Charging for food

[EmmaReed84]

How much do you charge for food?
Also what kinds of dinners do yo make and do you give them fruit.

I currently charge £0.50 for breakfast £1 for lunch and £1 for dinner for a particular mindee (and it is 2 for 1) I give them proper homecooked dinner and fruit as a snack and fruit with their lunches.

My husband is going mad as we are spending a fortune on food and seems like we are spending so much it is begining to make us struggle. How do you provide good food and still stay afloat.

The 2 for 1 is due to their ages and appetites

[rickysmiths]

Sorry I can't help. I don't charge extra for meals because I can't be bothered to enter it in my accounts as extra income or potentially argue with a parent about whether I charge or not if they are off sick or have an unexpected day off when I have already bought the food. It is included in my hourly rate.

It is an expense though. The last 2-3 years I have put £3000-£5000 food costs in my expenses.

[nipper]

I don't charge extra either, all food, snacks and drinks are included in my hourly rate.

[The Juggler]

i charge £.75 for brekkie, 1.00 for lunch and 2.00 for dinners (when I used to do them - but no longer do :clapping: )

i do a £1.00/day rate for 0-2 year olds. Goes to normal rate after 3.:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

if parents bring packed lunch then I'd charge 50p to cover snacks and drinks.

[rosebud]

I don't charge either, its included in the hourly / daily rate. I do spend a lot extra on food for the mindees but think this is unavoidable as like you I provide good quality home cooked food, it all goes through the books as expenses though.

[kellib]

I don't charge either, it's all included in my rates.

I put food through expenses but might actually start buying mindees food separate to my own family food, easier to keep track of receipts that way I think!

[Tatjana]

I include meals, snacks and drinks in the fees.

[miffy]

I include lunch and tea (don't offer breakfast) in my daily rates - it's easier that way.

Miffy xx

[jadavi]

When you charge food to expenses do you have to put a weekly receipt in with your epenses receipts every week to show or can you just put a few token ones in to show and then say its a weekly thing? Obv they wil all be the same week after week...

[samb]

You don't need to put receipts in for food - just be able to explain how you come to those prices - I have worked out 5 different cooked meal prices and averaged it to give me a dinner price etc. You keep the food receipts purely for health and safety.

[Ripeberry]

Sorry I can't help. I don't charge extra for meals because I can't be bothered to enter it in my accounts as extra income or potentially argue with a parent about whether I charge or not if they are off sick or have an unexpected day off when I have already bought the food. It is included in my hourly rate.

It is an expense though. The last 2-3 years I have put £3000-£5000 food costs in my expenses.

I do the same :thumbsup:

[jadavi]

Thanks. Isn't it a flat rate of 1.50 a meal we can claim? Don't know where I read that .

[rosebud]

Thanks. Isn't it a flat rate of 1.50 a meal we can claim? Don't know where I read that .

I've never heard this and don't think it would cover what I spend.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

If you want to see how much to charge price a meal for one person with you buying everything. This is what I did and we eat cooked, potatoes, veg and pudding and I charge £2.50 for lunch/dinner/tea and .50p for breakfast as most of the time that is cereals and toast


I don't list it separately on my invoice, I add it to my daily fee if parents want it.
There isn't any maybe today and not tomorrow, it is all the time or nothing

[craftygirl]

I have included food in my fees but know I will end up spending a fortune, I already do for my own children and its the homecooked, fresh food that seems more expensive to me.