Childminders Club: PLEASE HELP........had a shock when looked at how much shopping bill has gone up since minding............

[HellyBelly]

Hi guys

Sorry I've not been around for a bit, things have been manic and I just haven't had as much time to mumsnet recently.

Anyway, I need some help - PLEASE!!!

I'm doing my accounts (personal but includes shopping for childminding) and I've just had a big shock. I don't want to say how much money I'm spending on shopping, just that it's gone up quite a lot since I've started childminding!!!

I really really want to continue minding but I just cannot afford this expense. Would anyone mind giving me some advice. The sorts of questions in my head are:

1. Do you set yourself a budget for shopping?
2. If so, is it a total budget or a budget for childminding food and drink?
3. What sort of food do you provide? (my stuff includes melon, strawberries, grapes etc but my mum says even she can't afford all that posh fruit )
4. What meals do you give in the evening?
5. What do you charge for meals? (I charge £1.50 for evening meal and the rest is incl. in my hourly rate)

ANY help would be great as I'm in a bit of a financial mess and the half term isn't even here yet!!!

Also, do you charge for outings if you go on more expensive ones? At the moment mine are more like toddlers and the odd ball pit play but I pay for that.

PLEASE HELP (but don't all shout at me )

xxx

Why would anyone shout at you Helly?

At my ICP course on Wednesday I was talking to a lady who had got a similar shock. She was getting confused how much was for minding and how much personal so at the beginning of the month she did a shop for only the minding and it came to forty quid! She had been estimating about a tenner.

The only food I supply is snacks/drinks and only do meals if someone has forgotten theirs, so my food bills are obviously lower than yours would be. I don't charge parents. (I sometimes have 8 schoolchildren here after school, so they can eat a lot though!!)

However, all the other stuff (loo rolls, cleaning stuff, PC printer ink/paper, babywipes etc) mounts up financially. My annual expenses total looks horrendous, but then I look at how much I am earning, and it doesn't seem so bad.

To answer your questions:

No, I don't have a shopping budget, just get what I want when I need it.

Snacks include fruit, biscuits, cheese etc.

If I was asked to provide a meal for a child, I would charge lots (I think it says £3.50 on my blurb) - this is to discourage anyone from asking me (and I do tell parents that!), but also means that I certainly would not be out-of-pocket. I don't charge parents if they genuinely forget to bring a child's food because I'm just lovely like that!

I don't charge parents for school holiday outings (eg. safari park, adventure park) if child is here more or less full-time. I have a couple of children who do the occasional day in the school holidays, but their mum asks which day I'm planning a "proper day out" and she deliberately books them in for that day. She will then pay for their outing (but I would pay for icecreams or whatever, because that is my choice to do that). The day can obviously be very expensive, but I tend to look at the overall picture - I can get thousands of pounds from one family over the years, so the occasional expensive day doesn't matter. Parents will recommend me to other people, I get more work etc.

During term-time, I don't charge parents for any activities we do (eg. toddlers, soft play).

Well, sometimes people get a bit funny on mumsnet (I guess I was thinking if they knew the amount they would be shocked!!)

I find it hard as we eat the same. Also, I find I'm having to hide some of our family food as the after schoolers start asking why they can't have any etc etc - they can be quite rude actually! (but really nice in other ways!)

Got to go now but will be back later!

What sort of food are you serving

We spend about £40 - £50 a weeks then spend maybe £100 once a month

That is all the food and toiletries and cleaning

We feed at least 6 children for lunch, 4 for breakfast and 2 for tea each day (on top of me, DH & DD)

I think I said before......Toast and apples

1 & 2) No - but it makes sense to! I try to put the childminding stuff thru checkout first & get it subtotalled before family things go thru. I now know that I've really underestimated my costs in the past so am keeping a closer eye on my receipts

3. Snacks are usually fruit sometimes cheese or bread products

4. whatever my own kids have got eg:
   chicken breast/thin sice beef or pork/gammon
   with pasta or rice or potatoes
   with 2 veg
   followed by fruit
   with either cake, icecream, rice pudding, jelly or steamed pudding

5. Breakfast £1.25 Lunch £1.40 Dinner £1.75
   I don't charge for snacks.

Outings YES I give parents a permission form which asks for donation towards costs (transport, admission, meals plus confirmation of collection time etc and childcare cost for day)

My mindees parents always provide ALL food and snacks

but I only have 1 or 2 mindees at any time iyswim

Cos some parents want organic or M&S food or some want cheap food

And one mindee doesn't like his mums cooking at the best of times so I think she would be really upset if he ate my food and not hers, does that make sense ???

Thanks for all the comments as usual!

Theprisoner - I didn't see your post til this morning so promise I wasn't ignoring you! Must have taken too long to reply to peckarollers post!

I am going to keep a closer eye on what I spend from now on but would find it hard separating the food as we all eat the same (if I buy separate veg etc and keep in different place to ours, now doubt some of it will go off iykwim!

I do think I provide too much in way of snacks (not cheap ones) for my after schoolers.

More details of what you would provide say a 6 yr old or 10 yr old would be great! I think these kids are trying to eat me out of house and home !!!

Best go as mindees due any minute (well, first one was due at 8.30 but late - gives me more time to mumsnet! )

Do you mean snacks or full meals for 6/10 years olds?

Snacks please.

Apples
Dried fruit
Toast & Jam/Honey
Pancakes
Cereal
Digestive biscuits

The snacks that i give my schoolies are:Monday, a selection of fruit and/or vegatables, Tues crackers with or without cheese, Weds rice cakes or toast with marmite etc,Thurs Biscuits and Fridays Mini chocolate bars . They all have a choice of squash. water or fruit juices.

They do try to eat me out of house and home but I have had to get tough and tell them not to be greedy!

So not a tuna (almost whole tin) and mayo sandwich, cereal bars, cheese AND yoghurt - that type of thing!! I started putting my foot down today actually and will tell her what snacks she can have from now on. She was upset today that HER last yoghurt wasn't there ! I'd eaten it over the weekend and forgotten to replace it (ooops ). I had to make a hell of a story up and then I thought WHY SHOULD I!!!

I just need to be firm. Mindee is lovely but I reckons she just tries it on and I find it hard to say no!

If anyone offers anything different, please let me know what!

Many Thanks

Be firm - you aren't doing them any favours letting them fill up before their tea

Hellybelly, that sounds like a meal not a snack!!

a yougurt would be ok - but not all that

I know, problem is this is what she always had at previous childminder/friends house and I've just been stupid buying things she says she wants to eat when she's here (mum not given any guidelines but I've asked her if she can).

Let's just say I'm not used to BIG kids and was a bit gullable with all this

Your not gullable, she's just trying it on, I find the bigger kids harder work than the littlies and i've got two big 'uns myself!

Message withdrawn

Thank god it's not just me then - I found it a bit overwhelming tbh! I've got 5 kids in total next week for the half term but am more worried about the 2 older ones than the 3 toddlers!! Sure I'll get used to it - just want to nip this 'trying it on' in the bud. Once I feel confident about what I should be offering, I'll feel a lot better

I've asked mum and she sort of has a way of not answering the question! She has given these sort of responses "well, yeah...like fruit and stuff" but nothing that really helps (she has fruit too - bought a fresh pineapple the other day just for her - never bought one before as can't stand the stuff ).

Need to be tough, need te be tough, need to be tough!!!

Can I ask you what time she leaves you? Does she have a packe lunch or school meals?

A fresh pineapple - ffs

I'm sorry HB that's ridiculus

a piece of pineapple maybe

Too much, way too much

Think snack, not three course meal

I know but when I first started with this mindee, I read on here that this sort of age eat tons (can't remember who said this) so I just went with it but I'm beginning to regret it

I will get this sorted out - promise!

Off to bed in shame now!!

whoa helly you've been buying some expensive fruit! strawberries, grapes - pineapple! - I think of these as a treat and that's just for myself! (i'm not a cm just a fruit guzzler!) normally i look out for whatever's on special offer / 2 for 1. And unless you want organic, you can get fruit in those value / basics ranges - eg a bag of pears, apples, bananas or satsumas for a lot less than the average price, and they are fine - a fruit is a fruit, it can't be lower quality like for example "value" digestives or whatever.

My afterschool children would happily eat the contents of my cupboards given half a chance! I currently have six children (aged 5 - 11 years) after school - I've been through these ages with my own, so the mindees don't get away with anything!

If they have fruit, it's one piece, eg. one apple, one satsuma. We also have cheese and crackers, breadsticks, dried fruit, and biscuits (maximum two ... see, said I was mean!) but not all of it in one day! If I have children staying later than usual, they might have some toast or more fruit. There's always plenty of juice/water to drink.

I don't charge for snacks, but if I did, I guess I might offer them a bit more! (I do feel a bit guilty when I see what everyone else gives their mindees now ....)