Tweens earning money

[k3am]

DD *really* wants to earn money and has realized that lemonade stands aren’t the way to do it.

We’ve been paying her a couple dollars an evening to entertain younger siblings when we’re visiting friends. She has her first “real” babysitting session for a couple hours tomorrow night (we will all be within a mile of the house).. we’re thinking $3/hour. (They offered her $10/hour and I told them no)

Other suggestions? She wants to make a flyer to leave with a few close neighbors.

-mothers helper for younger kids for $0.50/hour while mom is there to get her experience (we have a neighbor in mind to target that has a 1 year old and 3 year old - DD definitely isn’t up for diapers or solo sitting this age, but could distract them to get mom time to do other stuff)
-take trash can to/from curb ($0.50 - I tried offering the neighbor boy $1 to do it previously and he scoffed!)
-vacation house minder - open window shutters in morning, close in afternoon, bring in mail, etc (another neighbor in mind that would definitely do this)

Any other suggestions? Or prices that are way off? Pet feeding/walking is definitely off the table right now.. she refuses to feed our dog because of the smell. She’ll pick up his poop at home with the device, but not on a walk with a bag.

[sdlaura]

I think your rates are low and $10 an hour is reasonable, personally (as someone else in a HCOL area).

Is there anything she can do related to her sport - Ice skating, I think?

My DD has zero interest in babysitting, probably because she has so many little brothers, but she has been junior umpiring little girls’ softball games for $25 per game. My friends whose kids ride horses have kids who help around the barn.

ETA - yesterday I had a 16-year-old babysit my 4- and 7-year-olds and paid her $25 an hour and rounded up.

[erbear]

How old is she? $10/hour is a steal for a babysitter and I would let them pay her what they want.

cat or reptile or fish sitting when people are on vacation
Yard work (it's almost leaf time here)

[dellabear]

I also think $10/hour is a good rate for a tween. We paid teens $15/hr five years ago. HCOL area though.

My newly 13 yo daughter babysits for $10/hour and works as a program assistant at her figure skating club, helping with the little kids learn to skate program. She earns $5/hour which we get back as a credit on her account.

[callmekd]

Aug 26, 2024 21:28:51 GMT -5 sdlaura said:

I think your rates are low and $10 an hour is reasonable, personally (as someone else in a HCOL area).

Is there anything she can do related to her sport - Ice skating, I think?

My DD has zero interest in babysitting, probably because she has so many little brothers, but she has been junior umpiring little girls’ softball games for $25 per game. My friends whose kids ride horses have kids who help around the barn.

ETA - yesterday I had a 16-year-old babysit my 4- and 7-year-olds and paid her $25 an hour and rounded up.

I agree! $10/hour to be a helper is very normal.

[sandandsea]

Laundry folding/putting away? I used to pay a neighbor high schooler $20/week to come and do this for me. Best $20 I spent and it was way easier and better than babysitting for her too sadly she left for college and we moved and I haven’t found a replacement.

[k3am]

She’s 11 and has never babysit, isn’t CPR/first aid certified, etc. For the first few times, $3 seems good. Maybe I’m awful. She was happy with the $3/rate + a bonus if the house isn’t a disaster when we get back. $10 seems reasonable once she is more confident.

sandandsea, if she could fold laundry, I’d pay her.. alas, she does her own laundry, but shoves it wherever she feels like.

[sdlaura]

sandandsea I thought about the laundry folding too. Even just getting everything right side out, matching socks, and shoving it in the right drawer would help me!

[pittpurple]

Aug 26, 2024 22:38:13 GMT -5 k3am said:

She’s 11 and has never babysit, isn’t CPR/first aid certified, etc. For the first few times, $3 seems good. Maybe I’m awful. She was happy with the $3/rate + a bonus if the house isn’t a disaster when we get back. $10 seems reasonable once she is more confident.

sandandsea , if she could fold laundry, I’d pay her.. alas, she does her own laundry, but shoves it wherever she feels like.

My daughter is the same age and while I do leave her home with my son if I'm running to the store or similar, that seems pretty young to be left in an unfamiliar house in charge of more than one child. My parents wouldn't let me babysit until I took a course in first aid, etc - I started doing mother's helper stuff at 12 and then babysitting at 14.

However... that aside... $3/hour is exactly what I was paid for mother's helping in 1992 so I think you are way off. 

My 11 year old does cat-sitting for a friend for $10/day - 1 hour to feed/clean up and play with the cat. So $10/hour seems like the right figure. While of course you don't want to take advantage, you also want to teach your kid that their time is valuable and worth respecting. 

(I would definitely insist on her having some training though before being in charge of a house like that. Appreciate you will be a few minutes away but a lot can happen in a few minutes!)

[campermom]

Just a frame of reference my daughter is 13 and took a babysitting course. She hasn’t babysat yet but they told her 13-14 an hour is appropriate.

[mae0111]

What about very minor car detailing? Just vacuuming and cleaning out trash? I will periodically pay my kids to do that (even though they're the ones messing up my car.

I also offer good $$ for yard work - weeding, raking, etc. Even weed whacking, but she might be a little young for that.

Or cleaning that goes beyond the regular daily/weekly things? Washing baseboards, doors, walls, windows. Organization tasks.

[mommyatty]

Here’s my advice- Do not get in the middle of her business negotiations. $10 per hour is very reasonable and probably below what they would pay a high schooler. Here, in a MCOL, a high schooler easily gets $20 per hour to babysit. But beyond that, you want this opportunity to allow her room to practice a lot of life skills, including negotiating for salary. If someone asks you what your DD charges for things, say “I’m not really sure. You’ll have to ask her. But I’m sure she would love the opportunity to earn her own money!”

Also, honestly, you have Mayberry circa 1989 rates.

[rere]

I would pay Dd $30-$50 a week to do things above and beyond regular chores such as laundry, cleaning bathrooms, vacuum, organizing or cleaning out an area...depending on what got done that week. It helped me out, but it had to be done well and actually helpful.

[dglvrk2]

I agree that $10 for babysitting is very reasonable. DD1 is CPR and First Aid certified. At 12 years old, she started charging $20/hour for babysitting multiple (2-3) children and no one has questioned it. FWIW, I paid $10 for a mother's helper in 2012/2013, when she was a toddler. That being said, if she's happy with $3/hour, let it rest for now. However, be ready for her to want more as she gains skills and confidence.

What about dog walking? (Sorry if this has already been mentioned.) My 10 year old walks a few neighborhood dogs when their owners are busy etc. She gets $5-10 for a 1-2 mile dog walk.

[waverly]

Everyone addressed your other numbers. I am just here to say please don't charge anyone 50 cents. Please use round dollar numbers. Aint nobody got time for random change.

Also, be open to taking payment via an app since some don't carry cash.

[k3am]

waverly $.50 to the curb and $.50 back makes an even dollar. It would take about 3 minutes of her day, and works out to an hourly rate of $20.

We do neighbor cans for free on a frequent basis if someone is out of town.

[k3am]

And to be clear, this would just be to neighbors that we know well and with the exception of the house watching, they’d be doing it more as a favor to her than because they actually need or want it. (That neighbor already pays someone to do it for her, but that kid is “aging out” aka getting too busy, so she’d just take whatever they’re paying her, which is likely overly generous)

[waverly]

Aug 27, 2024 12:53:24 GMT -5 k3am said:

waverly $.50 to the curb and $.50 back makes an even dollar. It would take about 3 minutes of her day, and works out to an hourly rate of $20.

We do neighbor cans for free on a frequent basis if someone is out of town.

Maybe I got confused by this part, "-mothers helper for younger kids for $0.50/hour while mom is there to get her experience". 

I thought you were doing .50 per hour for mothers helper. 

[k3am]

Aug 27, 2024 13:13:37 GMT -5 waverly said:

Aug 27, 2024 12:53:24 GMT -5 k3am said:

waverly $.50 to the curb and $.50 back makes an even dollar. It would take about 3 minutes of her day, and works out to an hourly rate of $20.

We do neighbor cans for free on a frequent basis if someone is out of town.

Maybe I got confused by this part, "-mothers helper for younger kids for $0.50/hour while mom is there to get her experience". 

I thought you were doing .50 per hour for mothers helper. 

Eh, good point. I forgot she had that one on the list. 

[186momx]

DD took the red cross babysitting class back in 2022 and they gave the kids a guide on how to price their services (1 kid $12, 2 kids $15, 3 kids or more $20 an hour). The class was really helpful for not only babysitting but also just staying home alone.

DD hasn't been paid to help out neighbors but most of our neighbors are getting older and we try and explain the difference between being a good person/neighbor vs a paid job.

That said DD may be adding in some minor babysitting/walking home from school the neighbor girl. Her mom didn't get hired back as an aide but is on the sub list for the district. The girl's school gets out at 2:15 and the rest of the schools get out between 2:40-2:55. So DD may watch her for less than an hour and I told DD her rate was $10. This neighbor also offered to give DD a ride if she ever needed one to the gym.

[AdaraMarie]

My 11 was supposed to be earning money to meet a scouting rank requirement this summer and it hasn't gone great because she couldn't think of anything to do. My kids already have many chores that are unpaid (trash, laundry, dishes, mowing) so those things are off the table. However, she doesn't mind bugs the way me and her sister do.
So, I said I would pay her $1 every time she dealt with a moth that got inside the house and her sister would give her $1 for taking care of any spider she came across. She probably only got $5 or so this way, but it was something!

[librarychica]

AdaraMarie I am cracking up at the moth/spider catching. When I was a kid my mom would give me a little money for catching and relocating the lizards that got into the house.

I don’t pay for standard chores either and the Dds don’t really want to help me with what I really want help with — garden chores. But it’s 95 and max humidity so I don’t blame them. My parents will sometimes offer to pay them a little bit to scrub down patio furniture or similar.

DD1 did recently sign up for a Red Cross babysitting class and hopes to start babysitting for the families and school with younger kids. In the past we have had friends who would give her $20 for chasing toddlers around and parties (they have big parties and lots of young kids in their social circle so she would herd them) but that’s rare — maybe twice a year.

[k3am]

She was super happy with her $10 for a couple of hours of sitting and said she really enjoyed it. She knows that as she gets experience and certification, she’ll be in a position to increase her rates.

And also said she’d be willing to pickup dog poop if she got a dog walking job, but the dog needs to be under 30lbs… smart girl.

[mustardseed2007]

Hey I was just going to belatedly chime in that I first babysat when I was 11 and I think I charged maybe 1.50 an hour the first time (I'm 43 minimum wage was 4.25 at the time). As I babysat more it went up from there. I totally get having her charge a low rate that reflects the message --- look my kid isn't certified in anything and she's smart and responsible but she's 11 so she's getting as much out of this as you are. And what you're getting is an 11 year old girl.

Looking back I was SO inexperienced but I had read up on how to babysit and things to do with kids and how it's a good idea to clean up... and again referring to my age, I think I read all this in like Brio magazine or something like that (ick). But anyway I was not terrible because what I lacked in experience I partially made up for with determination to do a good job. #nostalgia

Cool that she's jumping into it!

I've been trying to get my kid to wash our downstairs windows for money and he basically is not interested. It's about to become unpaid labor.

In addition to babysitting I also mowed lawns when I was younger, I think starting around 12 or so.

[k3am]

mustardseed2007 I’m about a year younger than you and grew up charging $1/hour/kid + access to snacks and soda that I didn’t get at home. It wasn’t until I started driving that the rates went up. I just remember it being mostly fun. I only made $$$$ on kids that were complete assholes. (Like legit assholes. Parents didn’t ask me again if I’d come back until they paid.. and I wouldn’t have, but they were paying $30/hour for two kids in 1998, and eventually even that wasn’t worth it)

[momof2]

Please don’t undermine your daughter’s earning potential. There is a reason a kid scoffed at your offer of a dollar. I have a kid with profound intellectual disability so I hire a TON of help and have for 15 years.

A young tween should make $10 an hour for any household help or handling kids. Once they hit 13 or 14 and have babysat a number of times (like 5), they should make $15 an hour. And once they drive, they make $20 an hour. This is how it works in MCOL. This is particular true if they are going to be helpful around the house. I am THRILLED to pay a 14 year old $15 an hour. She comes over and cycles the dishwasher, will run a kid load of laundry if I’m desperate and keep an eye on the kids. If she asks me for $20, I will give it to her because I don’t want to lose her, but I’m sort of waiting until she can drive.

[k3am]

momof2 (and others), I am not undermining her earnings potential. I especially don't think she should get $10/hour as an 11 year old kid, who has NEVER babysat before and has no experience. Those are her factors that she has NOW. She won't be there forever. I *absolutely* VALUE the notion that you start at the bottom, prove your merit, and work your way up. Will she be worth $10+/hour before long? Yes. But she's not now.

[waverly]

k3am, I hear you, but $3 to start is still too low and annoying. I would start with a nice round number ($5), and then increase to $10 with mother helper experience. Then $15+ around here is regular babysitting.

[k3am]

Aug 28, 2024 11:33:45 GMT -5 waverly said:

k3am, I hear you, but $3 to start is still too low and annoying. I would start with a nice round number ($5), and then increase to $10 with mother helper experience. Then $15+ around here is regular babysitting.

It is too low and annoying for you. This was a rate that SHE came up with when we talked it through. She was fine with it, the parents were fine with it. She charged $3/hour (because she asked me how much I paid our neighbor to babysit under exact same circumstances when that neighbor was 11… which was what neighbor, who had more experience, suggested at the time), and rounded up to an even $10 as a bonus for having the toys they played with cleaned up when the parents got home, which was negotiated beforehand.

“I’d pay just about anything to have someone watch my kids! As long as it’s denominations of certain amounts and isn’t annoying based on my personal annoyance threshold.”

I’ve rarely paid a babysitter the exact agreed upon rate, I always round in their favor for convenience. I come home after 2.25 hours? I’m paying for 3. The total comes to $50 or $70? I’m rounding to the next $20 because the ATM doesn't spit out $10s. I’ve always let them name their price, and in a few instances suggested they negotiated for more.

[waverly]

k3am , I admit I am annoyed eaily lol. On the other hand, to avoid situations like you mention, I also like flat rates. This way I don't have to calculate exact hour stuff.

For example, and your rate would be much lower, for our date night babysitter we always paid $60. Usually it was 3 hours. Sometimes it was 2.5 and sometimes it was 3.5. She charge $15 an hour, so that rate always worked. Then we always knew the amount to take out of the ATM or send Venmo.  I'm a big fan of flat rate consistency.