Feb 9, 2009

The cost of dinner and a movie...

Dinner on a Saturday night...$70.
(We went to Roc. It's this cute Italian restaurant in our neighborhood with the best grilled calamari salad you've ever had.  I can't even tell you how nice it was to have someone else cook besides me. It was a really special treat.)

2 movie tickets to He's just not that into you...$24.
(This movie was the worst movie ever. I knew it was going to suck and that I was going to be bored out of my mind but I had to see a movie where absolutely no thinking was required. It was just the mood I was in. Usually, I am so not interested in seeing women portrayed as such insipid, pathetic creatures no matter how much of a sappy ending it may have. The cast was way too old and the movie was way too long. I suggest waiting until TNT buys the rights cause even HBO ain't going to waste their money on this one.)

1 popcorn and 1 large coke to eat during movie...$12.
(You need to have something to snack on during a movie. Especially in a movie as bad as this one.)

5 hours for babysitter from 6pm to 11pm...$90.
(Don't get me started on the $18 per hour rate. When I babysat in high school I made $8 an hour. Someone please tell me when the cost of babysitting rose so much? Basically, we're paying someone to eat our food and watch television in our apartment while the baby sleeps. I told her over the phone we were willing to pay $15 an hour, based on what other parents in my neighborhood pay their sitters, and after I met her and finalized our plans she told me her rate was actually $20 an hour! WTF! I told her I'd be willing to do $18 but no more. While I liked her, I'm not going to use her again because I do not like the whole bait and switch move. Right?)

Dinner for babysitter...$10.
(She told me her usual clients leave her menus of all the Tribeca restaurants and she calls and orders in. My eyeballs popped out at this one as every restaurant in our area is expensive. I decided to avoid this one and go to the grocery store and stock the freezer with 5 different frozen meals and let her pick which one she wanted. I also happened to have made amazing brownies the night before so she could have something for dessert too.)

Cab ride for babysitter home at 11:00pm...$10.
(This one I felt compelled to do. I can't have a 40-something year old female leaving my apartment at 11pm at night without cab fare. If something happened to her I'd feel absolutely horrible. I remember when I babysat in high school, the father would always drive me home or at least make sure I got to my car okay.)

Saturday Night out in NYC without baby...$216.
(Yes, you read that right...$216 for dinner and a movie. Crazy? Yes. Especially right now. But I will say, it was really nice to spend time with Brett. We'll do it again next month.  But we will definitely see a better movie.)

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13 comments:

  1. That is insane. We visited my brother in NY a few months ago and hired a sitter for the kids. It was close to $250 for dinner and a movie. CRAZY!!! Sitters in NY are the smartest people out there.

    And I'm bummed to hear the movie sucked. I hoped it would be cute & light. What a waste!

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  2. Sounds familiar. Every single babysitter I know pockets the cash and takes the subway, though.

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  3. Wow. I pay 5 bux an hour here. Ash stays at their house, eats there, and I pick and drop her off.

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  4. If she pocketed that cash I'm gonna be PISSSSSED!

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  5. Good heavens. I'll drive up and babysit for that much:)

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  6. We ordered in and rented a movie on direct TV on Sat night and we still ended up spending way too much money. And yeah I think your babysitter made more then I did in tips Friday night. How depressing

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  7. dang. there's way more money in babysitting than there is in teaching. i even have credentials! maybe it's time to quit my day job and move to nyc.

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  8. ha! You're so hired melissa! I can't think of anyone better than a harvard grad!

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  9. holy cow, very uhm.. interesting babysitter.... she must be cashing in on her demanding skills.

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  10. Wow, that's expensive! We're fortunate to have both our parents local to sit for us so we enjoy a dinner and movie out but man oh man, that's rough! And I am disappointed to hear about the movie. I wanted to so bad to love it. Maybe I will but......

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  11. It isn't quite that bad in St. Louis (we pay around $10/hr, but that is for a high school student), but it is getting hard to rationalize $150-$200 for a date night....

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  12. Are.You.Serious????? Hoooly cooow. I won't complain about not having anyone to watch my son anymore. Obviously I can't afford it anyway!!!

    Thanks for stopping by today. Peanut oil though? UGH! At least my mess smelled decent, I guess!!!! :-)

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  13. Time to get a nanny... I think it would e cheaper to only use her on weekends than finding a babysitter in NYC.. CRAZY! Now I know what I can do when I retire... move to NYC & babysit.

    You really need to start a co op with some other mommies from a playgroup or something

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