‘Lazy much?’: Millennial reveals money act that made her feel ‘so guilty’

A Millennial woman has sparked a financial debate by revealing why her friend called her “lazy”.

A Millennial has sparked a financial debate by revealing that she feels “so guilty” after hiring a cleaner.

Denise Semrani, 35, took to social media to share that she’d hired a cleaning lady for the first time for her apartment. While the cleaner had done an amazing job, she couldn’t help but feel guilty about the expense.

It cost $130 and the cleaner came for 90 minutes and left her place looking absolutely sparkling.

“I feel so guilty. I live alone, I have a one-bedroom apartment, and I told a friend I had a cleaner come in, and she was like, ‘lazy much’, but is that lazy?” she asked.

“Is it lazy or smart outsourcing? I feel fantastic right now. I took my dog for a walk, had a meeting at a cafe, had a coffee, and came back, and my apartment is perfect - but should I feel guilty?”

Denise Semrani revealed she felt guilty after hiring a cleaning lady. Picture: Instagram/deesemrani

Even though having a clean apartment made her feel amazing. Picture: Instagram/deesemrani

Online, Aussies were divided. There were many who supported her decision to hire a cleaner.

“If you can afford to pay someone to do something then it’s giving someone else a job. Its smart,” one informed her.

“Living alone can also be exhausting because you’re responsible for every single thing. If cleaning frees up mental and physical energy to tackle something else – or you just want to make your life easier – do it,” someone else said.

“No different to getting takeaway when you don’t want to cook,” one reasoned.

“I don’t know why there’s a stigma around this,” someone else said.

However, not everyone was on board. One argued that “no matter” how much money you make, you should take care of your own apartment, and someone else said she believes the 35-year-old should “clean her own space”.

One chimed in and shared that when she told her co-worker she wanted a cleaner, she was met with a similar response, with the workmate telling her to “manage her cleaning better” rather than outsource it.

Her cleaner story kicked off a debate. Picture: Instagram/deesemrani

Most people were on her side. Picture: Instagram/deesemrani

Ms Semrani said she thinks the judgement about hiring a cleaner stems from a mix of things.

“Some of it might come from comparison; if someone doesn’t have the same disposable income, they might feel frustrated or judge how others choose to spend theirs. Some of it may be generational warfare where our parents have a perception that younger gens are entitled,” she told news.com.au.

“For me, I think it comes down to our unique Millennial ‘busyness’ contest. There’s some unspoken competition judged on how ‘busy’ someone is and how much they can get done in a day or week.”

The 35-year-old also pointed out that she thinks there’s a level of misogyny involved in judging a woman for hiring a cleaner.

“Someone in the comments of my TikTok made a brilliant point: We don’t see cleaning/housework as labour, and therefore, some see it as a frivolous way to spend your money,” she said.

“There’s a thinly veiled misogyny to the scoffing as well. Would people be as pressed if a 30-something bachelor hired a cleaner?”

She thinks there’s a level of misogyny involved in judging a woman for hiring a cleaner. Picture: Instagram/deesemrani

She felt so good after seeing her apartment beautiful and clean. Picture: Instagram/deesemrani

Ms Semrani said that she thinks her guilt stems from feeling like it is a “cop out” not to do her own cleaning.

“I live in a one-bedroom apartment and have no kids. I should have all the time in the world. Right?” she said.

“I also feel like I have no right to feel tired or stressed or overwhelmed for those same reasons. I’m only looking after myself and my senior dog so I couldn’t possibly be overwhelmed.”

The reality is that she has a demanding full-time job that “consumes most of my waking hours” and she doesn’t have much spare time.

“So, I made the decision to hire a cleaner. It was at a time when I had been travelling for work on and off for the last month, and, honestly, the thought of having to clean a toilet made me want to cry,” she said.

When she finally took the plunge and hired a cleaner, it felt “amazing”, and it was a huge relief.

“My apartment smelled and looked cleaner than it ever has, and some people in the comments reminded me that I had helped a female small business owner pay her bills. I’ve now scheduled her on for a monthly clean and I’m working on feeling less guilty about it,” she said.