Active discussions

Help end medical misogyny. Sign our petition.

Help end medical misogyny.
Sign our petition.

Sign the petition

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Original poster

Nannies - when out with children at a softplay or somewhere with cafe do you pay for you drink or take it out the kitty?

38 replies

DillyDallyDayDream · 01/12/2012 10:30

Title says it all

I tend to use my money for it but know others who use the kitty money. Interested to see what you do

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Gigondas · 01/12/2012 10:46

My nannies have usually used their own although I would be quite happy if used kitty for a drink. I have told them this too - think main reason is nannies have usually preferred not to as it is inconvenient if have to supervise kids too.

nannynick · 01/12/2012 12:25

I don't track the kitty expenditure so hard to say. I expect some weeks it may be me paying, whilst other weeks it may be my employer.

I have a related question... I'm a member of a health club at which there is swimming and softplay that the youngest child in my care uses (her membership is £5 per month, on top of my monthly health club membership). So the £5 per month can easily come out of the kitty, but my health club membership is something I do for myself, yet if I wasn't a member we wouldn't be doing swimming at £5 per month, more like £5 per time, so £50+ a month. I do not feel it is reasonable for me to put my health club membership through the kitty - but if we have lunch after swimming, then it is reasonable to put that through. Would you agree? It's swings and roundabouts, it could get a bit petty if tracking each expenditure and deciding if it is or isn't really work related. Or is everything during working hours a work expense?

EldonAve · 01/12/2012 12:38

I would expect it to come out of the kitty

and nannynick - I'd expect lunch to come out of the kitty too

juneybean · 01/12/2012 12:40

I use my own money for cake/coffee. I don't have a kitty, if I want to take my kiddies somewhere I usually advise parents in advance and they give me money for entry.

Gigondas · 01/12/2012 13:16

I would be fine about lunch coming out the kitty- we have similar arrangements with our nanny .

RichManPoorManBeggarmanThief · 01/12/2012 13:19

As an employer, I expect the nanny to take it out of the kitty so long as they're not massively taking the piss.

MarshmallowCupcake · 01/12/2012 15:14

Comes out of the kitty. I was told in my first job and many more since that I'm taking their kids to activities so I wouldn't be there otherwise. I don't take the pi55 ever, I just have a drink and not a cake. Lunch also comes from kitty when we go out.

gruber · 01/12/2012 15:24

Nick - yes fine for lunch to come out of kitty. I have similar memberships (National Trust etc) which I have personally but allow me to take my charges free, however if we are out for the whole day there (walk round the grounds, trails, look round house, swing park) I think lunch is a fair exchange for the saving in admission price!

fraktion · 01/12/2012 15:29

I expect lunch and drunks to come out the kitty. Stuff like that is expensive and I doubt nannies go to soft play barns for fun!

Blondeshavemorefun · 01/12/2012 18:30

Any costs I occur while working my boss's pay - whether food if out for lunch (sandwich - jacket - pasta - obv i dont take the piss and have smoked salmon and cavier) Wink entrances to places we go - car parks

If I wasn't working then I wouldn't be buying the stuff in the first place hence why I feel all costs should be paid for

Welovecouscous · 01/12/2012 23:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

callaird · 01/12/2012 23:37

I buy drinks from kitty money.

I also buy lunch/tea with charge from kitty if we definitely have to eat out, but I usually take her food with us!

My boss also pays for my gym membership so I can take my charge swimming. They belong to David Lloyd, if I had to pay for gym membership I would go somewhere much cheaper!!

All that said, I don't actually have a kitty, I pay for everything I buy for her/them and they pay me back at the end of the month, sometimes I forget that I had a coffee or juice that month! I never forget that I had a meal out because we only have tea out on a Thursday!

PowerPants · 02/12/2012 00:28

I pay for nanny's lunch and any teas/coffees while she's out and about - I think it's only reasonable. If they're at home she helps herself from the fridge.

OutragedFromLeeds · 02/12/2012 05:12

My employers pay for any costs incurred as a result of work, including a drink/meal out.

If, for example, we go for lunch somewhere they have sandwiches for £3, but I want a hot option that costs £8, I'll put the extra £5 in myself.

We use the same system as Callaird, no kitty, I pay for everything and they reimburse me at the end of the month (or sometimes sooner if expenses have been very high).

Blondeshavemorefun · 02/12/2012 09:08

Don't understand those of you who pay for stuff yourself then reimbursed from parents - why do it this why?

One you may forget to write down something

Two - I personally can't afford to pay for kitty costs out of my salary once bills etc have been paid (things like sains petrol hair cuts music lesson etc)

Is it not easier to have a kitty purse and just use that

And what could happen in one extreme case - years ago a nanny I know used her credit card and got it paid each month - handed in notice and parents were very annoyed and basically made her 6 weeks notice hell and parents refused to pay the last month bill that came a month after she left - she got stuck with it Shock :(

2plus1 · 02/12/2012 09:15

I find this thread very interesting regarding use of kitty money for food and drinks etc for the nanny to use. In most other employment sectors it is the employees responsibility and financial cost to provide their meals for their working day. If the employee is out and about it is their wages that pay for their coffees and lunches/meals. It is only usually if an employee is sent away on a course that they are given a meal allowance for each day. Obviously I understand that the nanny has her entrance fee paid for in order to take the children out, but do you need a coffee paid for by your employer while at soft play? As a parent I am usually too busy with my three to sit down for a coffee. I also would arrange to take my three to such activities prior to or after their meal at home, taking a snack and their drinks with me. I don't necessarily see why this money needs to be spent particularly in this financial climate.

Iggly · 02/12/2012 09:17

I tell our nanny to use the kitty for stuff like that. She wouldn't be buying otherwise.

MarshmallowCupcake · 02/12/2012 09:29

2plus1- if I worked in a shop or office, I would take my lunch with me and there would be tea or coffee facilities. As a nanny, we have our meals provided for us, that's how it's been for my 20 years of nannying. If I'm asked to take the kids out for lunch, then we get lunch too. Depending where we are, we might take a packed lunch but you can't do this everywhere. I also find that my bosses appreciate me taking kids to lunch/coffee shops because the kids then have an idea of how to act in these places and therefore behave well when they go for lunch/coffee with their parents. As for us not having a coffee at soft play, if the kids have a drink, I have a drink! You can't take your own stuff into the play area. It's nice to go and play with the kids when we're at soft play but my charges are now old enough to go play on their own and they want to go running around with their new friends - while heavily supervised from the edge by me!

callaird · 02/12/2012 09:34

2plus1- it's in my contract that meals and snacks are included. It's not so easy to pop to the shops/cafe to get breakfast/lunch/tea when you have children to care for and generally do not work in town.

I work 6:15-7pm, it's enough to get myself out of the house in the morning without having to gather ingredients or prepare my meals for the day!

Being a nanny is completely different from any other profession, we do not get coffee or lunch breaks, yes, I have two hours where my charge sleeps in the afternoon, but by the time I have tidied up lunch things, prepared tea, sorted out washing and ironing and batch cooked for the freezer I generally have about 20 minutes to sit down, have my lunch and relax, I cannot pop out to get my lunch so I eat from their fridge/cupboard. My charge has a cooked tea and I usually eat tea with her because eating at 7:30-8pm is too late for me.

I would never work for a family who didn't provide food for me. I don't take the piss, I eat what my charge eats, I don't expect smoked salmon and caviar and if I did fancy that then of course I would buy that myself.

LadyIsabellaWrotham · 02/12/2012 09:42

Some jobs meals are provided, some they aren't.

As an employee I get tea/coffee and if I'm required to have a meeting during lunchtime my employer will pay for lunch. My nanny is always on duty during lunch so I pay for her meal. I guess if a nanny was looking after a purée or milk-fed baby then she might bring her own packed lunch in, but generally speaking lunch is part of the package and that goes for meals out too.

Iggly · 02/12/2012 09:55

2plus1, do you have a nanny?

Our nanny brings her lunch in - but that's only because she gets up to two hours when both DCs nap from 1. So a built in lunch break.

In my lunch break, I don't have to work (I'm in an office) so I don't expect it to be provided. If I work over lunch - it is my choice unless I'm on a training course or meeting, in which case we get lunch.

When my DCs stop napping or she takes them out over lunch, so is still working, then I provide lunch or money for her lunch.

Citing current economic circumstances is not a reason to take the piss.

Bonsoir · 02/12/2012 10:00

nannynick - I would expect your employers to be at least contributing to your health club membership if you are regularly taking a child in your care there and he/she (not you) is the beneficiary of the outing.

callaird · 02/12/2012 11:20

blondes Hey!! I put everything I buy for them on my M&S credit card, I generally spend +£600 a month. They pay me back at the end of the month without fail.

Every three months I get roughly £50 of money off vouchers for M&S. I get to buy nice food! If I forget the odd coffee or juice then I don't really mind.

I do carry the kitty book around with me and put things in as I spend. Including receipts. I don't often forget!

callaird · 02/12/2012 11:26

Oh! And I have done this for 25 years. I have never ever had an employer tell me that they wouldn't pay it! Most never even look at it or check receipts, just pay the amount that I say is owed!

It is also in my contract that the employer will cover any expenses incurred during work so I would take them to small claims if they didn't pay it!

I keep a book and write when they pay me at the bottom so that the tax man can see that it is expenses not undeclared over time. And I also have proof of how much I spend each month so that the court could see that they actually owe me!

Blondeshavemorefun · 02/12/2012 11:30

Marshmallow explains it well :)

'Callaird' let's hope you never fall out with your boss 's like my friend did ...... And yes like you I have that I'm allowed meals and drinks in my contract as again have had friends work 7-7 and the parents begrudge the nanny having breakfast there

I could get up at eat breakfast at 6am and go to work as then be hungry at 8/9am

Plus sitting with children while they are eatin their meals - showing table manners and talking about the day is good :)