What's the going rate?

[annie0000]

What do you think is a reasonable charge for the following chores? (bear in mind they would be done by an 11 year old and 10 year old.

Washing a car
Cutting an average lawn
watering plants - outdoor ones while people are on holiday
feeding pets
sorting recycling/cleaning bins
running small errands e.g. newspaper/milk/bread

My kids need to earn some money towards a 3 week expedition to the USA with the Scouts next year and would be offering to do these jobs for friends and neighbours. Just want to get a bit of a straw poll so that they don't over or undercharge :o)

[tenrec]

Unfortunately I think you will find most people will not pay a child to wash their car more than once. So say £5 tops.
Lawn cutting may be a bit dangerous.
Looking after plants, again maybe £5 for the holiday.
Feeding pets, if supervised by yourself, maybe a bit more.
Sorting/recycling/cleaning bins, that is a horrible job so well worth a fiver.
Errands, depends on how far etc.
Good luck.

[Tilly2]

Washing car £5.00
Cutting lawn £5.00(wouldn't let them use an electric mower )
Watering plants £4.00
Sorting bins £3.00
Wouldn't leave my pets
Running errands £1.50

[mccfluff]

i wouldn;t trust a child to feed murph but i'd pay a fiver to clean my bins

[tenrec]

If there is a boating lake, pond, or river near you what about them buying stale bread from local supermarket and bagging it up to sell as bread for ducks. My friend,s son made a fortune over the summer holidays (in the Lakes).

[annie0000]

thanks tenrec - I would probably be supervising at least the first time they wash a car that isn't mine and they already cut our grass using a petrol mower but I don't let them use the strimmer!

If you can suggest any other useful jobs anyone I'd be grateful. I asked them to suggest things but theirs were either a bit ambitious (repairing pc's) or involved being inside peoples houses to do the job (sweeping floors/hoovering) which I'd rather they weren't.

[Tilly2]

Apparently, according to my friend who keeps ducks, you are not supposed to give them bread. It's not good for them. I know.................I know! Everybody does it.

[annie0000]

Great thanks guys exactly what we need - fab idea tenrec - we have a pond up at the uni where we go to feed ducks etc - bags of value cornflakes are good for that too.

[tenrec]

Tell that to the ducks on Windermere, ;-)

[annie0000]

yeah tilly, I think the bread swells in their tummy and makes them full but it doesn't have enough nutritional value - maybe we could make something up quite cheaply that would be suitable.

[tenrec]

Sorry that last post was for Tilly!

[annie0000]

mcfluff - they are actually pretty good and know how to measure up the cat's dinner and change her water etc. we are only talking people in the few surrounding streets, I have no problem with supervising them check that they are doing a thorough job :o)

[DTCwordfan]

Go to any restaurant around Lake Windermere such as the Drunken Duck or Hodge Hill (if still going) and their roast duck naturally comes with a bread sauce.

[TWR]

Annie, first & foremost be very very careful with this one! I valet cars in my spare time & at times you have the clever sod that tries it on by saying that there has been a scratch made on his / her car, it's mainly the men, I have caught a few out with their lies as the car never gets touched until they come around before the car gets washed so beware, also beware of what COULD HAPPEN?? I've no need to spell that out?? as has been said regards the price but as Tilly has said, do not touch the Electric Mower.

[mccfluff]

maybe so but i'm a bit protective of her and there is the bigger issue that she's a tad evil and i wouldn't trust her around strangers let alone young boys

i used to earn extra money by ironing my dads shirts and polishin his shoes

[tenrec]

Sorry DT Hodge Hill has long gone.
I went there in my late teens. What a meal.

[ChuckFickens]

Jeez, why is everyone so worried about letting an 11year old use a lawn mower, I was using full sized farm equipment at that age. People are so overprotective of kids these days, if they are not shown that people trust them they'll never develop the confidence to do anything. Just make sure there's a RCD on the lead.

[DTCwordfan]

what a hostess la formidable Beryl Blades and her then her daughter, Bridie.

[annie0000]

noted TWR. They'd only be doing chores for people we know so would be choosy about who's cars are okay to do - we know who the moaners are!!!

lol mcfluff - our cat is not backwards in handing out the odd slap to them either!!

There is no point doing stuff for us as it would defeit the purpose of raising the cash towards the trip - We are already shelling out over £4k, we've told them we can afford most of the cost but they need to find the rest and spending money, in reality we will probably pay the trip but they can take what they have earned to spend. They have until June 2013 to see what they can raise - if it is too much to take then they can put it towards something else. I just want them to see that you need to work for things - it's all part of the experience I think.

[annie0000]

chuck it will be local so they would wheel round our mower which is petrol - they can trim the edges with garden shears - i'm not letting them have the strimmer as they will undoubtedly strim through their shoes!!

[joggerjayne]

Washing a car ... £10 (it costs £6 just to go through a carwash!)

Cutting an average lawn ... £20 (that's a really long job)

watering plants while people are on holiday ... £5

feeding pets ... not sure

sorting recycling/cleaning bins ... £10 (at least!! that's a gross job!)

running small errands e.g. newspaper/milk/bread ... £5