By Katie Bugbee
A text comes in: “Would you guys want to go out with us this Saturday night?”
It’s from a new mom friend, and um, she’s asking you out. With your husband. You’re excited and horrified at the same time. You think: I don’t think she’s talking pizza with the kids. I would need to hire a sitter.
This is how my addiction to date nights started. A friend invited us out, we started hiring sitters, and soon we were going out almost every weekend – with or without friends. Often, it’s just nice to be together, dressed up, in an energized place.
But there’s always the question of payment in the end. And I hate doing that awkward dance with a babysitter – “How much do I owe you?” “Whatever you want to pay me.”
You know the one.
Here are some tips on what to pay your sitter – so you can enjoy dating again (even with mom friends) without breaking your budget:
- Use a pay calculator. Search online for a babysitter calculator (Care.com has one) and type in your zip code, number of kids and years of experience you’re looking for. This should give you a good sense of the hourly rate your neighbors are paying – and what the sitters are asking for.
- Hire teens. The beauty of having kids of a certain age, who can’t read – but can basically put themselves to bed – is that you can hire a younger, less experienced sitter. Maturity is key, and she might need to shadow you for 30 or more minutes before you leave, but you’ll be paying $2-$5 less an hour.
- Search for sitters in your pay range. Whether you’ve used a babysitter calc or you’ve asked friends what they pay, decide on the hourly rate that fits your budget. Then refine your online search by hourly rate. This will help you only view people you can afford.
- Create a job post that states what you will pay hourly. Put the word out – either through email, a message board or a care-finding site, state what you are willing to pay per hour. Ideally, only people who agree to that rate will apply.
The best part of starting this search is that you will create an arsenal of sitters within your price range – and can contact whenever you decide to go out. Whether it’s once a year, once a month, or every single weekend!