T.B.
I did the same thing last year--first I went with an actual company, if I remember right they were charging about $90 per visit and then wanted me to "tip" the cleaning person also. In addition, since we started with them in Decemeber, I was receiving numerous request for their "Christmas bonus"--which is typically equal to the amt of one visit, but since they had only been to our home 2-3 times and only once b/f Christmas--I thought this was a bit much. And I wasn't particulary impressed with the cleaning. FYI--the companies do charge more for the initial cleaning I think I paid $150.00+tip.
Anyway--I found an individual that now cleans my home bi-weekly for $75.00, she is so worth it and I often just pay $80.00. With her I do have to supply the cleaning supplies, but that's not a huge expense. And for Christmas I did give her the $75 bonus. She does a great job and just having someone else do what would be an all day job on the weekend is wonderful--it truly does relieve a lot of stress to come home to a nice clean house. Good luck!