, in a few minutes she came to me crying, she didn’t know what to do, I calmed her down and at the same time I was glad – she is the one who got to the bottom, she is a fine fellow. But then she knows what she lives for. If you didn’t undergo an emotional decompensation it means you didn’t test. Get to the bottom of it and the meaning of your life will come to the light for you.
   I leave this chapter without any comments. May be, you could establish the trend of your life yourselves, it’s possible to be a housekeeper, it’s possible to work, it’s possible to become a business lady, and it’s possible to combine everything. Anyway, I wanted to bring to you particularly this case scenario.
   We digressed a little bit. Let’s change the direction of our reflection. Who can say at the present moment: I am well-to-do for next 10 years and I can rest a few days on the following week? May be, there are some lucky women who can say that, so we had nothing to do but bid them god-speed. I can’t say so till I know that my children are not self-sufficient and I must to stay with them, and material security sticks out constant control and interference. If you decided how you would live and what you would do, so then go on, deal with a problem of time. Answer the following questions:
   • Work area
   • How much time are you ready to give it?
   • Are there any circumstances which prevent your plans?
   • Are you physically healthy?
   • Did you singled aims for achievement of which you are ready to spend your time?
   • Do you have all the resources?
   • Do you have enough motives?
   Before changing your life look back. I don’t mean you must see there something bad, no, I want you to see the fruits of your labours, friends, children, a husband, neighbours. Look at yourselves at their eyes, what do they see in you? What impression did you leave at them? What a person were you? Good or not very good, friendly or unfriendly? And it’s not terrible if you can’t see all these things, the most important is that you have decided to become better, to develop further, to use your time in a proper way. And believe, very soon the world around you will begin to change because you’ll be changing. How much didn’t you taste, study, see? That’s so amazing that there is something unknown, something interesting for you. I am very happy because I wanted very much to be helpful for you!
   A housekeeper is a person! Everybody laughs at this very passage but you shouldn’t lough at the person who:
   1. Keeps the house clear and washes the floor
   2. Cooks tasty food
   3. Washes the dishes
   4. Buys the products and brings them home
   5. Launders and spots
   6. Vacuum cleans, cleans the carpets and furniture
   7. Sprigs, hangs the curtain (and it could happen)
   8. Cleans a bath and a lavatory pan (believe me, nor everybody can do it)
   9. Takes a child to school and takes him away
   10. Is on seek leave with a child and goes to the drugstore even at nights
   11. Makes a house comfortable
   12. Takes care of pets
   13. Chooses wallpaper for the maintenance, communicates with workers
   14. Brings the clothes to the dry-cleaner’s
   15. Irons the clothes, puts them on the shelves
   16. Goes to the teacher-parent meetings
   17. Does the homework with the children
   18. Organizes the family holidays
   19. Pays the accounts
   20. Make the villa comfortable
   21. Plants and gathers the harvest
   22. Drives, takes care of the automobile
   23. Controls the birthday parties of relatives, buys the presents
   24. Adjusts conflicts with neighbours, teachers, tax inspection
   25. Make your life beautiful
   26. Keeps you from danger
   27. Knows where your passport and bank card are
   And many other things…But alas, our relatives not always notice our work, but somewhere deep in their mind they understand everything that they couldn’t live without you, they couldn’t have time to do everything.
   But do you know why they couldn’t have time to do everything? That’s why:
   If you don’t believe, look here, I counted all the time spent for 1 year:
   Cooking 1980 hours
   Buying products 144 hours
   Delivery of products 144 hours
   Sorting and laying of products 48 hours
   Laundering with hands 100 hours
   Everyday cleaning of the flat 365 hours
   General cleaning 36 hours
   Study with children 365 hours
   Walking with children 365 hours
   Washing the dishes 365 hours
   Ironing 365 hours
   Laying the clothes 121,66 hours
   Organizing the family holidays 35 hours
   Watering the flowers 121,66 hours
   Paying the accounts 12 hours
   Shopping for the family 16 hours
   Buying the medicines 6 hours
   Children’s doctor visiting 36 hours for children under 12 months
   Visiting the doctor with a pupil-chil 9 hours
   Bringing the child to the kindergarten and back 480 hours
   Care, feeding and walk with a pe 365 hours
   Taking the rubbish away 121 hours
   Vehicle service 3 hours
   Driving to the car-washing installatios 32 h.
   Car-washing 32 hours
   Driving to the service center 3 hours
   Delivery ofhousehold appliances for repair 3 h.
   Cleaning of the kitten from scale 48 hours
   Cleaning of bathroom-and-lavatory equipment 48 hours
   Cleaning the windows 4 hours
   Cleaning the table 365 hours
   Total: 6138,32 hours =255,76 days = 8,5 months.
   And that’s not all. There are 365 days in a year (8760 hours), we spend 6138,32 hours but we forgot about time for sleeping. 8 hours per day * 365 days in a year = 2920 hours (8 hours for sleeping per 24 hours), so we have only 2621,68 hours left. A woman who has two children and is occupied with housekeeping has no enough time for sleeping, her sleeping time reduces on 298,32 hours that is about 12 days.
   All these things lead to tidiness, my dear women. To set free means to have a rest. Rest is health, beauty and youth.
   Sometimes I hear from my friends that it’s better to work and not to be a housemaid or charwoman at home. But I think only a woman who doesn’t want to perform her obligations before her family can say so, I’m sorry for being so critical in my opinion. And then they clutch their head – they have problems with their children, husbands, health. Of course, problems, why not? Children can’t grow on their own – they are not grass at the side of the road, they need control, care, understanding, love and tenderness. And husbands, sorry, need even though your present at home. Otherwise, as psychologists write, men also need care and love. So they are to look for it, I don’t know where. May be, you know. You get to choose, my dear women.
   One day I was a happenstance witness of a talk. The sense was the following. A wife asked and got leave to go to work or to be a director of the family enterprise, at that she was a mother of three minor children. Her husband gave way to her because respected his soulmate. She went to work and her wish to be a manager disappeared. Here is your business – work, manage, plan, increase volume of sales, but nothing of the kind. It’s difficult to say why the wish disappeared. A wife didn’t capitulate, she continued to say that she needed to work. Searching of a job with three babies, I think, didn’t ended successfully, but during a detailed conversation with a husband, it emerged that a wife just got tired and needed to get away from it all or to have a rest. The wish to be employed disappeared as soon as a junior child got sick again.
   Bur before giving advice, let’s understand who a housekeeper is and whether they different.

   Housekeepers:
   1. Forced housekeepers
   2. Housekeepers on their belief
   3. Professional housekeepers
   4. Housekeepers Ladies
   About the first type. They are on maternity leave, get some means for 1 year and 6 months, which is enough only to live some hours in a day, they are lucky if they have a breadwinner. And if they haven’t… And these are the women who are deprived of earnings, discharged.
   There are lots of variants in this case. It’s more difficult for them, and it’s not simple at all to give advice, it’s needed to be in the same situation. These women haven’t any time at all, because in the pinafore stage of existence of their child they are busy with nursing every three hours, it’s necessary to remember about it. And if they are successful in planning their time, so these are the grandest women, the best mothers and responsible wives. Everyone can be in dry dock at any time, there are more ways here. There are lots of variants – to learn again, improve skills or just find another hobby, I’ve written about it above.
   The second type – housekeepers on their belief, they are those whom I call “THEY ARE LUCKY”, but whether it is happiness, we’ll know later. They are flush with money, they can afford themselves to stay at home and be occupied with that they like, they have a professional housekeeper who does all the household work. Sometimes they are asked not to work, and they agree to stop their career and not everybody does it enthusiastically… And there are those who think that a woman was brought into the world for working, she was brought into the world for love and for providing future generations, it’s such a belief too. They, as a rule, have a bread-winner. I am acquainted with such women, but, I’m sorry, they are boring. When a person has everything and he are not to think about developing, he degrades. Psychologists maintain that it’s needed to take an interest in life, find the way to perfection, one must not to stop. I know there are women who go further in their development despite of sufficiency. Because of such women charity develops, reconditioning centers, health centers and kindergartens are opening. These women are the best example of human nature.
   Professional housekeepers. Not everyone can afford to engage them. These are women who chose such a job and get respectable salary. Whether we tell, we dream to have such a housekeeper who would do all the household work. And then we’ll think and say that for such money I’ll do it myself though not so professionally. nowadays this profession is very popular, women take special courses, visit a psychologist, pass medical board.
   Ladies-mistresses are women who could unite in themselves merits of a head of the enterprise and housekeeper in her belief. E.g. she decided to be a chief, to earn and do all the housework herself at the same time, in her belief that it’s her work and she’ll keep everybody away from it. It’s very difficult, but possible.
   Our task is to decide how we want to live. What need we choose – home or work, or to combine one with another? Do we want to see our children growing up, to spend more time to family and husband, to save our health and health of the family, to save youth and good relations, all these things depend on our decision from top to bottom. Whatever we choose, we have only ourselves to thank for it, but it’s always possible to stop, think and correct a mistake, may be, nobody will notice it (mistake).
   I often remember the stories of my grandmother’s sister who told how in pre-war years a woman did the housekeeping. Now I’ll tell you’re the story on behalf of her.
   “Summer.Haying time. I am near my time, e.g. it’s time to give birth. A few hours left before delivery. I and my sisters are mowing the corn in the field. This is it! There were no doctors and cars. I began having contractions but I didn’t stop mowing, sisters were with me and said that it’s necessary to mow because pain wouldn’t so strong. The time has come! I went and lay in a haystack, gave birth, my elder sister delivered a baby. She bit through the cord, wiped the baby, wrapped him in a clean cloth and said me to go home. I took my baby and went home straining him to my heart. At home I put the baby on the oven, changed clothes, fed other children – nephews who were at home, ordered them to look after the baby and left the house for working in the field”.

   I am 37 years old, I have a nice husband and two children. Every time I remember this story to assure myself that I am a woman – great creature can do with everything. A picture of my sister’s grandmother giving birth in a haystack always comes into my view. I am proud of my healthy generation, I am thankful for my ancestors who gifted me and my children healthy gens. My task is to save and increase the health of my children and I do it! Yes, I didn’t build a career, I didn’t become a business lady, I became a housekeeper on my belief. But my belief is healthy children, love and loving husband, good relations in my family, respectfulness, help my parents, care of people. Now it’s not easy for me to write about it, I am a little bit nervous about my decision to write to you about such simple and very important things at the same time. I would like to tell you that you are very important for yourselves, for your family and relatives and it’s needed to diminish your merits. Our reward is the happiness of our family, every day is a festival and if it’s not so you need to go over something again, only you know where the harmony is absent. Never say die! You’ll cope with everything, otherwise you wouldn’t interested in the title of this book. A rich housekeeper could be rich not only materially but also internally, and she could be experienced and share it with you. I serve to my family, I am a servant of my children and my husband and in future we’ll have rich healthy grandchildren.
   In order that everything doesn’t seem to be so difficult I would like to say everything is simple. If you decided to live without changing anything it’s your right. But if you’ll decide to take all the responsibility for your family, you’ll see how everything changes in your life only for the better. When a person sets a mission he automatically becomes a creator of his life. And what a creator does – he creates perfectness or longs to it. In any case he doesn’t any harm for himself because he creates for his own weal. Create your life harmonize with your soul. Yes, not everybody can cope with everyday routine of domestic life, but also not everybody can keep working time. We are all different, we are all interesting. I wish you luck, it’ll make use of it!
   Sincerely yours, Helena Zelenina.

   So as not to lose contact I give you a website linkwww.pervaya-ledi.ru and my e-mail zelenalena@rambler.ru. On this website every woman can write her own story, leave the commentary on this book, get some presents from me personally and just communicate. You can place your advertisements free of charge. If you need any professional help for organizing your own business you’ll get it. I am very thankful for you and will wait you on our website! I’ll help everyone, the best of my ability!

A little bit of honest humor

   I want to speak about housekeepers so much, though it sounds funny, but I’ll say.
   Future of mankind and the whole world depends on housekeepers. All the big enterprises want to sell the goods only to housekeepers because only they are watching their advertising on TV all day long. Housekeepers know why the vacuum cleaner of one firm is better than another because their TV is switched on just instead of the interlocutor. Housekeepers know all the shopping centers and can tell you where to go if you get lost. Moreover they always know about sales and where the clothes for boutiques are sewed.And why she knows it? Because the husband of her familiar housekeeper is an owner of a boutique. Yes – here such acquaintances at them. If you can’t simply come into the Internet, dial number of the familiar housewife and ask her: – When there were amendments to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation? Two minutes and you will consult free of charge. But how? Yes it is simple – the computer at the housewife is always switched on – the TV shop, the program about health will bother, it will find on YouTube how to ride a snowboard because today there is a seasonal price collapse on sports equipment in a supermarket, then she’ll go and buy cheap equipment, save lots of money, for this saved money she will buy sportswear, come home, watch the second lesson – how to ride a snowboard, cook a soup, again switch on a TV shop, and see an advertisement of a bread maker… And all the same from the very beginning.On Sunday at 9 a.m. they are the first to take the driving instructor for the whole day because it’s necessary to learn to ride this board; otherwise how to explain to the husband this purchase when you never went in for sports. A housekeeper is the most necessary and important person in your circle of acquaintances. They can everything and always. For example, toy drank in a company and there is nobody who can drive a car – self-respecting housekeeper has a driving license and, as a rule, doesn’t drink alcohol at nights, it’s her duty to help you, call her! And do not think that it’s 4 a.m. – she is always in line of duty. All the housekeepers are familiar with each other, and it’s not a secret that only the housekeeper can choose a car without consultation of the expert. Because other housekeeper had already told her that Lexus is not only reliability, prestige and comfort, but also it’s possible to transport children safely, to fasten them so that they couldn’t shout and will sit as if attached, to load ton of purchases from a supermarket, and if she scrubs against a car, Lexus will be OK. And why the companies spend money for advertising, they can simply engage a good housekeeper for some hours in a day and to present her that the company sells and that’s all. It’s they, yes, yes, it’s they, you won’t make a mistake if you’ll see in a rush hour women who smile, standing in a long long queue for a ticket because they simply like to see so many people. They help an old woman to cross the road because they need to know an ancient receipt of a pie which an old lady remembers but which isn’t known in public, and manage to publish the new recipe-book without breaking the law on copyright. They feed pigeons on the street far away from the car to keep its color. Believe me, they enjoy communication with other people, they like to help people who are always in a hurry. They don’t like advise, they haven/t time for doing it, they listen more in order to tell other housekeeper. They feed bums and bring them unnecessary clothes. They lead maintenance when the husband is at work, because they are the only ones whom it’s possibly to commit to look after workers from Uzbekistan in order to show them how to do euro-repair. They do Thai massage better than Thai women because daily take these courses in massage salon. They know without having a kitchen garden why seeds of a water-melon need to be landed at the end of April because on YouTube they watched a commercial about water-melon maturing in 75 days. They dispatch advertising of unclear goods or share links with you in Vkontakte, you are in perplexity, they earn money in such a way, and yes, on Forex trade in oil and currency. You are still surprised why a housekeeper’s husband presents her AUDI TT? He is surprised of his wife’s choice not less than you. You didn’t watch top 10 ratings of TopGear? And she watched and she knows that Audi TT gathers speed to 100 km/h in four seconds and enters smoothly into turn at a speed of 140 km/h. And with such technical characteristics of the car a housekeeper can do lots of important things for her family. You doubt? And I will tell you: she will manage to bring a child to the kindergarten, then to buy products, then make a dinner, wash clothes, hang out, go to a dry-cleaner, hand over an expensive suit of the husband in order not to spoil it, fill the car with fuel and so on. At 10 a.m. she’ll give the car back to the husband if he wants to get into the pure washed warm filled car in 28 degrees lower than zero,of course, not, he has his own car. And you thought that the color of the car suits to her handbag? These housekeepers are very practical. You are to wake up, wash, drink a cup of coffee for cheerfulness, then to dress, collect the thoughts, to plan the day. To go to the car, to get into it, to drive to work, to work and them may be go home. And she has no choice – she got up and already knew without any planning that she has lots of work to do, 24 hours and she MUST to manage with everything and she manages! They have time which they spend for business, whereas you spend it for working. Here they are – simple modest housekeepers. The world without them as a candy without a wrapper! The conclusion – the world belongs to housekeepers! Gold monuments must be put in every city because without them, for example, the Great Russian poet Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin wouldn’t exist. I think it’s not necessary to remember you who nurtured him.
//-- To My Nanny --//
   Dear doting sweetheart of my childhood,
   Companion of my austere fate!
   In the lone house deep in the wild wood
   How patiently for me you wait.
   Alone beside your window sitting
   You wait for me and blame the clock,
   While, in your wrinkled hands, your knitting
   Fitfully falters to a stop.
   Beyond the crumbling gates the pinetrees
   Shadow the road you watch so well.
   Nameless forebodings, dark anxieties,
   Oppress your heart. You cannot tell
   What visions haunt you: Now you seem to see…
   Thank you! I wish you health, luck, happiness and flourishing and… a good housekeeper!

Helena Zelenina How To Become A Rich Housekeeper