Helping out household help at Christmas in tough times

I was shocked to see how low the peso has dropped, and wondering how my housekeeper & gardener are making ends meet with the greatly reduced buying power of their weekly pay in pesos. The average wage being about 40p is less than $2.84US. We all now the cost of groceries & other expenses locally, who could survive on that kind of wage?

I am going to give my gardener and housekeeper an extra bonus, above the required aguinaldo & vacation pay, to help cover expenses this year. It is no skin off my back to do so, and might be very much appreciated. Anyone else?

Has there been a proportional increase in the peso cost of groceries and other essentials in the Lakeside area?

The lower peso means less buying power, there does not need to be an increase in prices to lower the quality of living for locals. If my housekeeper has to choose between buying a gift for her kids at Christmas or paying her electric bill to not have the power shut off, I can guess where her few pesos will go. Life should not be so tough. I can afford it, so I will do it. That is all I am saying.

I think the loss of  buying power, as you describe it, will shown up on  imported items first.  If everyone buys Mexican as much as possible, it shouldn't be too severe and will be more gradual.

Everyone should be buying Mexican.

Agree the year end payment is a great time to show appreciation and the money comes at the right time for the folks. We give ours a month's pay which is highly welcome.

The peso fluctuation will not show up immediately and as noted will show up only slowly in Mexican goods which our helpers buy. The stuff in the stores now was imported under more favorable peso rates.

This is all about the price of oil which tends to vary all over the place as well. Remember that frack oil wells don't produce nearly as long as new field oil wells and cost a lot more per barrel to drill and run.

That reminds me of a manager who asked for a huge raise for herself and the help because the peso was down..I fired her and gave a raise to the help,, not because of the rate of exchange but because they deserved it. I asked the manager if she expected a cut in pay when the rate of exchange was going the other way...I do not need anyone thinking this way to manage people.

We live in Mexico not in the US and wages should be kept in line with the wages in the rest of the area . If you feel well off and want to give extra money give extra money but it is always a good thing to tie the money to someone´s achievement or you create expectations for the following years and you end up with problems.

One can also buy ‘dispensas‘ at Soriana, for example. They are boxes containing basic foodstuffs, cooking oil, etc. They can be gift wrapped and are always appreciated. Also, as the weather is chilly, note if your helpers have sweaters or jackets, which also make great gifts, but are often beyond their budget.

Great ideas, RV!