If you spent the money to hire help around the house, or pay more for brand names, what do you get in return. More time and piece of mind say these working mom experts.

Hire a housekeeper.

Like a lot of us, entrepreneur Maria Bailey is as hands-on with home chores as with work to-dos. No wonder the co-founder of BlueSuitMom.com, BSM Media and mother of four often saw weekends gulped up by grocery shopping, laundry and vacuuming. Tight budgets aside, at times you have to spend a little more to spend more time with family. Here are ways the ROI pays off.

So many working moms say they can’t afford household help. Bailey felt that way until she realized she spent four hours each weekend cleaning. “At my hourly work rate, it was costing me almost double what I’d pay a housekeeper each month,” she says. “If that help frees me up to gain kid time or do something else important, I can justify it.”

Her compromise: cleaners two times a month, not weekly.

Use an accountant.
Do you spend hours on your taxes to avoid CPA fees? You may be losing more than you’re saving, say experts. “Hiring an accountant makes sense if it’s highly probable she’ll find more money in deductions than I’m paying her,” says Bailey. “Sometimes you need a professional, and need to recognize that paying for tax expertise can pay for itself.” Hiring a tax or cleaning pro: extra out-of-pocket dollars. More time to play in the leaves with your kids: priceless.

Buy brand names.
Paying a premium for brands can save you time, says lifestyle expert Leah Ingram, author of Suddenly Frugal: How to Live Happier and Healthier for Less. “I’ll spend extra on clothes from Lands’ End or L.L. Bean because they last." This saves time, she says, because you aren’t always running out to replace items that fall apart. And some brands offer lifetime guarantees. Ingram tends to go for good labels on bigger-ticket, long-use items, like winter coats.

Tip
Weigh your financial and emotional tallies to help you decide if you want to hire help.