food for helper plus other things

[Gracey]

Carang makes a good point.
If you're going to give a food allowance, make sure she actually spends it on food. These women are brought up so poor - and bad habits die hard - that they scrimp like crazy. Many feel it is their job to sacrifice for their relatives back home.
You don't want them stashing their "food money" away and sending it home, as much as it may be needed there.
One friend was paying the standard $300 a week, like Carang, but realized her helper was living off of biscuits and water, to save money. So she put her foot down. The money was for food, to keep her strong and healthy. She was expected to spend that $300 at a grocery store or wet market for herself. (And $300 is really not that much - enough for rice, noodles, meat, veg, fruit, etc.)
Her being strict on this issue benefitted both the employer and the employee.

 

[carang]

we're lucky, none of our helpers have every saved every penny of food allowance... they've always spent it on food.

 

[Gracey]

we've been lucky with helpers, too. the one i have has good common sense. she spends her food allowance on food, keeps herself pretty strong and healthy, and uses her salary to send money home, as she should.

 

[geiboyi]

I didn't want my helper living on noodles, so we've always told her to buy whatever she wants to eat, but write it down in the book along with the other shopping receipts. With each helper I've only checked it about once, but I don't think I've ever had anyone take advantage. All our helpers have put on weight since living in HK, but so have I. They know that we live fairly frugally, so treat our shopping money with respect. I hope...

 

[lesliefu]

we don't give her additional money, except for the $900+ (?) stipulated by the government. she buys fresh food with it and is happy that she has her own fridge so she can store things. whenever she goes to the market for our food, i ask her to buy something for herself from my budget - she's always very good - actually I stipulate a budget ($20-30) for a meal, which she says is way too much...anyhow, she says that $10 can buy a REALLY good fresh meal of fish and veggies...anyhow, she is given the budget to buy as she pleases...luckily for us she does not take advantage of our kindness...there are days when she would rather have an instant noodle...that's fine with me - it is her choice -

 

[smiling face1]

Thank you for all your comments ladies. I still have not decided if I want to give food allowance, I am pretty sure she would be sending all the money home and would end up hungry instead of eating crab in any case, I will take the final decision when we come back from long summer holiday.

lesliefu $10 can buy a REALLY good fresh meal of fish and veggies..? waw. It must be something very local that I keep avoiding

 

[lesliefu]

Thank you for all your comments ladies. I still have not decided if I want to give food allowance, I am pretty sure she would be sending all the money home and would end up hungry instead of eating crab in any case, I will take the final decision when we come back from long summer holiday.

lesliefu $10 can buy a REALLY good fresh meal of fish and veggies..? waw. It must be something very local that I keep avoiding

yes -local market of course and nothing organic! veggies she buys enough for a few meals and fish she can buy up to 4 pieces at $10...don't know what fish it is though...she says all filipinos like them though!

 

[howardcoombs]

yes -local market of course and nothing organic! veggies she buys enough for a few meals and fish she can buy up to 4 pieces at $10...don't know what fish it is though...she says all filipinos like them though!

It should also be added in here that while imported crab can be very expensive, local wetmarket crab, especially when purchased as parts (eg: small bowl of claws) is not expensive at all. If you can time your visit toward the end of the day when traders all want to go home, you can get even better bargains.