Right now I feel like having myself cloned would make babysitting so much easier. Seems like everyone needs babysitters these days and I just can't be everywhere at the same time.One person says to me "So are we on for Wednesday night?" I said "sorry, someone already asked me". Then she said "I thought we had a deal that you come to me every Wednesday night". I guess it was implied cause I was babysitting by her for already 4 or 5 Wednesday nights. So she said "next Wednesday night your coming to me" so I said "ok, I didn't know before that I was yours for every Wednesday night, but from now on I won't book other people that night".
Then I got a phone call from someone else and she left a message saying she needs me for 3 Wednesday nights. I forgot to call her back for a week, cause I was meaning to tell her I wouldn't be able to come because I have a different babysitting job. Then today she calls back to see what the story is, and I told her that I'm sorry but a different person already asked me for every Wednesday night, so I can't. So she said "Wow, your in demand, that must be good to have some pocket money". I wasn't even thinking about the money, cause like I said in an earlier post, I don't babysit for the money.
So sometimes I just wish that there can be more babysitters like me, then I can just send them out to the different places. Although really it wouldn't work for 2 reasons. One, because I would be jealous if there were other "Babysitters" going around. Two, because if the "Babysitters" would each go to different jobs then through the different environments they will automatically change and won't be the same clone anymore, they would develop different personalities.
Usually I don't like taking on new jobs cause then it just makes more people need me and making it harder to fit everyone in. Sometimes I make exceptions though. So I babysat for a new person, then she says to me:
"I can use an extra hand around here- are you interested in babysitting again? or are you too busy ? also how much do you charge an hour? now that I know your in the neighborhood- I can really use help - my hubby works till very late at night and sometimes I could use an extra hand- whats your schedule like? I know you work for so and so- but if your interested- maybe I can give you more work!!"
It gets to a point where it just makes me laugh, "Maybe I can give you more work" As if I already don't have enough! But then again it can be refreshing to babysit by new people. "how much do you charge an hour?" I can take advantage of that question, and because I'm in such a "demand" I can raise my price. But because I'm not raising it for the other people, I will just tell her the regular price.
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What is the normal price?
ReplyDeleteI should make a poll to see what people think the "normal" price is.
ReplyDeleteMost people pay me $8/hr.
You should really charge more. If it's more than one child or only 2 hours, $10 and up. My friend's 16 year old daughter gets around $10/hr.
ReplyDeleteYea, one person pays me $10/hr.
ReplyDeleteIts just I started off getting $5/hr. and then it went up by $1 every so often. Maybe next year if I continue babysitting I'll make it $10/hr.
i never felt bad about stating my price. usually u can tell if ppl can affort ten dollars or not. but if they don't like what i charged, they didn't ask me back again.
ReplyDeleteand you can always tell by profiling. check out the neighborhood they live in, their cars, dining room set.... :)
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ReplyDeleteIn Boca Raton, they make between $14 and $18 an hour, it's pretty crazy, although there is an explanation.
ReplyDeleteBasically, since it's a relatively young community, there are very few people of eligible age who are willing to do it. Low supply because it's a young community, high demand because it's a young community leads to high prices. Plus, the COL is higher there.
yea, mine is also a young community, that's why they seem to be all asking me, cause there is no one else to ask.
ReplyDeleteI've heard lots of baby sitters charge a base price for so so many kids or less, and then after that they add like maybe a dollar or so per kid.
ReplyDeletethat way you get better compensation for more kids.
although maybe that price should go down if the oldest are of an age where they can help. (like 12 or 14 or something.)
Yoni: usually when I babysit its just a few kids, either 1, 2 or 3. There's only one family where I babysit like 8 kids, but there I don't feel like I'm babysitting and there even the 5 year old helps me, and that family I happen to charge the least of $7/hr. If I had like a babysitting service where different families kids come to my house and I watch them there, then it would be a different story. Then I would be able to charge a base amount and then extra per kid.
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