Have I been miserly with our cleaner?

"Cleaning up your shite" is physical and often hard and disagreeable work. If it was that easy noone would employ cleaners, even if they work. The way people view cleaners amazes me sometiimes. They are so condescending towards them. It can be, literally, a shitty job. Just thank the lord you dond have to do and all power to those who do.

Your cleaner is exactly the same as mine £15 p/h and does 2 hours every fortnight and I gave £10 extra last year, she didn’t seem to acknowledge it so this year I only gave a fiver! Oops! But to be fair, she literally skims over everything and I’m considering letting her go…

My car is on the old side (16 years) but is still a good car. I don’t get it serviced anymore as I’m looking for a new car.

This year mechanic has fixed a wheel with no charge. Replaced the tire for free with the tire cover even though the damage was my fault (accident). Checks my oil etc for free.

That seems ok 👍🏻 to me she gets a day off but it’s a paid day off plus another £20 on top .
I don’t have any paid help , cleaner or whatever so I wouldn’t know what’s expected

Our cleaner comes once a month £64 and I put her £20 in a card. Now I feel tight!!!

I seem to have fudge, fruit sweets and wafers.

Yes, because jobs with a livable wage plus a bit extra for luxuries are so common in the UK that anyone can get one in five minutes even without qualifications or experience.

Alternatively, it is possible the cleaner is working for herself because she is trying to supplement an otherwise poor income and circumstances make it very difficult if not impossible to better herself, so giving a tip is a way of giving her a bit of extra help, maybe showing a bit of empathy (do people in the UK remember what that is?), which may make a difference, plus I am privileged to have a well paid job and plenty of disposable income that I can afford to help the less well off.

A very wealthy person for whom £500 is loose change.

Alternatively, if he is voicing the opinion it is tight, he could top it up to what he thinks is an acceptable amount.

Of course that's fine and perfectly generous.

A very sweeping statement

i think it’s ok. We gave ours a 30 gift. He works via an agency and comes fortnightly.

If you give a gift you should give without expectation and to give joy. It is better to give than to receive and you would realise that if you actually tried it out! The person giving their cleaner £500 probably wants to show their appreciation and for thanking their cleaner. And this is a great time of the year to do that!

Why would you pay for a service you're not getting at all? Cleaner needs to set her rates so she has enough for her holidays and sickness. Only on Mumsnet...

Christ that’s more than my husband brings home for a 40 hour week 😂

I like my postie, he is a nice man who always ensures we get our parcels even when we aren’t in. He lost his wife last year and has had a tough year coming to terms with it all. He got a bottle of wine, a box of Waitrose biscuits, a box of chocolate truffles and a card. I always give gifts to the ppl that help me through out the year at Christmas, that is the postie, cleaner, window cleaner, gardener, kids swimming instructor, dance teacher, school teachers, after school and breakfast club staff, bin men, EVRI driver etc. Christmas is about spreading joy and being grateful, this gives me true happiness.

My cleaner comes once a week and we pay her £40, I gave her a bottle of wine, a box of biscuits from Waitrose, a box of chocolate truffles, pajamas from M & S and a perfume gift set. She was pleased. I think £68 is ok.

Actually most cleaners are paid cash in hand so they don’t even pay tax as they don’t declare it and often get benefits on top as unemployed. Therefore they’re earning more than you think. Regardless a tip is nice if they deserve it (ie if they do their job well) as most are still struggling financially and have families to support.

What does a bin man do thats above and beyond?

I clean for several people on a weekly, fortnightly and as and when needed basis...all but one gave me a card, present and/or money...all except one who I do weekly who always have an issue with paying me on time even though I always do more work than I'm paid for. Tbh I had a bad feeling about taking this client on as she just gave me bad vibes from the start. I think I'll be looking for someone else to take her slot as to not even get a card was insulting.

You did. They’re lying.

What does a postie do that's above and beyond?

I know I’ve had a drink but who the hell is tipping their cleaner £500? I read their posts correctly, yes?

We gave ours a week’s wages as a tip.

I just give a bottle of wine /some chocolates.

We used a cleaner because I am disabled, not because we are particularly wealthy