Food (Grocery) Budget/ Snacks Budget for Helpers

[spnliz]

Hi for those who separate their maids or yayas meryenda and food like coffee biscuits, how much ang allotted budget nyo let's say for 2 weeks? Kasi before ka-share ko sa coffee ko ang maid then I noticed ang bilis maubos ng coffee at creamer, ako pa ang nauubusan. So what I did nagbukod ako ng pang maid and of course yun cheaper brand. Pero parang ganon din ang bilis maubos ng kanya.  For example binilhan ko sya ng parang oatmeal drink, I was thinking kasi para mabigat sa tyan instead of coffee, aba nasarapan ata masyado at 2 sachets consume for a day. and this is bukod pa sa coffee ha (2x a day) din with biscuits.
If you can also share kung anong mga pang meryenda binibili nyo sa kanila that will be helpful like do you also buy them their own chichirya or junk food?

Thanks!

[mishmish]

My MIL usually buys kape barako from the province, so laging may stock dito sa house for them. It's up to my HH kung gusto nila o hindi. Pero napansin ko di nila masyado ginagalaw, so sila na bumibili ng mga 3 in 1 nila. Gusto ko sana sila bilhan ng mga sachets pero ayaw ni hubby kasi nga daw may kape barako na stock na.

Once a month lang kasi ako mag-grocery, usually nasa almost 1k din yung nagagastos ko for them -- included na dyan yung mga bread spreads like chiz wiz/mayo/peanut butter/jam -- usually small bottles lang, kasi pansin ko mabilis sila magsawa, pag-nagsawa na, ayan na nakatambak na lang.

I also buy mga lucky me instant noodles, breads, sandwich crackers, canned goods like mga wow ulam/sardines, tuyo, milo, minsan ice tea.

[kolinetongue]

1500/month/pax yung budget nila sa food, napagkakasya naman nila.
basta kapag ubos na, wala na talaga akong binibigay na extra, kaya tipid to the max sila

[coldsiren]

noong wala pa yung 2nd maid namin, matagal maubos yung 1kg ng asukal at cream. as in months yung binibilang namin bago kami bumili ng asukal at cream. kasi di kami gumagamit ng asukal at cream, pag may bisita lang namin nagagamit yan. ngayon wala pang 1 month ubos agad. so ginawa ko bumili ako ng cheaper na brand ng cream. ubos pa din agad. nag grocery ako kahapon, talagang ni request ng maid namin na coffee mate ang bilhin ko. kyo ba pumapayag kyo sa mga request ng maids sa brand na gusto nila? namamahalan kasi ako sa coffee mate. kasi ang bilis maubos. pag di ko naman bibilin yun, bibilihin nya sa tindahan gamit yung sukli sa pamalengke or yung mga barya na iniiwan namin sa kanila, so mapapamahal pa pag sa tindahan bibilihin. yung mga meryenda like bread, cookies etc ok lang sa akin na kainin din nila kung ano yung meron sa bahay. pero yung nirequest pa yung brand na bibilihin ko kasi yun ang gusto nya, parang medyo nainis ako. sa inis ko natanong ko nga nung isang araw kung ginagawa ba nyang polvoron yung cream at ang bilis maubos.

[ecnarfoj]

Ang sinasabi ko yaya ng anak ko pag nag-grocery kami, kumuha siya ng kaialngan niya. ACtually hindi ko na nga na-calculate basta kailangan all-in-all pasok sa budget ng grocery namen for that week. If I'm not mistaken, mga nasa 300 a week yung merienda niya at toiletries. Wala naman problema samen kasi naaalagaan naman niya yung anak ko ng mabuti. Kung maubos niya agad before the next grocery eh siya na dapat ang nagbudget ng merienda niya. Hindi porket ubos na eh bibilihan na siya agad. Kaya nga sinasabi ko, bili siya ng budget niya for 2 weeks or 1 week.

[pretty_in_victorian]

malakas lang si manang sa coffee, creamer at SUGAR.. grabe syang mag sugar.. hehe siguro nakaka 1K kami ng sugar in a week tapos 4 lang kami sa bahay.. malakas din sya sa rice..

kung anong meron sa pantry, pwede syang kumuha kaso nahihiya din sya so ok na yun..

[coldsiren]

^^ oo pansin ko nga malakas sila mag rice. minsan nagulat ako kasi yung rice sa plate nila ay kasing dami na ng rice na nacoconsume namin ng sister at dad ko. hinayaan na lang namin kasi nakakapagaod naman talaga yung gawaing bahay.

[pretty_in_victorian]

^ ako naman kasi okay lang sakin yun kasi she works hard naman. si manang since she's helping us, we help her din. like recently, sinamahan sya ng dad ko to get her senior citizen card para may discounts na sya sa kung anik anik..

kelangan humane tayo sa kanila hindi yung sinisigaw sigawan at minumura mura pa.. yung kapit bahay namin ganun eh kahit kami naririnig namin pagkakamali ng helper nila..

[mdy]

Before when we're staying at my parent's house, I didn't bother to buy her food kasi kasama na yon sa grocery ng mother ko but when we moved to my inlaws house, I've alloted 750 for her snacks for 2 weeks. Hindi sya nagcocoffee eh so less gastos. Bread, chiz whiz, noodles, biscuits and some junk foods ang binili ko for her.

[pregnantgirl]

yung maid ko naman kasi ang arte sobra..ayaw ng coffee..kailangan Milo pa..meron ako nabili minsan ang brand niya Chockquick yata,halos ayaw ubusin kasi hindi niya raw type..alangan naman ang bilin ko malaking milo kasi walang maliit na size..at choosy pa sa biscuits..kaya ayoko na siya isama sa grocery..yung stock na pancit canton sa ref tinitira lahat pati isang tray ng egg sa kanya na nauubos..kaya ngayon wala na ako stck ng egg sa bahay,a bili-bili na lang sa tindahan..

ang budget ko sa snacks for 2 weeks nasa 200 lang..wede na kaya yon?bibilan ko siya mga noodles,pancit canton,tasty at biscuits pati milo..kasi hindi naman kami mayaman kaya tipid rin ako..

[honeypie_0106]

Why bother so much with what they want?  Naniniwala ako na amos should only provide basic necessities. Kung ayaw nila, sila bumili ng gamit nila. Kulang ang isang balot ng coffee, creamer, at asukal sa isang buwan, then sila dapat ang bumili para alam nila ang gastos.

We should not baby our katulong so much. Provide the an ok salary, the food. Ok na yun. No need to buy their shampoo, their detergent, or their merienda.

Too much burden and pagiging spoiled na ang labas nila.

[pinkpotato]

^ honeypie, i guess tama ka rin pero sa mga katulong that works hard minsan maganda ding may extra sila from what is common

gaya lang samen ha. ang katulong namin is really a blessing to us. so we make sure na masaya din naman sya samen. and no question naman sa food since food yun, kinakain para sa ikabubuti nya PERO we know naman kung kelan nagiging abuso si longks and we amos are more intelligent naman than them so we CONTROL.

wala kami budget e. di ko nga naisip yan kasi kasama na sa monthly grocery namin ang snacks/food nya. pala coffee talaga si yaya, minsan twice a day pa pero ginagawa nya lately hinahati nya ang isang sachet kasi pansin nya daw sa gabi di sya nakakatulog. so okay yun. and then biscuits and soft bread.

gusto ko talaga busugin si yaya. maging masaya sya samen pra di na sya hanap ibang amo. hirap hanap maayos na katulong.

pregnantgirl, pwede naman yan. alangan naman mag overtime ka pa or si hubby pra lang sa masarap at extra food ng katulong di ba? kung ano nag wowork sa inyo sis. wag naman masyadong maging burden sya sa inyo.

minsan lang kasi in the afternoon after lunch, after gawin gawaing bahay syempre nada-digest mga kinain, nakakaramdam ng gutom, maganda na din siguro na meron silang konting snacks. ayaw din naman naten na magutom sila.

im sure alam na naten ang tama at kung ano nag wowork sa budget naten. naniniwala ako na kapag naging maayos at mabuting amo tayo sa katulong theyll do their best to be good maids din. di ba masaya din naman may food tayo sa panty sa office, para kahit pagod sa trabaho minsan kakatanggal stress pag habang nagpapahinga e may kinakain tayo na biskwit o inom inom kape.

maganda ding opportunity ito na kausapin si maid. na, hey manang, eto ha may food ka dito, may supply, pra pag nagutom ka may kakainin ka. basta ayusin mo lang trabaho, alagaan maayos si baby ako bahala sa food mo. well, nag wowork sa mga katulong namin to dati at ngayon. nakaka konsensya daw to sabi ng nanay ko.

[twelvth_goddess]

We dont buy separate food for them except for coffee, creamer, and sugar. May off limits na food din sa kanila but for the most part, what we eat, they eat too. Pag umaalis kameng lahat na hinde sila kasama, nag-iiwan kame ng pang-merienda nila na 100 pesos. Bahala sila if they wanna use it to eat or to buy cellphone load.

[hunny_ally]

I don't like the idea of making them cook separate meals for them. Magastos na, magastos din sa gas & water (more pots and pans to wash) then extra effort pa. So generally for meals, they eat what we eat. [edited]: most of the time for breakfast they cook separately. They wake up earlier than us and they prefer to eat breakfast early. Thats my instruction with them...huwag na kaming hintayin gumising cause there are times we wake up late lalo na pag weekends. Plus with my husband  and I we're ok with just bread or cereals; sila they like a heavy one. I buy them canned goods or dried fish (their request; but I tell them to cook it early so the smell is gone by the time my hubby wakes up. Hehe he hates the smell of it). I also get them the inexpensive hotdogs and ham. They usually pair this with fried or scrambled egg.

For merienda, I make sure we always have stock of bread which is communal. We usually buy every other day. May mga off limits Lang na spreads so I buy them their own. Sometimes I buy them specialty breads (like they like the gardenia stuffed breads). Or if mag-open ng chips or cookies or when i bake something, inaalok ko sila.

For coffee and creamer, i buy the 3-in-1. Before I buy them separate coffee and creamer but I noticed mas magastos 'to. Usually the 1 sachet hati sila since masyadong silang natatapangan. I give them too the freehand of choosing the flavors (if they like great taste white coffee or kopiko, go! normally it doesn't go beyond php 200/month). Minsan they ask for the oatmeal drink which is fine with me.

For toiletries, they have php 200 each on top of their salaries. I think that's more than enough for the basics (toothpaste, shampoo, soap and napkin). More than that, they have to get it out of their salaries. Detergent i provide them a 500gms-1kg bag which lasts them a month. Mura Lang naman 'to and wala pang php 100.

[coldsiren]

sa amin, pareho lang food namin sa maids. yun nga lang napansin ko mabilis maubos yung cream, instant coffee at sugar. daily nag brew kami ng coffee, pero ayaw nila yun, gusto nila instant coffee. yung sister ko sinabihan sila na yung imported instant coffee nila off limits sa kanila. ok lang yun kasi mahal nga yung coffee nya.
pag may imported chocolates, cake, ice cream or any dessert kami free sila na kumain nun. basta wag lang nila kaming ubusan. ayaw ko naman kasi silang magutom kasi nakakapagod yung work nila sa bahay. pag wala sila, ako din ang gagawa nun at tuwing ginagawa ko work nila sobrang pagod ako na wala na akong nagagawang talagang work ko.
as for toiletries, i buy them their bathsoap, shampoo and toothpaste. pero kung di nila gusto yung brand bahala silang bumili nun from their salary. ok lang naman yun sa akin since madami naman yung stock namin nun sa bahay. ayaw ko kasi na nauubusan kami ng toiletries at food.

[clueless]

i am lucky with my household staff. my all-around has been with me for 6 years, my daughter's yaya has been with me on and off for the past year. she's really the all-around helper at my parents' house in the province and has been working for the family for i think 10 years or more. she used to come to my house as a temporary yaya whenever i would lose whoever was my daughter's yaya. but last april, i finally convinced her to stay with us permanently as my daughter's yaya. she came to manila mid-may and has been with me since. she's hasnt been with me long but i am still lucky to have her because she cares for my family. malasakit kasi ang mahirap hanapin.

medyo generous ako sa household staff ko. they have above average salary and they also get 13th month pay. i am working on SSS, pag-ibig, HMO for both of them and philhealth for one kasi yung isa meron na.

when it comes to food and other day to day things, generous din ako. like ally, i find that asking them to cook separately for them is added expense plus added effort pa so they usually eat what we eat. usually madami magluto ng veggies so if walang matirang meat, they eat the veggies plus delata of their choice (usually flavored tuna ang request nila).

for snacks, i buy for them whenever i do the monthly grocery. i always buy different stuff every month para hindi sila magsawa. sometimes, i also ask them what they want. usually ang pinipili nila mga rebisco butter sandwich, hi-ro and the like. sometimes, lalo na when i am working from home, i ask them to buy afternoon snacks like spanish bread or pan de coco from the neighborhood bakery para sa aming lahat.

dati din ang coffee nila hindi 3 in 1. i find that konti lang ang difference ng nescafe sa ibang brands so instead of buying nescafe for me and something else for them, nescafe at coffee mate kami lahat. but now nescafe original 3 in 1 na din kami lahat. medyo malakas kasi they drink coffee 2x/day but it's ok, i dont really mind. i used to buy mga tang juice or nestea iced tea powdered mixes for them pero mas gusto daw nila ng coffee so no more juice na ngayon.

in terms of budget, i dont set a specific one every month na ang snacks nila eh such and such amount lang. the amount of money i spend for their snacks is nothing for me compared to how they do their jobs and care for my family, especially my daughter.

i also give them toiletries pala - pantene, silka soap, colgate toothpaste (i usually buy yung may kasamang toothbrush na), sanitary pads. yan ang request nila. mas gusto ko na yan kesa yung maya't maya magpapaalam to go to the sari sari store to buy 1 sachet of shampoo today, 1 sachet of toothpaste tomorrow, etc etc. sayang ang oras.

being an employee myself, i appreciate little perks that my employer gives me, like laundry allowance, rice allowance and such. i think my employees also appreciate the little perks i give them. i do my best to be a good employer, treat them with respect etc. i show malasakit (like if they need an advance, etc) because they also show malasakit.

i've had my fair share of yaya woes and i think now i have found 2 that i hope will stay with me for a long long time pa.

the money i spend for these little perks, kikitain ko ulit yan. but the peace of mind i have whenever my daughter is left alone in the house with just my 2 household staff - mahirap makuha yan. yung malasakit nila, mahirap makahanap ng ganon. plus i know their loyalties are with me so if my MIL is here, alam nila na ako pa din ang amo nila. hehe.

[prettynvain]

sinasama namin sila sa groceries.. like pads, soap, shampoo, biscuits, onting pang-meryenda at mga basic na alam namin na need nila.. they work hard naman eh. pati load binibigyan namin 100/month, basta 1 month na yun. actually pantext lang nila dapat sa amin yun for emergency purpose, ayaw namin na they will say walang load kaya di naka-text, blah blah.. kase syempre yung salaray nila need pa nila itulong sa family nila eh. considering naman the help na they do to us, maliit na bagay lang yung load at groceries.

di naman sila matakaw eh. ayaw pa nga pero we always insist or kame na lang mismo bibili at iaabot sa kanila pagdating sa bahay.

[marose17]

No specific budget.  I usually buy them Pinoy Tasty bread, San Mig 3-in-1 coffee, Lily's peanut butter or coco jam, Lady's Choice ham/bacon/chicken/roast beef spread in sachets, Star margarine (favorite nila ito) for breakfast and snacks. If there is leftover rice from dinner, they can eat it for breakfast.

For ulam, same lang.  They eat what we eat.

I don't usually buy chips, chichiria, hotdogs, processed meat and instant noodles.  I also buy canned goods rarely.  Pang-emergency lang kaya meron sa pantry.  We avoid processed food as much as we can.

[blue_cheese09]

Yaya gets to eat whatever we eat. Minsan tinanong ko kung ano gusto niya, kahit ano lang daw. I bought peanut butter for her since she doesn't like cheese, hindi naman niya ginalaw kasi maalat daw. Lesson learned. I buy her foodies that I like para kung ayaw niya, I will eat na lang para hindi sayang

She buys her shampoo and other toiletries using her salary. Siguro ganun patakaran sa mga naging amo niya before, so hinayaan ko na lang. Minsan I give her soap, etc pag nagpapa-package si hubby from abroad.

Malakas din siya sa kape, sugar at creamer. I seldom drink coffee, so siya umuubos. Napansin ko lang kapag madami ang laman ng jar, ang bilis mangalahati pero pag paubos na, ang tagal maubos heheh!

[greenpease05]

They eat what I eat naman pwera lang pagkain ni hubby.

I buy them bread but not often. their salary is a little high than usual salary and wala silang gaanong gastos dahil sagot ko basics nila. So siguradong may pangbuy sila ng snacks nila.