Going rates for mother's helper and yard work?

[sarahsthreads]

OK, DH has too much he's trying to hold together right now and even if I weren't on "not-quite" bedrest I'm really just too exhausted to keep up my end of things. He's agreed that we should hire some stuff out this summer, but we've never done this before, so I was wondering about rates?

There are a couple of high school boys who live next door, and their mom has mentioned a couple of times that they'd be more than willing to come over and use our lawnmower for "just a few bucks" if DH were out of town or otherwise unable to mow our lawn. But what I *really* need is someone to weed our front beds (I have a fabulous crop of baby trees and pricker plants) and put down fresh mulch, and maybe even plant a few annuals in our boxes so when this baby arrives and people come to visit it doesn't look like the Addams family lives here... So how much should I offer for that sort of work? If I were healthy and not dealing with a preschooler underfoot I could do it in maybe 2-3 hours, so it's not a *ton* of work, and of course we'd buy the mulch and annuals, etc.

Also, I've never hired a baby sitter, but I have a lead on another teenager who could come over a couple times a week to help out with keeping DD active and playing outdoors. Her mother (a friend of mine) insists that this girl would not expect to be paid, but I would not be at all comfortable with that arrangement, especially since she'd be spending money on gas to drive to and from our house. So what would be fair to offer her? I know when I was baby sitting (about 15 years ago!) I made $4-5/hour to watch two kids while the parents went out, but obviously times have changed and I don't want to insult her if that's really low for watching one kid while I'm home.

We're such DIY people that the only things we ever hire out are the really BIG things - like getting a new roof - so this is completely new to me. Help!

TIA!
Sarah :)

[bubbaray]

OK, DH has too much he's trying to hold together right now and even if I weren't on "not-quite" bedrest I'm really just too exhausted to keep up my end of things. He's agreed that we should hire some stuff out this summer, but we've never done this before, so I was wondering about rates?

There are a couple of high school boys who live next door, and their mom has mentioned a couple of times that they'd be more than willing to come over and use our lawnmower for "just a few bucks" if DH were out of town or otherwise unable to mow our lawn. But what I *really* need is someone to weed our front beds (I have a fabulous crop of baby trees and pricker plants) and put down fresh mulch, and maybe even plant a few annuals in our boxes so when this baby arrives and people come to visit it doesn't look like the Addams family lives here... So how much should I offer for that sort of work? If I were healthy and not dealing with a preschooler underfoot I could do it in maybe 2-3 hours, so it's not a *ton* of work, and of course we'd buy the mulch and annuals, etc.

Also, I've never hired a baby sitter, but I have a lead on another teenager who could come over a couple times a week to help out with keeping DD active and playing outdoors. Her mother (a friend of mine) insists that this girl would not expect to be paid, but I would not be at all comfortable with that arrangement, especially since she'd be spending money on gas to drive to and from our house. So what would be fair to offer her? I know when I was baby sitting (about 15 years ago!) I made $4-5/hour to watch two kids while the parents went out, but obviously times have changed and I don't want to insult her if that's really low for watching one kid while I'm home.

We're such DIY people that the only things we ever hire out are the really BIG things - like getting a new roof - so this is completely new to me. Help!

TIA!
Sarah :)


I'd pay about minimum wage, rounded up to the nearest whole dollar, for both jobs. For the babysitter that drives, I might toss in a gas card once a month as a tip.

Hey, what about having THAT friend and her daughter watch your DD while you're in the hospital?? The daughter could start now a few days a week so they get used to each other, then do 1 overnight before the birth.....

Just a thought.

ETA: Hmmm, maybe it wasn't you who posted last night about needing someone to watch DD.... Ack, I forget!

[Fairy]

I'm paying the 10-yo next door $5 to come play with DS from 3pm - 5pm one day a week. I tried paying her $10, but her mom wouldn't let me, mainly cuz of her age and cuz I'm still supervising. I'm pretty much doing work on the computer or washing dishes/cleaning the kitchen & family room while they play in the living room, tho they went outside in the driveway without me yesterday for a bit. I think $5 for two hours is not enough, so if I were allowed to give more, I'd give $4 or $5/hour.

[kijip]

Well the garden parts depends on if you hire a gardener or not. For a small commercial property that is similar to a residential home, I pay about $117 for 3-4 hours of gardening per month. For a kid, maybe $8-10/hr? But I am not sure if I'd assume a teen would do a good job here unless it was a hobby of theirs.

For a mother's helper that is an older teen that drives, around here I would expect to pay $10 more or less. I pay a 12 year old boy who plays with T $5 an hour so I'd expect to pay a driving teen more.

[sarahsthreads]

Ooh, I like the idea of the gas card!

And no, I'm not the one who needs a sitter for DD, although if I were that would probably be a good option. :)

Sarah

[sarahsthreads]

That's good to know. There's an 11-year-old down the street who's not quite old enough for "real" babysitting, but I've considered asking her to come once a week once the school year starts back up while I'm home just to give her some experience - so in a few years when she *is* old enough I'll have a neighborhood sitter who is already familiar to the girls.

[ThreeofUs]

We pay $10 - but for that we demand experienced help. Younger kids, who we have to supervise, get less.

[sarahsthreads]

I think they'd do a decent job. Their parents' lawn and gardens all look good, and I've seen them helping out, so I think they know the difference between a weed and a bush. ;)

Just out of curiousity, if I'm not asking the driving teen to drive DD around - and I'm not going to - why would I pay 2x what I'd pay a non-driving teen? (Assuming I do offer some extra $$ or a gas card to cover her gas to and from our place?)

Sarah :)

Edited because I can't spell...

[kijip]

Just out of curiousity, if I'm not asking the driving teen to drive DD around - and I'm not going to - why would I pay 2x what I'd pay a non-driving teen? (Assuming I do offer some extra $$ or a gas card to cover her gas to and from our place?)

Sarah :)

Because I am assuming that a 16 or 17 year old will be able to do more and that you will not have to make meals or supervise. I don't really sleep when the 12 year old is here, I am either cleaning or reading or writing (work). I have to stop what I am doing to make them lunch. Whereas with a 16 year old, I would be willing to leave the house (to go to the doctors for example) or even if I am at the house, shut myself up in my room and sleep. Over 10 years ago as an older teen sitter I got a min. of $7-8/hr, sometimes more. So I expect to pay more now.

It varies a lot by area. Here college age and adult sitters get around $15/hour but other places, it is closer to $8 for adults. Factor in your location.

ETA: Also, I figure I need to pay an older sitter at least what they would make elsewhere. For working in a grocery store or at McDs here they can get $7-8/hr (our min wage is one of the highest in the nation). And taking care of kids is harder work IMO than bagging groceries. So $9-11 DOE and DOQ seems more reasonable. Whereas a 12 year old can't legally work anywhere and $5 is a lot more money to a 12 year old than a 17 year old. :)

[sarahsthreads]

Hm, I know she babysits, but as far as I know she's not CPR-certified or any of the things I'd expect if I were hiring an adult. I'd definitely feel the need to supervise them if they were to go in our pool. (To be honest, I'm not sure I'm ready to trust that to anyone yet besides myself and DH...maybe I'll have them stick to the lawn sprinkler...)

I don't know - it sounds like my original thought of somewhere between $5 and $10 an hour is probably reasonable. Maybe I'll ask her what she'd like to get and if it's on the low end add a couple of bucks to it. (As much as her mom insists she doesn't need to be paid, all teenagers love to earn money, right?)

Sarah :)

[sarahsthreads]

Because I am assuming that a 16 or 17 year old will be able to do more and that you will not have to make meals or supervise. I don't really sleep when the 12 year old is here, I am either cleaning or reading or writing (work). I have to stop what I am doing to make them lunch. Whereas with a 16 year old, I would be willing to leave the house (to go to the doctors for example) or even if I am at the house, shut myself up in my room and sleep.

Ah, that makes sense. I don't intend to leave the house, but I would consider napping if they seemed to get along well. And those couple of years do make a difference in the trust level in that regard...

Thanks!
Sarah :)

[Melbel]

We pay our college age sitters $12/hour for DS (8) and DD (6), but we do leave the house. Our kids are well behaved, are easy overall and have an early bedtime. If we go out at night, for the most part, the sitter gets paid to do their college work. Although the going rate is closer to $10/hour, I would rather pay a little extra to make sure we can keep our great sitters happy and motivated to work for our family. As you build trust, you may be more willing to leave the house to run an errand, get a haircut or go to a doctor's appointment. Have you asked other moms in your area how much they pay for sitters/mother's helpers? I agree with PP, that to a large extent the market rate depends on where you live.

We have our yard mowed, edged and hedges trimmed weekly for $150/month. When DH mulched our yard recently before DD2's arrival, it took the better part of a day (not just a couple of hours).

As we have gotten busier with work, kids, etc., we have been more willing to hire help. It has provided us with much more quality family time. Good luck!