to charge friend for babysitting on NYE?

[lisad123isasnuttyasaboxoffrogs]

Friend knows I dont do NYE and explained that she couldnt find a babysitter and would I be willing to do it for her, saying she would pay me. I said I normally charge £50 for the night on NYE.
A few weeks passed and via another friend I was made to feel very guilty that said friend couldnt go because she couldnt afford the £50. I then said I would do it for £30 as shes a friend but she needed to be back by 1.30am at that price.
All agreed, seemed fine
Babysat last night for her LO. One was fine but the other wouldnt go to bed till 11pm and was very rude to me.
12.40am I get a text telling me "remember I said I would pay you £20 tonight and £10 in the week", I replied I dont remember agreeing to that, but fine see you later. Then she texts and say "well my husband didnt think we should pay you at all because we are friends and help each other out!"

Now yes we do help each other out, with things like school pick ups and drop off or watching each others kids if needed. Now I never ask her to do this for me unless really needed and if I ask her she will always ask the next day for the return favor and normally not because she needs it but because she wants more time to self. She is always a favor for a favor type.
Anyways she has never had my children in the vening, only once when DH was rushed because to hospital. I have had her kids a number of evenings and never charged or been fussed about it, but she does tend to take the mick with things like arriving back 2-3 hours late or letting me continue to have the kids at mine when her dh has come home and gone out again when he could have come ad got them.

so sorry that ended up long.
I just dont know what to say to her next time. I tend to spend less kifds time with her as my dd1 doesnt really get on with her dd1 and they are in the same class.

She agreed to pay so she should pay friend or not. She soundS really tight its only a round of drinks.YANBU

She is BU for not paying what you agreed, but I am not sure I'd want the sort of friend who charged friends for babysitting or moaned about how 'favours' didn't even out. (after moaning that others were 'favour for a favour' types)

moonUnitAlpha Sat 01-Jan-11 12:44:09
mutznutz - you don't need a CRB to babysit! Anyone can babysit, though if your earnings are above a certain threshold they may be taxable.

Oh I know that now thanks..at the time I said it, I thought the OP was running a proper business x

Sounds like she was down to her last £30 and wanted another drink so came up with this pack of lies to justify not giving you the full amount

Clueless that is exactly what I thought when I read it. They had their taxi money, drink money and babysitting money and ran out of drink money.

Probably the reason she mentioned her DH is that she said that all she had was the babysitting money and because they couldnt afford another drink her DH moaned about it and she used that as an excuse.

I wouldnt do another favour for her at all.

Oh and no YANBU to charge, after all she offered to pay you before you mentioned money and you dropped your normal charge for her. But sadly I dont think you will see the other £10.

Wait til she asks you for another favour
then say 'have you that tenner you owe me'
her 'not at the moment'
you 'sorry I'm not free'

She's a chancer, and dishonest. Perhaps you should have asked for the £50 up front.

Now she's shown her true colours you can dump her by cutting all contact: she doesn't sound any loss to you.

yes very true it was about 12.30am that she texted.

If they rang at that time then I am certain they ran out of cash. That makes it worse actually. If they had said "arse, run out of money can I owe £10" then atleast they are being honest and I wouldnt mind that so much. But to lie and try and turn it round onto you is not what you do to friends!

She's being unreasonable.

£30 a night is a bargain on nye - though i dont/wont bs on nye i often get asked by my families and quote £20ph (double my normal hourly rate) and they are happy with that and i find a friend for them

yr friend would have could have found a bs if she had paid (through sitters) and would have cost her more than £30

dont feel guilty, she is trying it on

and yes she agreed to pay you,if she had a problem with it then should have said at the beginning

a normal night babysitting for a friend til say 11pm then no I wouldn't charge a friend, but on NYE til 1:30am then yes especially as you said you could've earnt money doing it elsewhere...

agree sounds like she ran out of money...

just avoid her and make less effort.

YANBU.

She was extremely cheeky to agree a rate with you and then send two texts whilst out renegotiating the terms - while she effectively had you already captive minding her children!

I agree with other posters who said that perhaps this friendship has run it's course... Will you particularly miss her in your life?

YANBU if you made it clear that you were charging money, since it is hard work. The main thing that gets me here is that she's hiding behind her husband's "opinion" (that is, if he even said that at all). She's a coward, and if she was unhappy about the arrangements, she should talk to you straight, or shut up and accept it. No hiding behind Big Daddy.

YANBU

If she couldn't afford £50 then it was always open to her not to go out. You were generous in dropping the rate.

I think if you're going to ask someone to babysit on NYE it's reasonable to pay or to expect to return the favour next NYE/similar.

The text was taking the p*ss and was clearly dishonest.

I would write off the £10 and just stop doing her favours at all. Sounds like quite a one-way relationship anyway. You don't need to fall out with her, just offer a "sorry, I can't help" to any requests.

YANBU, she is taking the piss - cheeky cow!

YANBU and she sounds like a user. I wouldn't do her anymore favours.

YANBU at all to ask for £30 when she is asking you to give up on £50 that you could have earned otherwise, especially since you could probably have earned it babysitting some better-behaved children who would not have still been up at 11pm!

YANBU at all. It was agreed beforehand that she would pay you x amount, if she was unhappy she should not have gone through with it. She went back on that arrangement. This was not an emergency, the friend wanted a night out on NYE. So what if you are not doing anything, if you are babysitting somebody elses child you cannot drink, you are restricted and are not free to do as you please so it is a responsibility.

thank you, and for the record have never charged any friend for babysitting before, I do try and help when I can but already had other offers that night too but took hers as she asked first and lives round the corner.

she's twisting it round and she already knew the score