Differences in spending habits - MB's/DB's vs. nannies
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Anonymous
| Curious to hear from others about your experiences. We are a relatively frugal family and we have a nanny who is a bit more free about spending money when out with the kids. For example, on a normal outing for us we pack snacks and drinks from home. We occasionally eat out but it's fairly rare and usually for a treat. We also have memberships to several local places where we can take the kids in addition to free stuff so we're not always paying individually for an activity every time we go. Mostly we tend to go to the park, library or somewhere where we have an annual pass. I SAH part time with the kids so I really get how hard it can be to entertain them which is why we always give ideas of places for them to go to get out of the house. Our nanny is more free with buying them things when out - snacks, toys etc. Of course we reimburse her but I also don't really want to spend money that way since DB and I don't do it ourselves when we're with them and it adds up. There's also a bit of a philosophical issue of not wanting my kids to get used to getting something whenever they go out. I don't know if it's just an individual difference kind of thing since it hasn't been an issue for us before and I'm not sure if I should raise it. Has anyone been down this road before? Nannies, do you assume if someone has a nanny they have a lot of disposable income so daily things wouldn't be an issue? |
Anonymous
| I'm a nanny, and I tend to be very careful with my own money and try to do the same with my employer's money. I don't think it particularly matters how your nanny might be with her own money. I would suggest giving her a petty cash budget, perhaps for each month or every 2 weeks if that's easier for her to manage. Set a budget that you're comfortable with her spending, accept that she will likely spend it all, and let her know that when it's used up it used up. |
Anonymous
| Tell her to stop buying all that stuff! This is not a choice she gets to make on behalf of your wallet. |
Anonymous
| Tell her what her daily budget or weekly budget is, and tell her to bring lunch/snacks from home. This is your decision, not hers, except for money she wants to spend on her own food. |
Anonymous
| You mean she brings home made-in-China crap? How old are your kids, OP? |
Anonymous
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I only take the children to pre approved places. They are all free places like the library, or a local park. I would never ask to take my charges to places that require an admission fee. Of course I am more then happy to take them if my employers ask me to take them somewhere that requires admission fees. I never take them to stores or restaurants because they are not pre approved locations.
Now if am emergency were to happen and I needed to buy something I of course would but I wouldn't ask to be paid back. You should talk to your nanny about this |
Anonymous
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I tell the nanny where I'd like the children taken and leave money for them to all get in there. I also indicate if I'd like snacks/lunch packed or leave money to buy.
OP you should be in control of this. It's not someone else's place to spend your money without your permission. |
Anonymous
| When you need to micromanage her, she's a sitter, not a nanny. |
Anonymous
| Why are you asking nannies here what they do or think instead of having a simple convo indicating outings come with packed lunches from home? Your last sentence makes it sound as if nannies think employers are wealthy just because they employ one. |
Anonymous
| Where do they go, and for how long? Ages?? |
Anonymous
| We had a nanny previously who was much more of a spender than we are and she just splurged on the kids with her own money. She knew what I was willing to pay for, and if she decided to go to Starbucks with them and decided to buy cake pops she knew that I wasn't going to go for that so she just paid for it herself. |
Anonymous
Wow. She wasn't much into nutrition. I'd be upset about the lack of quality. (I'm a professional nanny.) |
Anonymous
I've mentioned her on here before, but yes for a long time I tried to tell myself that it was ok when she did things like this because she clearly loved my kids and they knew it but I was relieved when she quit after 3 years and for the past year we've had a wonderful professional nanny who makes me wish that we'd made a change MUCH sooner. |
Anonymous
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I think a lot of people are freer with their employers' money than their own (look at corporate expense accounts). This is why a lot of jobs are very clear about what the company will spring for.
Also, it's less work and more fun to buy food and trinkets when out than to plan ahead and clean the stuff up after. So, I think she's a little lazy, a little unconcerned about your money, but probably not doing it to make you angry. Just tell her the outings have gotten more expensive than your budget can handle, and tell her how you'd like her to proceed. I'd suggest giving her a specific dollar amount per month, and then suggesting things like "pack a picnic" to allow for more outings within the budget. Agree with everyone |
Anonymous
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I am a nanny and I tend to be much like yours.
I'm part-time and occasionally pay for a lunch out or something else. It is of my own accord so I never expect to be reimbursed. I just love spoiling my little charge since I know it isn't something I will be able to do forever. However if his parents asked me to take him to lunch it would be assumed that it would be on their dime. |