Splitting the cost of a sitter

[Anonymous]

5 kids - 2 are mine, 3 are my brothers, mostly the same age though I have the youngest at 2yrs old. Sitter is charging $25 an hour for the 5 - do we divvy it up per kid or split it down the middle?

[Anonymous]

Given that the 2-year-old is potentially as much work as two older kids, I'd split down the middle.

[Anonymous]

Down the middle of course. I can’t believe the tit for tat with family members.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Given that the 2-year-old is potentially as much work as two older kids, I'd split down the middle.

+1

close enough.

[Anonymous]

Lord god, you are a cheapskate if you really think you should save $2.50 an hour by divvying it up per kid. Just split it.

[Anonymous]

$25/hour for 5 kids is super cheap. Split it down the middle and give her a big tip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lord god, you are a cheapskate if you really think you should save $2.50 an hour by divvying it up per kid. Just split it.

Maybe I am a cheapskate? I'm a single mom raising two kids on a GS-9 salary. Brother makes over 300K. I didn't come here for your judgement. I came to get a response of what would be generally accepted. Maybe you should step off your high horse and realize that not everyone is in as stable a situation as you. We're also splitting food and tip. So yeah, paying per kid would save me probably close to $30-40 which is a lot for someone like me.

[Anonymous]

Who is this person that only charges that much for 5 kids? That should be your question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lord god, you are a cheapskate if you really think you should save $2.50 an hour by divvying it up per kid. Just split it.

Maybe I am a cheapskate? I'm a single mom raising two kids on a GS-9 salary. Brother makes over 300K. I didn't come here for your judgement. I came to get a response of what would be generally accepted. Maybe you should step off your high horse and realize that not everyone is in as stable a situation as you. We're also splitting food and tip. So yeah, paying per kid would save me probably close to $30-40 which is a lot for someone like me.

If yoir brother knows your situation then he’s a total jerk for not offering to pay for the whole thing. I have two kids and my sitters charge $25/hr. I would offer to pay for the whole thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lord god, you are a cheapskate if you really think you should save $2.50 an hour by divvying it up per kid. Just split it.

Maybe I am a cheapskate? I'm a single mom raising two kids on a GS-9 salary. Brother makes over 300K. I didn't come here for your judgement. I came to get a response of what would be generally accepted. Maybe you should step off your high horse and realize that not everyone is in as stable a situation as you. We're also splitting food and tip. So yeah, paying per kid would save me probably close to $30-40 which is a lot for someone like me.

If yoir brother knows your situation then he’s a total jerk for not offering to pay for the whole thing. I have two kids and my sitters charge $25/hr. I would offer to pay for the whole thing.

+1 I make $340k and my sister is a single mom with 2 kids making roughly a third of that. I can't imagine making her split the bill with me at a dinner or pay for a share of a babysitter I was also using. OP your brother is a dick.

[Anonymous]

Yep brother is a douche once you know the full story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep brother is a douche once you know the full story.

Total douche.

[Anonymous]

The other option is you stay home if you can't afford it. Yes it sucks, I've been there but if you can't afford a sitter and need other people to foot the bill for you , you stay home.

Now if your brother is insisting you come out yes he should pay., But just because he makes more than you doesn't make him your financier.

[Anonymous]

Given the situation you describe and the financial differences, I’d say per-kid is a reasonable option and argue for that. What are the ages of the other kids? Are any of the older kids difficult? Does one set of siblings fight more and therefore require more refereeing? If your brother is trying to argue about this, there are other things besides age to look at. So I’d say argue for per-kid.

[Anonymous]

In our family chances are I would offer to pay 1/2 and my brother would counter with he will cover it all. I would provide the tip and maybe some little crafts or new activity to help keep them busy.