Missouri Mom's Babysitter List Goes Viral: $28/Hour

When Katrina Ivan hired a babysitter for date night, she saw an opportunity that would benefit everyone involved. The Missouri science teacher left her high school sitter an optional list of small tasks she could complete for extra money while the 3-year-old slept.

The concept was simple but clever. Babysitters often have hours of downtime once kids go to bed, so why not make that time both productive and profitable?

"You are more than welcome to hang out and watch TV all night, but if you want to make some extra $, these jobs are up for grabs," Katrina wrote to her sitter, a high school senior she had known for four years. The list included tasks like cleaning windows, organizing toys, vacuuming the couch, and scrubbing the silverware drawer.

The response was immediate. Just 10 minutes after Katrina and her husband left, her Ring camera caught the babysitter already cleaning windows. "She was like, 'Heck ya!' and got to work right away," Katrina told Today.com.

When Katrina shared the idea on TikTok, the video exploded with over 1.5 million views. Commenters loved the optional nature of the arrangement, though some suggested the task prices (which ranged around $10 each) could be higher.

Katrina listened to the feedback. "I'll definitely be restructuring the prices to make this more fair in the future," she wrote in a follow-up video.

Sunny's Take

The real win here goes beyond clean windows. Katrina already paid the sitter $75 just to watch her son, who slept most of the night. With the extra tasks completed, the teenager walked away with $28.75 per hour, completely tax-free.

Even better, the babysitter genuinely enjoyed the arrangement. In a follow-up interview, she confirmed the extra earning opportunity was "great." She got to turn idle screen time into meaningful income while building real-world skills.

This approach respects everyone involved. The sitter has complete choice, the parents come home to a tidier house, and nobody feels taken advantage of. It's a reminder that creative thinking can turn ordinary situations into win-win opportunities.

Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest ones that just needed someone to try them first.