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FOOD
Sept 19, 2007 12:54:28 GMT
Post by son77 on Sept 19, 2007 12:54:28 GMT
How much do you put down for food on your expenses? Say for breakfast (cereal)? A sandwhich? Cooked meal? & how do you work out how much you reckon it costs? I'm sure I'm putting down too little.
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FOOD
Sept 19, 2007 13:01:12 GMT
Post by janet on Sept 19, 2007 13:01:12 GMT
i usually work on £3.00 a day 50p for breakfast £1.00 for lunch and £1.50 for a cooked meal at tea time xxxxxx
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FOOD
Sept 19, 2007 13:19:21 GMT
Post by son77 on Sept 19, 2007 13:19:21 GMT
I had been putting down £5 per week!! This is for breakfast, lunch & snacks every day.
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FOOD
Sept 19, 2007 13:58:02 GMT
Post by sarahnev707 on Sept 19, 2007 13:58:02 GMT
Think a meal out at eg Tesco or a cafe........ and getting all the important food groups into a day's eating..... breakfast £1.00 - 1/2 pint milk, 2 slices wholemeal toast, best quality spread, organic cereal and more milk, piece of fresh fruit or a yogurt lunch £2.00 - round of sandwiches on wholemeal bread or rolls, best quality hand reared (ok but you know what i mean!)ham/chicken, fresh salad (most of which goes in the bin but you have to supply the stuff!), choice of 2 pieces of fruit, yoghurt or fromage frais, cup fresh fruit juice tea £3.00 - full cooked meal incl 2 fresh organic veg, potatoes/ pasta/ rice, best quality organic meat or alternative plus fruit or milk pudding snacks £0.50 each - cup fruit smoothie or fresh fruity milk, carrot sticks with a tzatziki dip plus choice of 2 pieces of fresh fruit BARGAIN!! Sarahx
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FOOD
Sept 19, 2007 15:58:15 GMT
Post by angeldelight on Sept 19, 2007 15:58:15 GMT
So much better than how I would have explained it Sarah and it made me laugh ha
Angel xx
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FOOD
Sept 19, 2007 17:17:31 GMT
Post by miffy on Sept 19, 2007 17:17:31 GMT
I love the explanation Sarah and you're right it is a bargain - I think the real cost is more than that per day especially for older children.
Miffy
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Sept 19, 2007 17:30:32 GMT
Post by 2kidsunder5 on Sept 19, 2007 17:30:32 GMT
fresh salad (most of which goes in the bin but you have to supply the stuff!), BARGAIN!! Sarahx Brilliant and so so true. I put down 50p breakfast, 1.00 lunch, 1.50 evening meal and 50p for snacks - basically 3.50 per child per day for food. The tax man does not know that some are not there for breakfast, dinner and tea Diane x
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Sept 19, 2007 21:09:03 GMT
Post by sarahnev707 on Sept 19, 2007 21:09:03 GMT
Oh Diane - they do now LOL Sarahx
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Sept 19, 2007 21:32:59 GMT
Post by 2kidsunder5 on Sept 19, 2007 21:32:59 GMT
Oh no, how?
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Sept 20, 2007 9:06:22 GMT
Post by rasharoon on Sept 20, 2007 9:06:22 GMT
With the three I look after, they bring their own lunch yet I provide tea at £1.00 per day per child. I do offer a snack but they don't have anything yet if they did, I wouldn't charge so is it common to charge 50p say for a piece of fruit. Also, am I undercutting myself with tea time?
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FOOD
Sept 20, 2007 11:55:31 GMT
Post by mel on Sept 20, 2007 11:55:31 GMT
I would personally charge £1.50 for tea but it depends on what you are offering and how competitive you are with other minders in the area.
Mel x
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Sept 20, 2007 13:07:09 GMT
Post by son77 on Sept 20, 2007 13:07:09 GMT
Hi thanks for your replies.
I think some of you have got confused because it's not about how much I charge parents (as my fee is all inclusive) but how much to put through my books.
Does anyone keep any food receipts or not as under a tenner?
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Sept 20, 2007 13:10:08 GMT
Post by son77 on Sept 20, 2007 13:10:08 GMT
breakfast £1.00 - 1/2 pint milk, 2 slices wholemeal toast, best quality spread, organic cereal and more milk, piece of fresh fruit or a yogurt
lunch £2.00 - round of sandwiches on wholemeal bread or rolls, best quality hand reared (ok but you know what i mean!)ham/chicken, fresh salad (most of which goes in the bin but you have to supply the stuff!), choice of 2 pieces of fruit, yoghurt or fromage frais, cup fresh fruit juice
tea £3.00 - full cooked meal incl 2 fresh organic veg, potatoes/ pasta/ rice, best quality organic meat or alternative plus fruit or milk pudding
snacks £0.50 each - cup fruit smoothie or fresh fruity milk, carrot sticks with a tzatziki dip plus choice of 2 pieces of fresh fruit
BARGAIN!!
sarahnev707 can I come for tea?!?! Sounds lovely.
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Sept 20, 2007 13:25:52 GMT
Post by tasha on Sept 20, 2007 13:25:52 GMT
If I loose my receipt then I put down £9.50 a week. In general it goes to between £10/£20 a week on average, but obviously does vary! Tasha
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Sept 20, 2007 14:06:22 GMT
Post by susi513 on Sept 20, 2007 14:06:22 GMT
I keep my till receipts (I usually put childminding things thru separately, or first then ask cashier to subtotal). Circle anything solely for childminding.
I find it easier to buy 2 boxes of wheatabix, for example. One box on childminding receipt/down as expenses and one for us. Which also solves the problem of my children eating stuff I bought for mindees.
I find the expenses I'm putting down are much higher now I'm putting down the actual costs of items than they were when I used to estimate what mindees meals might have cost me.
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Sept 20, 2007 20:35:51 GMT
Post by miffy on Sept 20, 2007 20:35:51 GMT
I don't keep all my food receipts only a couple each month to show roughly what I spend.
It's interesting what Susi says about finding she's spending more now she keeps receipts. I do this with all my craft stuff because I kept forgetting to put things down so maybe I should do the same with food.................but sometimes there just seems to be so many bits of paper everywhere (moan, moan)
Miffy
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Sept 22, 2007 21:36:29 GMT
Post by cheryl1 on Sept 22, 2007 21:36:29 GMT
Hi
I dont charge the parents for meals but I do put down £4 per day for a full day place and £2.50 for a half day place in my expenses book. Don't know if I am in or out of pocket but I do suspect that its the latter as they just always seem to be hungry especially the after school children.
I do like the idea of buying separate food for the mindees and my own family but I imagine it would be chaotic at tea time having to cook 2 separate meals, especially as I have parents arriving at 4.15pm, 4.30pm, 5pm and 5.30pm all wanting a piece of me !!!!
let me know what you think x
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Sept 23, 2007 19:40:05 GMT
Post by rubybubbles on Sept 23, 2007 19:40:05 GMT
ekk I've always put full time children at £2 per day for food, I really need to keep my recipts for everything food wise
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Sept 23, 2007 20:42:25 GMT
Post by Pauline on Sept 23, 2007 20:42:25 GMT
ekk I've always put full time children at £2 per day for food, I really need to keep my recipts for everything food wise Well, a single apple or peach can cost around 25p and Yogurt 25p That's £1.00 if you give them as snacks twice a day, before you even get to full dinners and drinks! I would recalculate if I were you
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Sept 25, 2007 13:14:10 GMT
Post by rubybubbles on Sept 25, 2007 13:14:10 GMT
ekk I've always put full time children at £2 per day for food, I really need to keep my recipts for everything food wise Well, a single apple or peach can cost around 25p and Yogurt 25p That's £1.00 if you give them as snacks twice a day, before you even get to full dinners and drinks! Duelly noted lol (I don't provide lunch though so £2 per day for snacks and drinks is okay?? Should of said that!) I would recalculate if I were you
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Sept 25, 2007 22:06:04 GMT
Post by carolinel on Sept 25, 2007 22:06:04 GMT
i put down £5 per child per day. includes breakfast, snack, cooked dinner, snack, tea. drinks.
i have worked it out and like pauline says one piece of fruit and a yogurt comes to £1 twice a day. mine like the custard pots they're about 36p, and fruit flakes, 35p. it soon adds up!
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Sept 25, 2007 22:09:59 GMT
Post by carolinel on Sept 25, 2007 22:09:59 GMT
i don't keep any receipts for food. As far as i'm aware you don't have to. you are allowed to claim reasonable amounts for food without having receipts. if i had a tax inspection i would state this although i think i might start keeping a couple of receipts to back up what i'm claiming.
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Sept 26, 2007 16:41:09 GMT
Post by Pauline on Sept 26, 2007 16:41:09 GMT
I think you are right Caroline when you say 'reasonable expenses' if you can prove how you came to your figures then I can't see how they would argue.
The reason they will not just allow a percentage figure for food (like they do wear and tear/gas/electric etc.) is because they say that not everyone gives children wholesome meals so it wouldn't be fair for someone who only feeds snacks and sandwiches to be able to claim the same amount as someone who feeds organic, three course meals.
Makes sense to me.
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Sept 26, 2007 19:51:56 GMT
Post by son77 on Sept 26, 2007 19:51:56 GMT
Another thought, when entering amounts down for food in your accounts book, do you enter daily, say X monday cost £4 X tuesday cost £5 etc or round all up for the week and enter X cost £25 (but then we would need to produce receipts wouldnt we?)
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Sept 26, 2007 21:13:27 GMT
Post by cheryl1 on Sept 26, 2007 21:13:27 GMT
hi
i use the ncma accounts book so therefore i put my food down weekly.#
cheryl
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Oct 1, 2007 9:31:06 GMT
Post by buildingblocks on Oct 1, 2007 9:31:06 GMT
I keep all my reciepts and highlight things bought for the children. I don't have children of my own so don't have to worry that they will eat it and also all food is separate to ours in a spearate cupboard. Only time it is together will be if we shar an evening meal eg chicken casserole on Friday will be shared between hubby me and two mindees. So cost of half the chicken will be put through and show as half of what is on the receipt.
lov eKate
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Oct 2, 2007 17:52:06 GMT
Post by rasharoon on Oct 2, 2007 17:52:06 GMT
The only food I sort out at the moment for two of my mindees is dinner and I know I am undercutting myself by charging £1 per child (I'm cooking things like salmon & prawns - how much??). I want to put my meal charges up come 1st January and thought I would announce it in a newsletter with a brief explanation why and that my price would go up to £2.50 per day. Is this reasonable or should I go £3.00? I'm going to change my policy in that I've said snacks are included in the fee but am going to change my mind on this. My mindees don't want a snack though so what happens if they all of a sudden do - how do I charge (looking at 50p per day). Thanks
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Oct 22, 2007 14:24:26 GMT
Post by purplerain on Oct 22, 2007 14:24:26 GMT
i have signed up with he onlyminding accountant recormended in the ncma handbook,
when i rang them to find out what to put down for food they said you can put down a "reasonable amount" per week
so what i do is.......... do my weekly/monthly shopping (we do both lol) then i divide the amount by the number of people eating it including ourselves so there are 4 of us in my family and 1 minded child so i divide it by 5
most of the time this works out to be around £15-20
this way you dont have to worry about seperating items on the recipt or charging per item eaten
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Oct 23, 2007 15:15:21 GMT
Post by jo on Oct 23, 2007 15:15:21 GMT
I went on the Managing ang Promoting Your Buisness course, for childminders. They said I could claim £3.00 per meal and £1.50 per snacky meal. They advised us to check with tax credits. This is only if you don't charge for your meals!
By the way that course is well worth going on!
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