What I learned after getting all my chores done from the sofa via apps for a week
YOU can get almost anything delivered to your front door these days, at the swipe of an app or touch of a button.
But if you had to stay indoors for a week, could you buy all your essentials without leaving the house?
Lynsey Hope, 38, who lives near Sevenoaks in Kent with her children Jacob, four, and Olive, two, decided to see what she could get purely from the comfort of her sofa.
After trying out some of the most popular apps, she shares her diary of how it all went . . .
Monday
FIRST things first — breakfast. I quickly download Deliveroo only to find out they don’t yet deliver in my area. Annoying.
I have more luck with Uber Eats. It launched in my home town in March and this is the first time I have used them.
I download the app and order a McDonald’s breakfast (£4.68) at 8.15am.
I can track the order and a scooter pulls up to deliver my sausage and egg McMuffin, hash brown and latte by 8.45am.
Sadly, there is not yet an app to take the kids to school, so I have to get off the couch to get them dropped off. When I get home, I see we are running low on essentials such as toothpaste and toilet roll, so I order via the Tesco app.
But I will have to wait for tomorrow’s delivery.
Tuesday
TODAY my Gousto box arrives – which means dinner is sorted for the week and there is no need for last-minute trips to the supermarket.
It is very easy and there is no faffing around in cupboards to see which ingredients I have (or don’t). You pick the dishes online and a driver delivers to your door a box filled with ingredients and recipe cards.
I choose chilli con carne, chicken saag masala with rice and a beef bolognese with gnocchi. Everything in the box (£34.99 for four meals for two people) looked fresh and appealing.
The garden looks overgrown, so I book a gardener (from £30 an hour) called Lulian via an app called TaskRabbit, which connects you with local handymen, cleaners and gardeners. Lots of people book it for help assembling flat-pack furniture. I must remember this after my next trip to Ikea.
Within two hours Lulian has mowed the grass and tidied the garden. He is friendly and cleans everything away. I will use it again.
Wednesday
THE house is looking a right mess, the washing is piled high and there is an inch of dust on top of the telly.
But as I am feeling exceptionally lazy, I log back on to TaskRabbit to find a cleaner.
I book Andrea, who charges £31 an hour, and she spends three hours scrubbing my house from top to bottom and doing a few loads of washing.
She is excellent and works so fast. I could never have got it all done in the time Andrea did.
It has given me time to catch up on a bit of internet shopping. My son Jacob has some birthday parties coming up, so I order Lego gifts via Amazon Prime to arrive the next day.
The house is spotless and the washing basket is finally empty. After all that housework I’m feeling peckish, so I order a large pizza for £14.99 via the Domino’s app and it arrives in 30 minutes.
Thursday
FEELING guilty about yesterday’s fatty pizza, I start looking at fitness apps the minute I wake up. There are loads to choose from so I get on my gym gear and download Fitbit Coach.
You can choose from a huge variety of workouts depending on your fitness levels and how much time you have. I choose one of the bodyweight workouts which doesn’t require any fancy equipment and head to the garden to complete the routine.
I do some drop squats, push-ups, lunges and planks and feel knackered afterwards.
But I am happy that I managed to work off some of those pizza calories, especially as I’ve done so much lazing around on the sofa this week.
Friday
I USUALLY head to my nearest petrol station when I need the car washed, but there’s always a queue and what should be a just a ten-minute job ends up taking an hour.
I find an app called Car Washer UK which shows me valeting services in my local area willing to travel to me.
I book an interior and exterior wash with Casro Valeting Services for £20.
A lovely chap called Scott arrives at 10am and spends a good hour cleaning the car.
It is more than I would have paid at the car wash (£12), but with the inside also given a once-over the car looks as good as new.
Saturday
I AGREED to dog sit for my sister today so I have Wynny, a King Charles Spaniel, to stay.
The good news is that even dog walkers can be booked by phone these days.
I use Rover, an app which has more than 200,000 sitters across the UK, Europe and North America. It provides dog walkers, day care and overnight boarding.
I was delighted when my walker James arrived to take Wynny for her walkies. He is a firefighter but grew up with dogs and misses being around them, so is walking local pets to raise a bit of extra cash.
Wynny immediately warmed to him. I was given a map of the route and sent two photos of her via the app enjoying her walk.
It’s only £10 for a half-hour visit and I wouldn’t hesitate to book James again.
I’d also booked a manicure today but sadly, the lady never showed, so perhaps booking through an app is not always the most reliable option.
Sunday
IT IS definitely time for some Sunday relaxation. Unsurprisingly, there is an app that can help me. I download Uspaah, which finds therapists to come to your home for a range of spa treatments including manicures, massages and facials.
I book a spa-rista called Stephen to come and give me an anti-cellulite and toning massage, which costs £69.
After setting up his massage table in my kitchen, he plays some relaxing music from his phone and gets to work. It is an incredibly relaxing hour and a half and the perfect end to my week.
I am totally out of food now, so I turn to Just Eat for dinner, ordering a Mexican meal of fajitas and salad (£30) from a restaurant called Mexigo in Maidstone, Kent. I have eaten a fair amount of rubbish this week, so I liked being able to choose salads and healthier options.
It is not just fatty fast food you can get delivered to your home.
most read in fabulous
My verdict
THE huge range of services you can now access without leaving the comfort of your own home is amazing – even in my part of the Kent countryside.
By the end of the week I was craving a bit of time outdoors, as I am sure I’ve put on a few pounds.
While I did manage to get some exercise via the app, I would probably burn more calories doing the supermarket shop or taking the dog out for a walk.
But sitting on your sofa all day comes at a price – and it’s not cheap. The dog walker was great value and a car wash for £12 seemed reasonable.
But organising a gardener, cleaner and meals via an app seemed quite expensive.
It’s great to be able to have these services if you’re desperate but I’m not sure it’s something I could afford to keep up.
- GOT a news story? RING us on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk