Paying a House/pet Sitter

This is the problem with the economy! I pay 10-15 a day depending on how much they actually do. Think about no taxes taken out and a they are watching a CAT! I leave groceries as well and also allow a friend to spend the night with her. They are young kids, this is the problem with paying them too much it is a shock when they actually get a real job. Just my two cents but babysitters are paid too much as well! They would never make that kind of money at their age!

I charged $15 per day for housesitting when I was in college. (It seemed like a lot then, plus living in someone else's house - esp if they had a soaking tub - was like staying at a hotel). I think your idea of the gift card and $50 cash, plus maybe a Starbucks card for $20 or $25 would be fair. Pay extra if your can - she'll be more likely to be available for housesitting next time you need her.

I always stock the fridge too.
I pay our house sitter $35 a day. I have 2 dogs and a cat though. The dogs are definately more work than a cat. I kinda figured I would pay around what it would cost me to kennel a dog for a day.
I would say with just cats and a house to look after I would pay $15-$20/day. I know I over think and over pay, but I always want to know that they will come back if i need them and trust them.

We have 3 dogs.

We pay $20/daily visit of 30-45 minutes and usually 2 visits a day.

For overnights, we've paid anywhere from $40/night to $60/night (basically 7pm-7am) and I typically round her invoice up for a tip.

We do use a pet sitting business, not a friend.

I also appreciate the added security of my house being "lived in" while I am away.

I usually pay $20 per day (of course, this is for a dog who also has to be walked). Plus my housesitter will often do extra chores (like shampooing carpets), for which I pay extra.

We pay our housesitter $25.00 a day for 3 dogs, yes dogs are more work, but he stays in the house and comes and goes like we would for work and school. We do take into consideration the fact that he has to drive back and forth to school too (when school is in session). We also fill the fridge and leave some cash so he can order out a few times if he would like to.

I just called him again for a last minute overnight in a week and he said no problem!