We cleaned each other's houses and saved time and money

My neighbor entered my house one afternoon and found the laundry mound on the family-room floor. Her three kids scurried off to find mine, she plopped down next to me in the epicenter of clothes and picked up a tea towel to fold. "You don't have to help," I said apologetically.

"You're a guest." "Nonsense, we're a community," she replied. I was grateful for the help, and when I next visited her house and discovered her laundry pile, I reciprocated. Neither of us can currently afford a house cleaner, thanks to replacing A.C. units and exorbitant dental bills.

We both live in modest houses with three kids and have admitted that we feel overwhelmed at times trying to keep up. While I scrubbed her kitchen during a visit, we made a plan to spend one or two hours cleaning each other's homes together so we'd each walk away with a cleaner space without having to pay anyone.

neighbor, house cleaning, laundry, community, house cleaner, ac units, dental bills, kids, modest houses, saving money