To have taken the money I'm owed at work?

[Housekeeperbatcocoa]

Per my username, I'm a part time housekeeper in a private house for an older lady. I'm in my mid 20s, she's in her 60s. She is very well off and wants for nothing. (Example - she spent almost £300 on clothes in Next without blinking)

Last Wed, she asked me to take her to the park. The ticket machine for parking was broken so i paid through RingGo. It cost £4. (I'm paid £11/hr for context)

I told her how much it had cost and she said she'd give me it when we got back to the house. Reminded her when we got back and she made an excuse of having no change. I was late for the school run so had to dash off so didn't get it on the Wed. I asked again on the Thur and she made a excuse again and got a bit short with me so I left it.

Today I asked again and was again fobbed off. I know four quid isn't a lot in isolation, but it's nearly half an hour's wage so feels a lot. I'm a single parent and money is often a bit tight. I took the money from the change jar and left a note as a reciept.

I feel bloody guilty though and like i should just let it go but it's my youngest's birthday this weekend, I'm tight on money and she did honestly owe it to me.

Wibu?

Might it have been better to say you are leaving 20 mins early in lieu of the parking money?

If she's taking the piss regularly, start looking
Elsewhere

Just from reading your posts I'm imagining a posh rich lady who has never had to worry about money and is totally removed from the reality of us mere mortals who have to scrimp, save and budget the little we have.

I think you'll have to be strict and never admit to carrying cash on you and for card payments, refuse everytime. If you're feeling brave it's "no, you never pay me back" or less confrontational with, "no, sorry I don't have the funds available, just paid my mortgage/rent/electric bill/etc. Don't worry about parking tickets, it's not your car 🤣.

As a final thought, have you seen proof you're a named user on the car insurance, I wouldn't trust the rich lady as they're so tight with cash, be careful as it would be you getting fined for it if you're not really on the car insurance.

Thia is not theft. The theft here is by the employer who clearly has the intention of permanently depriving the OP of her cash.

Tell her to pay up OP and look for another job.

Invoice her and attach all the receipts and she'll pay you.

I'm definitely on the insurance - I'm the one who sorted it out!

I have. You shouldn't have taken the money. You need agreement first. You also need to learn to say no

Please look up the definition of theft.

Additionally owing someone money does not make you a thief. That would mean people who have loans or mortgages are thieves because they owe the bank money. What the employer has incurred is a debt which is completely different.

I’d be inclined to (reluctantly) let this £4 go but then refuse to pay anything else in future. ‘Sorry I’ve literally got nothing left in my bank, I’m even going to have to borrow from parents/friend/loan shark to keep me going till pay day’ Good luck.

Since you’ve been a loyal employee, could you mention that you can’t afford to be owed money from your own pocket and ask her to give you something like £10/£20 in advance for miscellaneous spending and then you’ll provide her with receipts? What she’s doing is really thoughtless and unfair. It’s really humiliating to have to ask four times for a few pounds from a really wealthy person and it’s not on that she can’t seem to recognise that. If she won’t pay immediately then she needs to provide money for stuff like this in advance, not have you chasing her for it.

Maybe could you suggest to have some sort of a petty cash box? She could put some change in it and you could use it to pay for thoses expenses (you'll have to justify what you take with the receipt)

Honestly, I’ve worked for someone like that when I was younger and they don’t realise that £4 makes a difference. You’ve asked repeatedly, you’ve been fobbed off. I would have taken the money out as well in your shoes.

You could create a transparent plastic folder or box for “receipts for weekly expenses incurred” and label it as such super visibly, keep it next to the change jar or where you do your payments, and make a big song and dance of retrieving the folder/box when it comes the time to collect your weekly payment.
if she fobs you off then, or has some excuse like “I don’t have cash on me”, simply say, “oh, in that case could you come with me to the change jar so I can take out the refund from there please.”

Super rich people sometimes have difficulty realising how a few quid can make or break someone’s budget. It’s sad but really she owes you the money, so I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.

I also think that for the level of responsibility you have £11 ph is not right but I accept that sometimes it’s hard to find a job that fits like a glove around childcare etc.

You can't have or you'd have seen that I put the money back.

Read the OPs posts, you obviously haven't

Good luck with having a chat with her today @Housekeeperbatcocoa

Yes, good luck! I know it can be a hard thing to do :)

Honestly, OP, I think you had the right idea about taking it from the change jar and leaving a receipt, it was just you put the cart before the horse, so to speak.

I’d say to her, For things like the parking or other bits and pieces, would you like me to give you the receipts weekly so you can settle it all up with my wages? Or shall I just pop the receipts in the change jar and take what you owe from there? I know it’s a pain to be hassled for small amounts but it all adds up for me and money’s tight at the moment.

Just take the change pot to her and say "I'm taking the 4 quid you owe me out of here. OK." And take the flippng money. Its not like you're conning her or anything. And next time you take her somewhere, leave your purse at home and tell you've got no one to pay for anything. Say if she wants you to pay, she needs to give you a float to take it out from.

Get her organised.

I'm in tourist (rural) south west. I can't get a cleaner for under £18 per hour. Your employer is seriously out of touch. I hope you can get her to see you pov

Take the money in your hand and the jar and take it out in front of her, say I need what you owe me to buy food

@LillyoftheMountain Totally agree! This lady is being taken for a fool!

@Housekeeperbatcocoa You are a carer, housekeeper & companion. You should be earning at-least £25 an hour for the job you are doing!
You need to go to her, with proof, & negotiate a pay rise!

She's a tight old cow. Get another job. Next time if she wants you to pay for something say that you don't have the money. I hate rich tight arses. You could always change her will in your favour, then murder her. Just desserts and all that!!

@Housekeeperbatcocoa You'd be better off having a 'float' from the tip jar that you can use for all these expenses she doesn't want to pay for. Receipts and change go back in there on returning. Would she agree to that if you asked her?

Also, don’t forget the 30p(?) fee for using RingGo.

i definitely believe you. I unfortunately like many others, have come across people like this. You know that this is the reason they’re rich. They take advantage of the less well off. Despicable behaviour on her part.

Just don't pay for little things then. Or leave the job. Either way there's no reason why you should subsidise her.