CMs - Charges (struggling with ever increasing food prices)

[namechangingforthis]

Hi all

I don't know what to do and was wondering if you guys could help me decide what I should do for the best?

I currently offer an all inclusive service so my fee per hour includes all drinks, snacks, breakfast, lunch & dinner if needed, nappies, wipes, outings, sun cream etc.

Unfortunately my dh lost his job a year and half ago and is still out of work :( He was receiving Job Seekers Allowance but this has stopped and although our household income was only £9k last year, we're not entitled to means tested JSA as I work more than 24 hours a week!

We have huge debts, a lot of which is as a result of problems which we couldn't afford to get fixed so put on credit cards etc (boiler problems, gas leaks, car problems etc etc). Unfortunately we've got to the point that we're a minimum of £150 down per month and running out of credit card and overdraft facility. Once these have gone, we're stuffed :( Now this isn't the parents problem, it's ours HOWEVER if we can't afford the mortgage, eventually we could potentially loose the house therefore meaning the end of my childminding business :( This WILL affect the parents.

Soooo, I'm thinking long and hard about the whole situation and how we can reduce costs. One thing I've noticed is the huge increase in food shopping, it's amazing how much stuff has gone up and I just can't afford to keep buying the 8 different fruits, all the special cereal bars and all that stuff, it's costing me a fortune and my food bill is huge.

One parent yesterday insisted I should go back to charging for food and then parents can choose whether or not to use mine or send their own. They said that the parents are saving loads currently by me supplying all this food at the same cost (I didn't increase my fees this year like I usually do).

WWYD in this situation? Should I go back to charging for meals? I never charged for snacks in the past but I used to charge for meals a couple of years ago.

My fee review takes place annually in Sept/Oct, I notify them of all changes by the end of October and the increase starts from 1st Feb the following year. On 3rd October I notified parents I wasn't increasing at that time and this is part of what I put in the letter:

I am pleased to confirm that although the cost of living continues to rise, I have decided to postpone any increase in fees for the time being and will therefore not be making the usual increase from February 2011. Instead I will review my fees once again in February 2011 and if I feel at that stage an increase is necessary, I will notify you and the increase will be from June 2011.

I was hoping to continue with no increase (and to be honest, I'd forgotten I'd mentioned I'd review again in Feb ) but I just cannot afford to continue like this if I want to keep my business (unless by some miracle dh gets a job soon!). Obviously I never confirmed anything in February to say yes or no to increasing in June and if I decide to increase after all, I'm still giving more than a month's notice......what do you think? Would that be ok? Tbh, I don't know what other option I have :(

My head is all over the place, I really don't want to upset parents when times are tough but I don't want to loose my home either. What do you all think?

TIA :)

I recently put my fees up (for new business) by 50p per hour and charge £1.50 for food, it's already made a huge difference. I haven't been going to soft play much, and I've cut down on pricier fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries) as for the price it doesn't go far. I get bananas and raisins as main fruits with fancier fruits occasionally. I use own brand Cheerios as a snack quite a lot and the kids really like it.

Sorry for the delay again. Was off last week and went to Wales for a couple of days with my SIL (she has a lovely holiday home there if anyone ever fancies it ). Anyway, been really busy since I got back, including my change of fees letter which has finally been sent! :)

HSMM - yeah, I think it will be easier when ds2 is older but he simply won't eat that late yet.

DMO - :) my trips are only once a week and the same, not over £5 each usually. There are plenty of other things to do which don't cost money anyway :) As for bulk buying and using the freezer - this is what I already do and I can't add any more as both freezers are always full! I get through bread very quickly like you I guess! I already buy a lot of supermarket own brands but will try more and more, it'll all add up :)

Oops, got to go soon but thanks to the others who've posted too :)

In the end I made the following changes:

• Hourly rate up by 10p per hour as an interim increase, next review at the usual time
• £2 per evening meal (sort of wanted to put people off )
• Own suncream to be provided
• Still no charge for normal outings but if I want to do a bigger trip, I'll ask for a contribution and only take them if all parents are happy with it.
• No change to overnight care fee

Am also going to try my very very best to reduce the bills thanks to all your tips :) Tried the big pot of natural yoghurt thing and ds2 didn't like it so will be interesting! LOL

I don't know if this will help but I do the same as you and offer an all inclusive fee. I have noticed too that it is certainly getting more and more expensive.
I find that a bowl of the value frozen mixed fruit you can get from Tesco with homemade breadmaker bread makes a good snack. I also sometimes use value tins of fruit eg peaches, apricots, pears or value sultanas.
I also have a lakeland yoghurt maker which makes a big pot of natural yoghurt daily for the cost of a carton of UHT milk. The children adore it with a sprinkling of brown sugar.
Afternoon snacktime is often homemade popcorn or fresh homemade jam tarts/scones and I have recently been making homemade juice lollies which the children love.
Rather than asking for food money I would suggest saying that from now on all nappies and wipes must be provided by parents.

cross posted - best of luck

Definately ask for nappies/sun cream

Would supply wipes though

Hi.I stopped supplying food 3 years ago.I spent ages shopping for it(the kids all ate different things),preparing it (when I couldve spent that time with the kids)and,usually,throwing half of it away.The crunch came when ,during an inspection,my Ofsted inspector asked to see my fridge temp records(??),daily menu,2 weekly menu,food certificates,and'Had i done a fridge course????
I thought S** this,gave my parents 2 months notice with regards to not providing food anymore(giving the above reasons) and asked them to supply their own and not one of them complained.and after seeing what was in the kids lunchboxes,I wondered why i bothered with all the nutritious stuff I gave them.
Stop supplying nappies too!!What happens if-like I have-you end up with 3 babies and you've said you'll supply nappies??It'll cost a fortune-money that you could use for your own children!!
Feed your child when he needs feeding-your mindees will just have to understand that its his mealtime,not theirs.
I know its tough-my hubby has been out of work for 16 months-but you have to think about your own family first.The only thing i supply is wipes-its your general love and care of the children that matters,not what 'material'things you offer.i dont know any 'minders who give food and they certainly dont supply nappies etc.
Sit down and compose a friendly letter explaining the situation-i told mine what Ofsted had said and that,as I wasn't a catering organisation I wasnt prepared to do what they(Ofsted) wanted so i wouldnt be supplying food anymore.Dont drop your fees-pound for pound,theyve probably done pretty well out of what youve fed their kids in the past.
It'll be a huge weight off your mind,and what choice do the parents have?