Is My Potential New Sitter Asking for WAY Too Much Money??

Nope no way, no how.. She needs to move to Los Angeles and take cre of movie stars children..

Maybe you resemble Angelina Jolie so much, she assumed you could afford her rates..

I would no longer feel comfortable hiring her. Her expectations are way too high in my opinion plus she didn't know the going rate when she interviewed!?!? I would say that is fabulous you can get that rate, best of luck to you!

She is probably comparing nanny rates to those in Manhattan, with her background/education do get that amount. However, she should not except the same payment from you, especially if you already decided on an amount.
I would have her over for a talk and explain how much you really like her, but you are only able to afford $$ and if she is unable to work for that amount, you both need to move on.

Hi K.,

I think there are a couple things at play here....

#1 - You are each using different terms. She is saying nanny and you are saying sitter. Those are 2 completely different jobs with different responsibilities. So the first thing you need to do is determine if you want a nanny or a sitter. Nannies are paid considerably more than sitters and NEITHER are houskeeepers (although you can negotiate that in, of course - but you are not asking her to do that, so not an issue here).

#2 - She has horrible negotiating skills. NO - you can't counter offer with an amount that is double. That's just silly. She negotiated up from your first offer, and that is fine. But that is where it should have stopped. The fact that she then re-countered with an amount that is very far off the first amount shows that you guys are not on the same page, it speaks to her maturity and her rational (in)ability to interact within a business setting.

I would NOT hire her. Not that I wouldn't pay $25/hr ..... IF I could afford it, if s/he was worth it and if that was the going rate for the services I wanted provided.

However - She asked for SO MUCH more money and if you go forward with her and you and she agree on something that is no where near that amount you have 2 things (and really only 2 things) that are going to happen:
1. You will have someone who FEELS like they are working for less money than they feel they deserve and they will not do as good a job for you. There is a disgruntled factor that will be at work.

2. She will SUPPLEMENT the difference between what she feels she is worth and what you are paying her by either stealing from you, eating your food, watching your movies, doing her stuff on your time etc etc etc.

For what it's worth I entered Monmouth Beach NJ into the sittercity rate calculator and it gave me a rate for 1 child older than 1 but less than 4 years old is $12.50 an hour.

I wouldn't even let her work for me for less money at this point. I would simply reply to her and say that you thank her for her time and interest, but you will be seeking out a childcare option that is more aligned with your needs.

Bummer. It really sucks when someone you think is great just flakes on you.

Just my $0.02

.

$25.00 an hour is alot of money to ask. Most nurses with a bachelor's degree in my area start at $25.00 an hour. Now, I also don't think that $10.00 an hour is fair for a qualified babysitter. I pay my 16 year old babysitter $10.00 an hour and my kids are EASY, no diapers or bottles and they feed and dress themselves. So, I think a compromise of $15.00 an hour is fair for your area. She isn't going to be doing any laundry, cleaning or cooking, therefore the title and pay of Nanny won't suit her, she is a babysitter!

I value the care my child receives but I think this young lady is trying to take advantage of you.

I went to school for 11 years and do not make much more than that.

Cut her loose. She is off her rocker.

Here's the thing that gets me: The fact that she didn't know what the going rate was for a nanny with her experience when she first started talking $$$ with you indicates to me that she does not have any experience in this field. I do not know what the going rate for a nanny is but would imagine that $25/hr would probably go to someone has an extensive work history, possibly some formal education or training in child care or child development, and fantastic references.

I would compare nanny rates in your county, too, so you're both on the same page. And, great resume or not, if she's out of your range, she's out of your range. You can always negotiate in the middle and see what she says. She might be asking for the moon to see if she can get it, but be willing to take less. Since you are ONLY asking for childcare, I have to wonder if she's comparing herself with people who do more housekeeping than you are asking.

I don't have much to compare it with, but our daycare center was $299 a week for a toddler, in a class of 6 children with two teachers. Their drop-in rate was $70 per day per child.

That's almost $800/week for 30 hours?!?!? That's about $3200/month for 30 hours a week. Yes, that's too much! Wouldn't we all love that job!! She's only 23, so she can't possibly have that much long-term, in depth experience. I'd say look for someone new:)

What?!?! $25 an hour?! She must be high! I agree with one of the other posts about making sure she didn't make a mistake on the digits. I would say $15/hr sounds fair ONLY if she has a clean driving record and will do light cooking/housekeeping since she's only responsible for one child.

WOW! Around here--she's making more than the top pay in our area! My hubby is working one of the highest paying factory union jobs and still making less that $20/hr. WOW! A sitter in our area makes -- get this--$3-$4 (yes, that's THREE to FOUR) per hr.

We had a nanny that we paid $20/ hr when I only had my first son. She would drive him to a little gym class. She would cook, grocery shop and do laundry. She also cleaned my house like a cleaning crew had been thru it. My son loved her too! I think $25 is way to much to ask for, especially if she is only babysitting your child and not doing any of the extras.

Caring for your children is more about love and a caring connection then an impressive resume and education. Find someone who loves your kids and WANTS to do this for you, not a hireling.

She's totally overstepped her mark! I think NJ can certainly be more expensive than Atlanta, but $25 an hour for one toddler? NO! The only way I would consider that rate is if she was also cleaning house and making dinner -and I'm not joking. If you had several children and required her to do a number of things (act as a tutor, teach a foreign language, etc.) then I might think she wasn't so crazy, but that's really high.

There is no way I would pay some $250 a DAY to watch my child! When my oldest was in daycare 5 days a week we paid $250 for 2 weeks! If you were to take your child to a daycare center, they would probably charge $40 a day! I would call some daycare centers in your area and see what they would charge for your son. I would the make my rate based on what they would charge. Do not hire this girl, she is expecting too much!!!

She's way too expensive. The most I've heard of is $15/hour, and even that seemed high, especially when there are no other duties involved (i.e., cooking, cleaning, laundry, driving, etc.)

I would tell her no. If you give in now, she'll only ask for more money later. Say, "Thanks but no thanks." and look for someone else. I bet you'll find an even better candidate who is more reasonable with their rates. You'll never be able to please this one -- she'll always have some excuse as to why she needs more money.

$25 per hour is ridiculous for one child. Especially if she doesn't do anything extra like laundry, etc. $15 per hour sounds more reasonable. There are plenty of experienced nannies out there. Keep looking. Personally, I would try to find someone a little older who has had kids of their own.

First off...you need a babysitter and have specified that she will not be doing the "nanny" duties. She is going on the rates of a Nanny not a sitter.

I worked with at-risk kids in a juvenile detention center and ones in their homes and community. I made $13.25-$15/hr.

Stick to your guns and keep looking for someone else.

Nanc

If I lived in NJ, I'd do it for you for $10 and I am CPR/First Aid trained. ~smiles

I know you've gotten alot of answers, but WHAT??? I thik $120 a day is VERY generous. Thats a good chunk of change for 3 days a week, for ONE child!? Id say shop around, yes caregivers should make a decent amout of money but come on!

$25 per hour is way too much. I pay a 55-ish woman with a degree and 20 years childcare experience $15 per hour - that was her quote and since she had education/experience I felt it was justfied. But $25 for a 23-year old, probably with no kids of her own, I think $10-12 max.

Good luck!

Wow. If sitters or a nanny got that much per hour, I know a lot of people that ould quit their jobs and take that one. I would look for someone else. If she is looking for a higher rate, she might decide to go ahead with the lower-more realistic one-but not do her job properly.

At this point, you should not consider her. She just gave you an idea of how the future will be like with her if you hire her. Going back on her word and coming up with crazy ideas. I'm in long island, and this place is crazy, but no one is paying over 15 dollars/hr, if that.
Cut her lose.

My husband is a professional engineer, and he had to take a pay cut in this economy to keep his job. He is now making $29 an hour. FOR AN ENGINEER! These are the people designing your roads and bridges. He has a freakin' master's degree. No 23 year old sitter should be making close to that. Maybe she can find someone else who can, but COME ON!

Tell you what...if you move to DE, I will watch your child for $15 an hour! I don't know what the going rate is for a nanny because I have used daycares (both home and centers) for my children but if other duties are not being asked of her and you are supplying her meals, and she still have 4 days off per week...she is asking too much in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, a good childcare provider who is trustworthy is worth their weight in gold...it doesn't mean you can afford to pay them that amount.

That's over 4000.00 per month (1250.00 per week)!!!! For one child! Not a chance in hell!! Over 50,000 for day care a year? No way!!!

Sorry, in my shock I forgot it was only 3 days a week. Still no dice!

Say bye-bye to this arrogant, crazy young lady!

She's crazy. I pay mine $13 an hour and I have 3 kids. Sounds like she is trying to take advantage. Is it even worth it for you to go to work? Geez. Look in the wanted ads and see what the going rate is.

Well, to my knowledge, in home care is supposed to be less expensive than daycare. Daycares around where I live charge about $600-800 a month, and thats for an infant. So yes, if you ask me, $125 a day is ridiculous!! Time to interview others! :)

Generally speaking, I think that if I am entrusting someone with my kids then the person should be qualified to care for them properly (i.e. not a teenager who will spend all evening texting.) I have no problem at all paying a premium for this (we think of it as "whatever we spend on a bottle of good wine, we should be paying our sitter.")

My husband and I use a professional sitting service and they only send us women with ten years+ experiences with proper CPR training. All of the sitters we've used are either teachers, child therapists or nurses looking to make extra cash and they're paid $65/per 4 hour chunk for two kids under 5.

So yeah, $25/hour sounds steep. She is not your live in nanny after all, her comparing her hourly to nanny rates without knowing their job descriptions, living situations or duties is ridiculous.

where i live our daycare charge about $120 a week for your daughter age. That is just crazy how much she wants. And thats about $25 a day. in home sitter charges about $80 a week. I think i would consider daycare before i would pay that.

No way I'd pay that amount even for a specialized pre-school teacher.

OH MY STARS!!!!

What is she thinking?

Call around to local child care centers and get prices. She should not charge much more than they do, even is she is working in your home and giving your child individualized care. You can pay a child care center for a week on what you would pay her for 1 day.

I think she is just trying to get you to counter offer so she can get more money. I agree she should not be the one you hire, regardless. When I was a nanny I cleaned, cooked, did laundry, watched up ro 8 kids on days school was out and I made (it was in the early 90's) $2 per hour per child, was paid hourly for cleaning and for cooking. About $5 an hour each task. I neve worked more than an hour on dinner for the family or did more than 3-5 loads of laundry a day, and they folded it and put it up themselves.

This is way too much money, she is trying to get you to pay her more.

I would come back to her and say "How sad, I was really looking forward to you babysitting for us but I am sorry to say I will be looking elsewhere". And when she asks why, tell her "I am not comfortable with you now, we had an agreement and you broke it within a few hours so I am not able to trust your word, I cannot leave my child with someone not trust worthy."

Well, she can try and charge that, and someone might pay for it, but since you had previously agreed on around $10, how on earth she thought you were going to pay more than double that is beyond me. I'd walk away from that one. I think $10 is on the very low end and $25 is on the very high end, objectively, but in my mind, that doesn't really matter in this case.

I mean, it's like thinking that you're buying a Carolla and suddenly they're trying to sell you a mercedes!

I would go to care.com and check out their pay calculator. It takes your zip code, how many kids the nanny would care for, and a few other details... Then it gives out the price per hour that would be decent for your area.

I wonder what research she did to compare rates, and see if you can look yourself. Yes, it sounds outrageously high, but then again I think part of the problem is that you are talking about hiring a Sitter, while she is comparing Nanny rates. Are you hiring someone for a full day's work? That's a Nanny. I hire Sitters to come sporadically or spend a few hours with my kids here or there, and I rarely pay more than $12 an hour. But a Nanny is someone is more than just a Sitter. Her experience has a lot to do with it, but so does the job description.

I was like-whoa that IS a ton of money. And then I read that you are expecting her to be a housekeeper and cook as well. $25 is more than fair in this case. You may want to put your expectations more in line with what you are willing to pay. Look up how much a housekeeper costs per hour in your area and add it in with the $10 or so an hour and it will probably be about $25. If you were only paying your old sitter $10 an hour for all of that I would say that you got lucky with her.

I need to be a sitter in your area! I have a Master's Degree and only make about $19 per hour. Granted I'm not in the NJ area, but I've looked at similar jobs for my field there and would be lucky to get about $22 an hour at the most (I'm actually OVER paid for my job in my area). She is definitely asking for to much.

In my opinion, she's only worth what someone is willing to pay her.

Just because my neighbor is a sugeon, it doesn't mean I should have to pay him $30,000 to keep an eye on my house and check my mail while I'm on vacation.
It's an analogy, I know, but this gal is asking $250 per day to take care of a 16 month old child.

I would write up a complete and detailed job description and check with agencies near you to find out from them what the going rates are. They may have a good listing of providers for you to choose from as well.
I know in my area, all the providers through the Child Care Council are fingerprinted and background checked, etc. They also don't get $25/hour for one kid.

If this gal has a teaching credential, then perhaps that's the type of employment she should be seeking. It's great to have someone intelligent and understands kids to watch your child, but 95% of moms and grandmas who never took a child development class can likely run circles around her in the life experience department. And, as sad as it sounds, licensed CNA's who do in home care for the aged, disabled, and special needs kids don't get paid that much. At least not here. And that's with a medical background and education.
Like I said, a person should be paid according to the duties of the position, not the caliber of the resume.
Do some comparison shopping, for sure.

Let us know what you find out.

That is WAAAYYY too much. I live near the monmouth county area and trust me, sitters do NOT get paid that much. Have you tried sittercity.com? Those girls ask for somewhere around 10$/ hour. When I babysit other peoples kids, I get paid $8/hr. My brother sometimes watches my son, and I pay him $10/hr.

My husband has a bachelors degree, working on his masters and works in a specialized field in government public health care and even he doesn't make $25 an hour.

NJ is a helluva lot more in living expenses than FL... and I get $12-14 an hour as a professional Nanny. I'd say $16-18 would be more of a fair fee per hour...

WOW...Where do YOU live BC I want to move there and become a sitter. Hahaha. I was previously a live-in nanny for 3 boys, did ALL laundry, cleaning, meals, drove them to activities, school,EVERYTHING that a parent would do, and recieved 10 dollars/hr and 25 dollars at night for spending the night. Also, got an extra 125 dollars for cleaning a 6,000 square ft house. Not too great, but ok. Recently kept a 2 and 4 year old in my house from 8AM to 6PM and got paid 200 dollars weekly. I provided food. I consider that not being paid enough to have someone watch your child for that long.
In my opinion the most important thing in my life, that I would consider spending the most money on to make sure it is well taken care of is my baby.......BUT if I had to pay someone $25/ hr to watch my child, why go to college. I'm pretty sure everyone would be doing that. Never heard of that in the BEST of neighborhoods.....Maybe for 3-4 kids, but definitely not one.

That's pretty normal for our area for nannies (20-35 per hour for parttime work, however $2500-3500 per month for fulltime work - with vacation days, etc.) . So is $10 an hour for babysitters. ((Most of the SAHPs in our area stay at home, because they can't afford to work. Many would be paying to work, others, after paying for daycare and taxes end up only making a couple dollars per hour.))

I would look around in your area for pricing... call a couple agencies... see what you might be paying if you went through them instead.

I PERSONALLY wouldn't pay either a sitter OR nanny 25 and hour, purely because I wouldn't be able to afford it.

That's way too much. Wouldn't be worth me working!

Are you sure she didn't do a typo and meant to say $15. an hour, which is a completely reasonable rate for an in home nanny. I would ask her to make sure before taking drastic measures.

Heck no!! I wouldn't pay that much nor have I ever charged that much!!! I've taken 20-25 dollars a DAY but not per hour!!! That is insane. And like someone else mentioned, she probably won't claim that towards he income taxes so money is all staying in her pocket.

S.

Hi K.,

I haven't read your other answers yet, but I just want to say
"that's OUTRAGEOUS! She's got SOME NERVE!"
You can do much better.
How about a gramma? I'll bet you could find some older
women who would work for $10/hour and be very happy about it.

Good luck!
"Grams"
from the Pocono Mts. of PA

Sounds like it just will not work out. We have 3 kids (twins and a single) and we pay $15/hour and she drives and lives out. $25/hour is ridiculous.

She sounds great! Her experience that is.. Listen, I never used a private sitter bit from browsing care.com, she's not asking for too much. (for nyc area)..... HOWEVER, if it were me, I'd find someone else. Maybe she entered your home & thought you "had money to burn" by looking around, or maybe she realizes her bills will double this month.. Whatever the reason, I would not want someone that indecisive around my child. Something's not right. And if you had to post this, you know somethings off...

You are right 12 to 18 is reasonable. In my experience they always ask for more.....

Around here, state approved childcare is only $3/hour/kix max...When I worked as a babysitter in the past, I charged $5/hour/kid...I would never pay more than $10/hou/kid...EVER...that is too much allready.

Is this a babysitter, or a nanny? A babysitter does not make $25 per hour. That could be $1,000 a week, and I don't even think a formal nanny makes that. IF she has a teaching degree, she may be trying to make what someone with a teaching degree makes, but this is not a teaching job, it's a babysitting job and not your problem if she is applying for a job she is overqualified for. I would find someone a little less qualified and a little less expensive.

Do you think maybe this was her way of telling you she didn't want the job? She knew if she told you a ridiculous amount, then you wouldn't hire her and she wouldn't have to come up with the courage to tell she didn't want to watch your kids.

I have no idea but keep shopping around for that money I would do it lol

Why go to work it realy doesnt pay to work and pay her, maybe she will come to her senses

That's crazy-my brother lives in Boston where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country and he pays his daytime sitter 20/hr. Offer her what you feel comfortable with and if she doesn't agree it wasn't meant to be.

I live in Manhattan and the going rate here is $15 an hour. 25$ is insane. And she does laundry and cooks dinner for 2 kids and does light housecleaning.

Whoa! Can I watch your little gal for you?? I'll quit my job and watch your daughter - Haha! Seriously though, let's do a little math here: As a 7th year teacher with a Master's Degree I only make about $70 more a day than she would working for you. The first year teacher down the hall makes about $200 a day, so about $60 LESS than your gal would be making - that's outrageous!

I pay my sitter $40 a day - one day a week. The only difference is that I take my daughter to her. And this mom has advanced degrees, child development experience coming out of her ears and is raising 4 children of her own; only one of which is there at the same time as my daughter. I say good luck to that sitter of yours finding someone to pay that!

Well considering she probably isn't paying tax on it thats more than enough at the $10. I'm a teacher with a bachelors and masters degree after i have taxes and health insurance taken out, she would be getting as much as me. If she wants more then tell her to pound salt, she doesn't have enough education or certifications to demand that kind of money.

Some nannies in NJ do make $20 an hour or more. However, they tend to be the full-time, professional nannies for very wealthy families. It sounds like what you're looking for is really more of a babysitter.

I will say that, 15 years ago, I babysat in NJ and made $12 an hour (I was about 13 years old and the little boy was sleeping most of the time I was there), so I guess I'd be surprised if someone with her experience would work for that much. I do think $25 is way too much, but $16-18 would probably not be an unreasonable request. You may not be willing or able to pay that much, but I'd imagine someone like her could get that range.

If it were me, I'd just ask her if it was a typo. Let her know that you simply can't do that and tell her what you are willing to do ($15? $16? Etc.). If that works, fine. If not, move on. I'm sure you could find someone else!

that sounds outrageous. I pay 175 for 5 days, 9 1/2-10 hour days. Granted, it's an in home daycare and not someone coming to my house, but there's no way I would pay that much per day.

There is no way I'd pay anyone $25 an hour! She's scamming you. Find someone else. Good luck.

I've been a nanny (currently staying home with my own family) with lots of experience in the Seattle(ish) area, and I've charged NO MORE than $15. If the children are too much to deal with for the price, I won't charge more, I just won't work with them.

For one child, 16 months old, I think $120/day is more than fair. ESPECIALLY because you're not asking her to cook or clean at all. If you're willing to, up it to $150 and say that's it, take it or leave it. You will find someone excellent who will happily work with you and your family for $150/day.

$25 is a lot. Maybe she is planning on reporting all of the income and paying self employment taxes. That would eat up about $10 per hour leaving her taking home $15. But still, I've only heard about high rates like that when hiring someone from an agency, even in high cost of living areas.

Whoa.

We pay $40/day for my son to go to our sitter's house for a 7-4 day. I provide all of his food, diapers, wipes, etc. That's the going rate where we are.

When I would go on the sitter sites and they had hourly rates, they all seemed insane! This stuff adds up fast!

I hope you find the perfect sitter - I know it can be a hard search!

It's. Too much she's not even paying tax on that you could find someone else if she doesn't want it don't let her take advantage $120 a day is very good.

So she is not a Nanny. She is a sitter.......$25 per hour WOW!! Sorry the sitter is way over priced!!!

My gf has been a professional (live out) nanny for over 15 years and she makes $550/wk for 4 10 hr days per wk and she does the kids meals and laundry. I have another friend who charges $10/hr for 2 kids to babysit and she has the same training and has worked in day care as well. A women who worked in my daughter's day care who babysits on the side and has same certs charges $12 hour. I think she is WAY off base and we live in Monmouth County.

I haven't had a full time nanny but I pay $15/HR for three children in the Mpls area and many think I'm crazy. I know full time nannies get paid well, but you say three days not five. If she was five days/40 hours most expect benefits as well in addition to hourly, and some figure their time the same regardless of # children.

I'd let her go. I know how scary it is to find someone you trust your kids with but I had fabulous luck with sitter city.com. Good luck!

Giving in to her sudden changes will guarantee more demands later.
For $25 an hour, you could get someone much more mature and stable.

I might go $12 providing I could afford it, she stayed off her cell phone and other media, including tv, and she cleaned while child was napping.

That seems really high to me. I had a sitter help out for a few hours a few days a week when my daughter was born, almost two years ago. She has a full-time job not related to childcare, but she also works part-time for a nanny agency. She's in her 50s, so she has years of experience with part-time childcare, and she has all her background checks, etc. I paid her $16 an hour for two kids. In addition to that, she would eat here and do her laundry here (wasn't an official part of the negotiation). So I think $25 an hour is way too high. What I would do is talk to her and tell her that you just can't afford to pay her that much (as you've already said here). That way, you're not likely to get into a back and forth with her, because you're not saying that you don't think she's worth it, etc. Come to a number in your head you think she's worth, and that you are comfortable with. When you talk to her, tell her...for example, "I know when we discussed salary, you said after some thought that you were hoping to make $25 an hour. I've thought long and hard about this, and gone over my numbers, and I realized that I just can't afford to pay $25 an hour. But I think you have excellent credentials, experience, etc., and so I want to be fair. I can offer you X." Then sell your side a bit, reminding her that she doesn't need to be concerned about laundry, cleaning, etc. Good luck!

Updated

That seems really high to me. I had a sitter help out for a few hours a few days a week when my daughter was born, almost two years ago. She has a full-time job not related to childcare, but she also works part-time for a nanny agency. She's in her 50s, so she has years of experience with part-time childcare, and she has all her background checks, etc. I paid her $16 an hour for two kids. In addition to that, she would eat here and do her laundry here (wasn't an official part of the negotiation). So I think $25 an hour is way too high. What I would do is talk to her and tell her that you just can't afford to pay her that much (as you've already said here). That way, you're not likely to get into a back and forth with her, because you're not saying that you don't think she's worth it, etc. Come to a number in your head you think she's worth, and that you are comfortable with. When you talk to her, tell her...for example, "I know when we discussed salary, you said after some thought that you were hoping to make $25 an hour. I've thought long and hard about this, and gone over my numbers, and I realized that I just can't afford to pay $25 an hour. But I think you have excellent credentials, experience, etc., and so I want to be fair. I can offer you X." Then sell your side a bit, reminding her that she doesn't need to be concerned about laundry, cleaning, etc. Good luck!

That is $3000 a month! I know you are in NJ and things are more expensive there than here in FL but holy cow! That just sounds like an awful lot!

This is very high even for NJ. I'm in Bergen county. That is much more than my son's preschool which is at a daycare center with very good and experienced teachers. He goes half days and a week is a little more than she wants per day. I think five full days would be less than 2 days for her rates. You might try calling some daycares in your area for a check on rates. I have paid high school age babysitters $8-10. You could try checking with a nanny service but I never used a nanny.

I would look for someone else. She sounds like she cares more for the money then her job. At this point what is the point of working. You might as well stay home. I am sorry but that is way too much in my book. I paid my sitter $120 a week. That is all I could afford at the time and she was amazing in every way. Maybe you may want to look into a daycare. Because if you are going to pay her that much money you could find a great daycare for less.

I have 1 child and I pay my sitter $25 a day (she is here 7 hours a day). She has a background in early child development and she is a fabulous sitter. I usually pay her extra every week because she deserves it and she is wonderfuI.

I know we live in different areas and therefor the cost of things is different, but that is outrageous!