Wondering how much you should tip your nanny, what it will cost you to hire a sitter for New Year’s Eve or how much you should really spend on gifts? Care.com just released the results of its annual holiday survey and families revealed exactly how much they’re spending this year.
Care.com’s 2019 Cost of Holidays Survey compiled responses from over 4,500 families nationwide on their holiday spending habits. Keep reading to see just how much you should be tipping this year.
photo: Jonathan Borba via Unsplash
Of the families surveyed, 47 percent said they plan to spend the same amount on holiday expenses this year as they did in 2018. Twenty-eight percent of those surveyed said they planned to spend between $250 and $499 on holiday gifts, while 18 percent said they planned to spend more than $1,000.
Giving a little extra in the form of tipping is also a big holiday expense for many families. A whopping 80 percent revealed that they would be giving holiday tips and fifty-six percent of respondents said they would be tipping their child care providers. The majority of respondents (29 percent) said they would tip $50 or less, while 21 percent said they would spend $50 to $99 and 22 percent said they would spend $100 to $249.
Since more than half of respondents said that not having enough time is one of the biggest challenges of the holiday season, it should come as no surprise that many families plan to hire extra help, like baby sitters, during the holidays. In order to finish holiday shopping, 80 percent of respondents said they hired babysitters to watch the kids.
In addition to increased demand for help, the cost of childcare also goes up during the holidays. According to Care.com’s data, the cost of child care increases by 36 cents per hour on average during the season. The actual cost varies by city, but you can check your local area with Care.com’s babysitting calculator here.
New Year’s Eve doesn’t seem to be a popular date night, with just 18 percent of parents responding that they plan to hire a sitter for the big night. Of those who planned to hire a sitter, 61 percent said they would be booking one at least two weeks in advance. The national average rate for a New Year’s Eve sitter in 2018 was $17.30 per hour.
—Shahrzad Warkentin
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