Nanny incidentals

[play017]

How much does your nanny spend daily on the kids on a day to day basis?
Ours seems to have been spending more and more daily - sometimes up to £30 a day on cafes and groceries.
I'm wondering how much of a budget do you set your nanny for daily spend?

My friend has a nanny and her nanny has to supply receipts for everything and puts expenses in but has a "float" of £100 per week

Very little - I try to do cheap or free activities. It's been half term this week and I've worked four days - I've spent £14 plus mileage allowance. We did a countryside walk (free), walk around a ruined Abbey (£7.50 for annual pass tickets), park, art gallery and picnic (free), park (£6.50 for a coffee and a couple of toasted teacakes as a treat). I make a list of any groceries/baking ingredients/craft stuff i need and the parents get it in their main weekly shop.

What was discussed at interview

£30 a day on cafes seems a lot and I used to eat out as a nanny

Usually once a week at soft play or a meal out every few weeks

It's good for your dc to learn how to sit nicely in restaurants etx

Seems your nanny is spending a lot imo

So a quick chat

Or set a budget and up to her how she spends it

Groceries ? If she wants something to put on shopping list

Or do you mean bread milk nappies etx

It will vary a lot.
In one of my nanny jobs I take the toddler to toddler group. We walk there and walk back so our cost is just the toddler group suggested donation amount of £2.

On another day we go to an activity that is booked in advance. I do not know how much that costs, the parent pay the provider direct. I drive to it as it is some distance away and we have to park in a public car park so it ends up costing just under £7 for the mileage and parking charge.

Can you set a budget that your nanny need to stick to? If that is weekly, could it roll over so if they wanted to do a costly trip then they could have a low cost week followed by a costly week?

I can't remember what we said exactly during the interview but it started off as £5-10 a day and has slowly been creeping up, and it feels a bit excessive now. Will definitely chat to her on Monday and ask her to keep to max £5-10 a day.

She tends to go to Sainsbury's to pick up lunch for the kids but have now started buying bottled water, cut up fruit, cakes and all sorts!

£5 max for swimming or playgroup on the odd day she takes them out. £30 a day is an absolute pisstake! How many days a week does she have them?

5 days a week - its not always £30 a day. But we have a credit card that only she uses but this month the card is £400

Maybe setting a weekly float would be the best bet. She’ll likely always spend the whole lot but at least you feel comfortable with the amount.

I rarely bought lunch or coffee with my employer’s money. I only did it if it was an intrinsic part of the day eg children enjoying soft play with their friends so will buy lunch so we can stay longer, or outside all day in colder weather and need a cafe stop to warm up.

Ask her to have lunch at home most days

And maybe one day out for lunch

Cut up fruit ?

Tell her to add what she wants on shopping list or make sure fruit bowl is full and pass her a knife

This is shocking honestly! My main nanny job is 3 days per week and my general rule is:
1 day- something free
1 day - something cheap
1 day- something that costs (but still not expensive, perhaps soft play or similar!)

I don't always stick to this but I try to even out over a month. My general expenses for 3 days a week tend to come out as between £20-40 a month (and this includes mileage, as the family live in a village)
I could not imagine spending that much of someone else's money honestly!

That's excessive. Is there not food at home she can make lunch with?

@play017 GOSH! That is alot

£2 for playgroup!

As for the eating out, we take a pack lunch!

Definitely would have a word, so your both on the same page

:-)

It sounds like she doesn't want to make lunch - assuming she is supposed to do that as part of her job.

Maybe set out a lunch menu with her?

£400 sounds a lot.

She does eat lunch with the kids at home but she then takes them out to the cafe for cookies and snacks after then the kids don't want to eat dinner
I have spoken to her though so she's spending a bit less. Not huge amount less but at least up to £10 a day which I think is tolerable..

Cafe for a treat sometimes yes

Not weekly

That seems excessive. My bosses quite often ask if we're home for lunch... errr yeah.. only so.many cafe lunches I can manage!
Maybe in the school holidays we'll do a cafe lunch but generally it's picnics I don't wanna take the...