TASK RABBIT

task rabbit besotted blog

Tomorrow is April 1st and we are moving for the fourth time since we have landed in Seattle last May, nope not kidding, that’s totally normal right?  In my defense two of those moves were not planned. I mean we planned one move and that place turned out to be a nightmare, I was 8 months pregnant and on the day we moved in there was no toilet type of nightmare?  What?  A pregnant woman needs one of those things, often. That wasn’t even the straw that broke this camels back, I got locked in my apartment and so many other things that we ended up moving out 2 days later. We luckily were able to move back into the apartment we moved away from otherwise we might have been homeless. And yes, they were true moves where you pack everything up move it and then unpack, then have to pack up everything and move it again and unpack.  We did it in a span of 48 hours and if we didn’t get a divorce after those shenanigans I think my husband and I are good for the long haul.

So what does that have to do with Task Rabbit? First off, I wish I knew about Task Rabbit prior to all the moving, because we could have used an extra set of hands (and truck).  Task Rabbit is a service where you can post ‘tasks’, errands, DIY projects and the like and get someone to help you with them! It was borne of necessity the founders were going out one night and realized they were out of dog food, they thought wouldn’t it be great to have a service that they could call that could go out and buy said dog food and feed the dogs while they got ready for their night out? Voila!  Task Rabbit was created!  I have used them a a couple times now, I had a Task Rabbit go to Lowes by me some shelves and install them. I posted the price I was willing to pay, the Task Rabbit bid on the project, I read all of his reviews, chose him, scheduled a time and just like that I had shelves in my studio, a project that I had neglected for months and months!  I can’t even get into how many DIY projects I want to finally be able to accomplish, okay, it wouldn’t technically be DIY but ‘do it with the help of Task Rabbit’.  There’s this desk that I have always thought was super clever, clean and might work for my new “office” space which will be housed in our livingroom, I don’t want something that screams ‘office’. They also do Ikea runs and Ikea assembly, which would be near impossible with a 4 month old. I haven’t even cooked dinner in 4 months, washed my hair (joke, kind of..) let alone go to Ikea, pull my merchandise, squish it in the car and assemble something unwieldy like an Expedit. Just thinking about it has me agitated, trust me it’s worth the nominal fee of posting for help on Task Rabbit.  They are also great for those Craigslist finds where you know it’s a winner, you have to scoop it up but you have no way of getting the piece to your abode, now you can!  This is a game changer my friends!  They are in several major cities right now, working in going nationwide. There’s a company in the UK that is hoping to build a similar concept and with the success of these companies I am sure there will be either a Task Rabbit or a company like it coming to a city near you.

So what DIY projects would you be taking on now if you have access to a company like this?

P.S. The font I used was created by the uber talented Jess of Magpie Paper Works it’s called Woolen and she made it to gift for holiday (how cool is that?) She has similar ones you can add to your collection here and here.

Author / Miss Tristan B

Miss Tristan B. is the proprietress of Besotted Brand and the writer of this delightful blog. She recently re-located to sunny Seattle with her handsome husband and two pups, they just welcomed to the world a baby girl. Her lofty goal here is to make this a creative resource repository and to inspire you to fall truly, madly, deeply in love with your life.

28 thoughts on “TASK RABBIT

    1. I bet either they will or a company similar would be coming there. I know that the one in the UK had a 10 million dollar funding already. It would be perfect for you and your treasure hunting, but I am sure you have a system in place already! And I agree, I can’t imagine taking on a DIY project with a baby in the house (all the spray paint and wood stain I have used in my day…) but it’s also nice to not have projects looming over my head and to actually get done, yippeee!

  1. Never used Task Rabbit myself, but have heard of it! Do they calculate what minimum wage would cost for the number of hours it takes and you go from there? Or is the number just picked out of the air?

    1. Hi Heather, you actually propose the fee. Tomorrow we just need an extra set of hands to move some small furniture, it shouldn’t be too tough of a job. I proposed $100 for the project and someone accepted my offer. A lot of the people working on Task Rabbit have done projects like this before so they can get an idea of how much time it would take to complete. It’s to their benefit to complete them swiftly and do a good job so a) they can take on multiple projects in a day and b) the better feedback they get from their clients the more bookings they get! It seems like a super lucrative way to make some extra money as well, there’s all types of services being offered and services being asked for. I have been very happy with them!

  2. HOLY MOLY!!! How, on earth, do you do it??? Such a great blog, with a new baby, AND that NIGHTMARE of a move! Unbelievable! Bravo!

    1. Lexi, I am so NOT doing it right now, I feel like a wreck! I absolutely would never move with a 4 month old if we didn’t need to, we are in a super tiny space. And my poor neglected blog, thank you kindly for the compliment, it made my day (week, maybe month!)

    1. I.know. so awesome, right? I need an Ikea run so badly and my husband has been working like a maniac the last thing he wants to do is either go to Ikea or put it together and truth be told I would rather not have to listen to him complain about it for four hours sraight (sometimes longer, lol).

  3. Thanks for posting this Tristan. I have had a client who used Task Rabbit and I couldn’t remember the name. I have been racking my brain. We are moving things from storage to our garage and need help. It’s also good to know that they are reliable. Thank you!

    1. Sounds like me, I can’t remember ANYTHING right now! Just make sure whoever you pick has good reviews, they also have a section for Task Rabbit Elite, those Task Rabbit workers that have done many jobs with a lot of positive feedback!

  4. Oh wow…I’m going to check that out as I am overwhelmed with work and need assistance in other areas! And what?! Moving again?! Whoa.

    1. Susan I sure hope they have in Philadelphia, they do have listing for people that can do many things, my first Task Rabbit was a retired CPA and was bored that’s why he was doing the odd jobs, but he still does taxes and knew other people that did as well, so you’d probably be able ti find someone to do whatever!

  5. Hmmm yes, forget the DIY and go for a grocery run for Ben & Jerry’s after the kids are asleep and I can’t leave the house ;) ha ha

    1. Yes, you absolutely get the concept, things like that, spur of the moment! Heck, you could even have someone get your groceries, I know some of the major chains have an online service but Trader Joe’s doesn’t, you get to name the price so if someone is willing to do it for that price, awesome!

  6. sympathies on moving again … yikes … i imagine you are a very organized semi-minimalist person without tons of stuff, or it would be incredibly daunting … love the idea of task rabbits, never heard of them till your post, but have often thought something like that would very helpful … like a personal assistant with many talents … thanks!

    1. Dawn, I once was a minimalist and I wanted to be a minimalist mama, but in 4 months I amassed a giant amount of things for the baby. I am going to need to evaluate everything once we settle down as she surely doesn’t need all this ‘stuff’! And I have now used Task Rabbit half a dozen times and have liked each person more than the next. When my husband broke two of the crib wheels in the move, the Task Rabbit we hired took the two wheels and ran around Seattle to locate another set so we wouldn’t have a lopsided crib for the evening, something we surely could not have done on moving day with a baby and movers in tow!

  7. Good luck! Yes the minimalist becomes a maximalist with child in tow. It breaks my heart sometimes when I see the mess amounting and also my stress levels. i would love Task Rabbits in OZ. Will see if there is something like that available. You are one brave lady with all those moves. XX

    1. Sabine, I couldn’t have articulated it better. I am really thinking that this concept is going to go global, I have seen so many random tasks, there’s even people on there that will write blog posts for you, lol. I am hoping this is our last move for awhile, it’s in a perfect location for us, we can walk everywhere, it has beautiful light for my obsessive picture taking, wood floors (the last place had concrete–terrifying with a newborn!!!), a bedroom with a door (again our last place was an open loft no doors, very cool for a singleton but not for a new mommy!) So far we are all very happy, I can not believe we did it with a 4 month old in tow and two naughty pups, a 4 month old that refuses to not be held (she’s a baby, my only baby, I am going to hold her darn it! I doubt she will be crying to be held as a teen so I am going to take advantage of it now).

  8. Oh my goodness, you just totally inspired me to task rabbit all the last little details of my office redesign that neither I, nor my husband ever seem up to doing but they really need to get done! Why had I not thought of that before! And PS thanks for the uber sweet comment on the blog. It made my week!

    1. Erin, I can’t wait to see the re-design! Task Rabbit is a SF company, so supporting the locals; And I meant what I wrote you are so very chic!

    1. AC let me know if you ever use it, I am really curious to see what gets done now with a company like this!

  9. tristan! i wanted to pop in here to let you know that your blog post about TR came at just the right moment! at that time i was helping my sister plan her wedding (which occurred on may 2) and we were frantically and desperately looking for someone to help during the reception. we posted on TR and found someone who turned out to be great! thanks so much for sharing! xo

    1. Yay! That is so good to hear and a wipe of my brow that it worked out! I have been really happy with the service, we have someone scheduled this month to paint the nursery and hang shelves in there, because if I had to do it or my equally tired husband, well it would A) never get done or B) be so wonky that we wished we hadn’t done it!

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