How does a nanny who helps w cooking work logistically?

[Anonymous]

We’re hiring someone who will watch my daughter when she’s not in preschool, and to make sure the person has enough hours, she’ll be employed w us one day a week when our child is in school, so the nanny has no child care duties. On this day she’ll be expected to do more “house manager” things (her words). I can imagine her running errands, folding clothes, and doing simple cooking. How is it best for the cooking to work logistically? Should I plan on reimbursing her for groceries she buys or is it better that I get a list of ingredients for her upfront? Sometimes I’ll give her a recipe to make but she’s a good cook and we don’t have dietary requirements so other times I’ll ask her to make a meal we can put in the fridge for later. I know the key to a good relationship here is clarity so any ideas how to approach this task would be very helpful so I can provide clear perimeters and we’re all happy. TIA!

[Anonymous]

We buy all our food and have it delivered here. If our nanny wants something whether for our kids school lunches or for their snacks they add it to our shopping list.

For our family of four, our nanny does prep cooking. Marinating, peeling and chopping vegetables, making stock, setting the table, Actually the kids set the table. But you get the idea.

[Anonymous]

Give her a credit card or have her give you a list. Never, ever put an employee in the position of having to “front” his/her own money.

[Anonymous]

Have groceries delivered to your house. Have a meal plan and a list of what you expect her to do.

[Anonymous]

I've done lots of cooking for my families because I enjoy it. They might pick out a recipe and purchase the ingredients for it or ask me if I have any ideas and I will let them know what to get. I've also shopped for families with a list they give me or I purchase what I know I need and give them a receipt. I also try to involve the kids in the cooking process when possible.

[Anonymous]

You should absolutely not assume your nanny has the ability to pay for your family's groceries up front. Provide her with a credit card, prepaid debit card, or access to your instacart account.

[Anonymous]

We give our nanny cash to do the shopping. She buys whatever she needs if she's going to be making a meal, and/or she buys whatever we've put on the list.

[Anonymous]

I’ve dealt with the three most common: petty cash in an envelope (intended for small stops), use my card and turn in receipts for reimbursement (most common with small stops, but I was comfortable with the $250-400 trips), and household card. I preferred using my card, because I got the rewards for recurring large trips without my expenditure, and I saw an increase in my credit limit and rating. Most financially savvy families who trust that the card will be used responsibly and need several hundred dollars of purchases every week will get a household card in the nanny’s name, but requiring receipts varies (ime, 50/50). The families providing petty cash in an envelope rarely do more than $150 per week, which isn’t enough to gas up a vehicle, grocery shop and take care of other errands.

[Anonymous]

You're to lazy to cook and too cheap to pay in advance for your food. So, the nanny has to use her money and then give you the receipt and hope that you will reimburse her immediately but you will probably wait a few weeks before paying her. Loathsome.

[Anonymous]

give her her own card she can use. have groceries delivered. as PP said, let her add to the list if she needs anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Give her a credit card or have her give you a list. Never, ever put an employee in the position of having to “front” his/her own money.

Normally I would agree with you. However, when I was a Nanny in my 20s I used my own card for my family then they reimbursed me at the end of the month. It was better for me because it got my credit score higher because I was charging and paying off close to 1K a month as opposed to $300 ish a month of my own. ( I paid for classes, camps etc on it )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give her a credit card or have her give you a list. Never, ever put an employee in the position of having to “front” his/her own money.

Normally I would agree with you. However, when I was a Nanny in my 20s I used my own card for my family then they reimbursed me at the end of the month. It was better for me because it got my credit score higher because I was charging and paying off close to 1K a month as opposed to $300 ish a month of my own. ( I paid for classes, camps etc on it )

Fine, if you can trust your employer to actually pay you. Most MBs on DCUM try to cheat their nannies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give her a credit card or have her give you a list. Never, ever put an employee in the position of having to “front” his/her own money.

Normally I would agree with you. However, when I was a Nanny in my 20s I used my own card for my family then they reimbursed me at the end of the month. It was better for me because it got my credit score higher because I was charging and paying off close to 1K a month as opposed to $300 ish a month of my own. ( I paid for classes, camps etc on it )

Fine, if you can trust your employer to actually pay you. Most MBs on DCUM try to cheat their nannies.

Mine never shorted me. We did decide to move from weekly adding up receipts and getting a check to immediate requests through Venmo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Give her a credit card or have her give you a list. Never, ever put an employee in the position of having to “front” his/her own money.

I'm a nanny and I don't gerenally mind this as long as I get paid back in a timely fashion. I earn credit card points which translate to airfare or hotel or whatever, and since I live alone I don't spend a ton of money, so when the employers need me to shop, I earn more points faster. Works for me, may not work for a very young nanny who doesn't have a sapphire or AMEX card or whatever yet.

[Anonymous]

Nannies do not cook.