Living In USA

Household employees include workers such as cooks, cleaning people, baby-sitters, handymen, drivers, and gardeners. Under certain circumstances you are required to pay Social Security taxes for those employees on a percentage of the total wages paid. This amount may be matched by the employee, or you may pay the whole amount. You, the employer, are responsible for mailing the total amount of tax to your local Internal Revenue Service (IRS) office within thirty days after the end of each calendar quarter. Once you have paid your first tax, the IRS will send you a quarterly reminder. There is a penalty if you do not pay the tax on time. The amounts involved are not great, even when you pay the full tax yourself.

You should consult a tax preparer, such as a certified public accountant (CPA), to find out what your obligation is regarding these taxes. Also, you can telephone the nearest office of the IRS and ask for the proper instructions and forms for filing this tax. If your friends or neighbors employ household workers, you can ask them how they handle this matter.

American adults move around a great deal and often live far away from their parents. Because they have established their own homes and developed their own lifestyles, their children do not grow up surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, as children do in many cultures. Most families have only one, two, or three children close together in age, so there is rarely one child old enough to look after the others. These facts, along with the reality that in modern American families single-parent and dual-career parents are common, have made childcare a vital part of the American scene.

Baby-Sitters
A "sitter" is someone who is hired to care for children for a specific length of time — usually relatively short — while the parents are out for the evening attending a party or taking a class, for example. Sometimes the baby-sitter is also hired for longer periods, perhaps when the parents are away for a weekend. In such cases the sitter is likely to be a mature and motherly woman. For a short period, teenagers, college students, and others (of either sex) are commonly employed on an hourly basis.

From the point of view of convenience, the best sitters are often young people who live in your apartment building or close by in the neighborhood. This gives you a chance to meet the parents and interview the sitter. If an emergency occurs, young sitters can call upon their parents quickly for help. Another advantage is that you do not have to take them far to see them home at night or pay expensive taxi fares. Finally, young people living close by can usually fill in quite readily on short notice or for short periods of time.

In an apartment house you can ask the superintendent for permission to post a notice for a baby-sitter by the mailboxes. This is often the best way to find out if there is anyone in the building who is interested in baby-sitting. Retired people as well as students are often glad to earn a little money in this way.

An excellent source for baby-sitters is a nearby college or university. Students frequently want to earn extra money in their spare time. The best procedure is to go to the school before you need a sitter and ask if you can post an advertisement on bulletin boards or put an ad in the student-run newspaper. With any luck, you might find one or two students who speak your own language.

The disadvantage of using students is that they are often busy in the evenings, they are gone during their holidays, and sometimes they bring along their friends. The advantage is that they are less expensive than anyone from an agency and, being young, are likely to be more fun for your children.

Other sources could be the bulletin board of the local YWCA or the Girl Scouts, who sometimes organize baby-sitting services. Some scout troops train older girls, who earn service credits in this way. They are a particularly good possibility if you want someone to remain indoors and play with the children. Since they are young themselves, you might not want to give them outside responsibility such as taking children through traffic.

As you make friends, don't hesitate to ask if their teenagers would like to baby-sit. Often they are delighted. Baby-sitting is a popular occupation for teenagers, especially girls, so do not be shy about asking them whether or not they are available. Most mothers try to line up three or four sitters whom they (and the children) get to know and like. In this way they have alternate numbers to call when their favorite baby-sitter is not available.

A young couple with children, struggling along on a tight budget — especially students — often work out an exchange agreement with another couple, sitting for each other's children a certain number of hours or evenings a week. The mothers exchange daytime hours as well, giving each other occasional or regular free afternoons for shopping, working parttime, taking classes, going to the hairdresser, or visiting friends.

Rates vary widely by location and age — less money for teenagers than for mature women, for example. You pay more for daytime hours than the period after children are in bed until midnight. After that, rates may go up again. You pay more, of course, if you have several children or if the job includes preparing a meal. Many sitters don't want to cook and you should not expect it, although feeding the children meals that you have prepared is normally acceptable.

If you have a small baby and want someone older and more experienced than a student, look under "Nannies" or "Baby-sitting Services" in the Yellow Pages. If you employ the same person regularly for even a few hours per month, you must pay Social Security taxes (see below) unless you get her through an agency. In that case the agency will do the paperwork for you.

Day-Care Centers
Day-care centers range from a stay-at-home mom (or dad!) who take in a small number of other children during the day to make extra money, to large commercial enterprises. Many states license day-care centers, and it is best to become familiar with the licensing criteria in your state so you know what it entails. Unfortunately, in many cases, licensure is only a bare minimum of declarations by the provider, so do not infer that a licensed center has been inspected or its staff evaluated. There are also private associations that have higher standards, and accredit centers that meet those standards. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (www.naeyc.org/), the Network of Child Care Resource and Referral (www.nccrra.org/), and Child Care Aware (www.childcareware.org/) are all excellent resources. Your employer and coworkers may also have suggestions. In the end, personal referrals of satisfied parents may be the most reliable way to choose. Many religious institutions run day-care centers during the week, as do YMCAs and YWCAs. Parents need not be members to enroll their children. Some list members who like to baby-sit; some have set up group baby-sitting for certain afternoons during the week so that mothers can shop or attend to other necessities. Most religious institutions also have nurseries and baby-sitting services on Sunday (or Saturday) mornings so that parents can attend services. There is usually no charge — or only a nominal one — for this service.

Public or private day-care centers and neighborhood centers are another good resource in your community. They may be advertised in the local newspaper, but there is such a shortage of good day-care centers that frequently one must learn of them by asking neighbors and acquaintances. It may be necessary to put your child on a waiting list, so it is never too early to inquire. A note of warning: never choose a daycare center or nursery school without checking it out carefully and obtaining references or personal recommendations from friends or colleagues.

Live-in, domestic help is prohibitively expensive nowadays for all but the wealthiest Americans. More common forms of domestic help are (1) cleaning women, who come in once or twice a week or even every two weeks, and (2) baby-sitters, who stay with children when the parents go out. Otherwise, precooked and packaged foods, microwave ovens, no-iron fabrics, dishwashers, and washing machines — all time-and labor-saving devices — take the place of household help.

Household Cleaning or Party Help
The best way to find someone to clean your house is by asking people you know for recommendations. Start with your friends or your business acquaintances. This is a common request, and you need not feel embarrassed. Americans are accustomed to helping each other find domestic help, just as they are to recommending a doctor or dentist. People will ask their own domestic help if they have extra time, or if they know a relative or a friend who might be looking for work.

You can also ask the manager or superintendent of your apartment house. Perhaps there is someone already working in the building who wants more work. Sometimes the clerks at local laundries, grocery stores, pharmacies, or the like can give you suggestions. If you are known to be a regular customer, such people are likely to recommend people carefully.

If you cannot find anyone by word of mouth, there are other methods, though these tend to be less satisfactory. You can use a maid service, for example, listed in the Yellow Pages. Such services are more expensive; on the other hand, they assume responsibility for troublesome details like Social Security payments, insurance, and so on. There are also companies that offer housecleaning services. They send a team of well-equipped people in to clean your house on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly schedule, and to wash windows, clean rugs, and do similar heavy work at regular intervals — or once or twice a year, as you request. Housecleaning help is a growing industry in the United States, generally providing excellent services.

Another option is an employment agency, although it is likely to be expensive and is not preferred. There is no guarantee that the person will stay with you beyond the period covered by the usually high agency fee. Furthermore, you may have to interview many people. If you use this method, be sure to ask for references, both for the candidate and for the agency. Not every agency is dependable.

You can also advertise in the newspaper for a housecleaner. The difficulty with this method is that you know nothing about the people who may come to your house to be interviewed. If you do follow this method, check each reference very carefully before hiring, and don't try it unless your English is very good.

Finally, you can answer an advertisement. People who are looking for work frequently advertise their services. This way of finding help is particularly useful in smaller towns and rural areas where it is easier to find out about your potential employee. In larger towns and cities, be sure to interview carefully and check references thoroughly. Some of the best prospects are found in foreign language newspapers.

Many small catering companies specialize in residential parties. They may bring in food that has been prepared elsewhere or use your kitchen to do the preparation. You can ask the caterer to provide all the help your event needs, or you can limit it as you see fit and negotiate. If you go to a party you enjoy, ask the hosts if they hired a caterer or other help and for suggestions for your party. People are usually happy to make recommendations. You can also hire waitresses, cooks, bartenders, or butlers by the hour.

If you live in a town with a college or university, call its employment bureau. Some colleges hold extracurricular training programs in household skills or bartending to help students get jobs.

One of the largest retail operations in the United States is selling by mail through catalogues and through the Internet. Catalogues will arrive in your mail on a regular basis, and you can purchase anything from gourmet food to fur coats by mail, phone, or via the Internet. Growth in this sector has occurred for several reasons. People have less time for shopping — especially in two-career families — and retailers can reach a greater number of people. Most important is that shopping by mail is convenient, especially for the elderly or others who cannot move around easily. The disadvantage, of course, is that you cannot try on clothes or examine the products. Most companies who sell this way are very reputable and readily accept returns if you are not satisfied with the merchandise. Don't be surprised if you receive catalogues from companies you have never purchased from; many catalogue companies make extra money by selling their mailing list to other firms.

Auction sites on the Internet, such as eBay, are a popular form of shopping for both new and used goods. You may be amazed at the variety of goods being sold by auction, and if you take some time to educate yourself about market value, you can get some good deals. You can check to see what items similar to the one you want have recently sold for and check the feedback other buyers have given to various sellers. Amazon.com is an enormous Internet retail site. You can buy books, clothing, toys and games, DVDs, and much more. As always, buyer beware.

In recent years, a number of televisions shows — and even entire 24-hour channels — have sprung up, aimed at the television viewer. These shows feature items at supposedly discounted prices, though you may frequently be able to find comparable prices in local stores. They display a variety of merchandise from clothing, jewelry, clocks, luggage, and toys to small kitchen gadgets, hardware, and exercise equipment.

To order from one of these TV vendors, you select the item you want, phone in your order, paying by either credit card, money order, or check, and wait for your selection to be shipped to you.

A word of caution: many people impulsively order items from these shows that they neither want nor need — and cannot afford. It is all too easy to get carried away by TV salespeople urging you to call in immediately to take advantage of this "limited-time" offer. Take care to avoid this situation. Also, quality varies tremendously among these products.

So many people are constantly on the move in the United States that it is easy to find secondhand household goods for sale. Buying secondhand is quite usual here. Many young couples furnish new homes this way. People who do not want to spend time or a lot of money shopping sometimes buy the entire furnishings of an apartment from someone who is moving to another part of the country.

Many communities have a weekly bulletin that contains nothing but classified advertisements. If you look there or in the local daily and weekly newspapers, you will see advertisements in the classified section that read, for example:

"Moving, entire contents of house for sale."

"Going to California; desk, large clock, child's bicycle for sale."

"Redecorating house, complete maple living room furniture for sale."

"Dining room set for sale."

"Queen sized bed, good condition, with almost-new mattress for sale."

If you see something that interests you, call at once on the telephone; some things are often sold very quickly. If the item is still available, go immediately to examine it. If you like it, you can try bargaining. Then you must work out a means of getting your purchase (or purchases) to your house. This can be a major problem, but the easiest solution (if you have no friend with a pickup truck or van) is to look at ads in the local paper or in the Yellow Pages under "Trucking" or "Hauling" to find someone with a truck. Otherwise, rent a van, truck, or trailer (to attach to your car) from Ryder, U-Haul, or another rental company. Give a deposit to hold the goods and get a receipt. Don't pay the full price until you come back to pick up the item(s). Most people are honest, but some are not — so you need to be careful.

Auctions, Garage Sales, and Yard Sales
Garage or yard sales are very popular. People collect all the items they no longer need or want, such as furniture, glassware, china, clothing, books, toys, and so forth, and hold a one-or two-day sale in their garage or yard. Sometimes several families or even an entire neighborhood will hold a co-operative sale. Although many yard or garage sales are advertised in local newspapers, smaller sales may just be announced by signs on the streets near the sale site. Many people drive around on Saturday mornings hunting for these sales. Good bargains can often be found, and talking with the owners and other customers is fun.

Buying in this way is a good deal more trouble than buying new equipment from a store and having it delivered, but it can also be much cheaper. Many times you get real bargains and high quality, especially if the owners must move and are in a hurry to dispose of their goods, or if, as is often the case with an auction, someone has died and an estate is being settled.

Thrift Shops
Thrift shops are run by charities (such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army) that first collect and then sell used clothes, sports equipment, books, china, glassware, furniture, and so on. The charities then donate the money they collect to some particular school, hospital, nursing home, or other institution.

There is no loss of face in buying at thrift shops. Many middle-or upper-class people donate to them, help run them, and also buy from them. They are particularly good for such items as children's clothes (often outgrown before they were much used) or evening dresses, which the well-to-do donate after a few wearings, and which most of us wear so seldom that we want to buy at minimum cost. Many people go to thrift shops for ice skates, tennis rackets, books, pictures, lamps, or extra items for their new homes. By law, all clothing given to reputable shops has been washed or dry-cleaned and inspected.

A relatively new type of thrift store is the secondhand consignment store, usually specializing in women's (and sometimes children's) clothing, shoes, and accessories. The seller receives a percentage of the sale of her items — if they sell, that is.

Americans do not usually bargain over prices, as people do in much of the world. What they do instead is shop around to find the store that offers the item and quality they want at the lowest price. Almost everything sold in the United States varies in price according to the store and often the time of year (just before Christmas is often highest; lowest is just after Christmas or during August, when many stores have sales). Sales accompany most national holidays, such as President's Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. The day after Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas are also significant sales days. Sale prices are often indicated by a sign over the merchandise rather than a change on the price tag of each item. Make sure that you are actually charged the sale price; inaccurate computers are not uncommon. The sale price may be a percentage off the regular price or listed as a dollar amount.

Sometimes the price varies according to state or local taxes. Many people cross state lines to buy liquor, cigarettes, or electronics, for example, because there are wide fluctuations in taxes on such items from state to state.

If it is important to you to save money, look for the discount stores in your city. They exist all across the country and are growing in popularity. Much of what they sell is comparable to goods sold elsewhere, but they can offer lower prices for any one or all of these reasons: there may be fewer salespeople (less service); often there is no delivery service except for heavy items like refrigerators; floor space is often so fully used that the store is congested; the decor is simple to save the cost of fancy carpeting or expensive interiors; or goods may be sold only in bulk, that is, in large containers or large quantities and stacked to the ceiling as in a warehouse. These discount stores may be electronics stores (e.g., Circuit City); clothing stores (e.g., Marshall's and Ross Dress for Less); huge hardware and home decorating and repair stores (e.g., Home Depot, Home Base, Lowes,); office supply stores (e.g., Office Max, Staples, Office Depot); and department stores that sell almost everything (e.g., Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target).

In some of these stores you pay a membership fee (e.g., Price Club, Costco, and Sam's Club). Because they are so colorful and have such a variety of goods, these discount stores are often of interest to newcomers who find that wandering through them helps in learning American names for unfamiliar items. There are also liquidation stores such as Building 19, Big Lots, Odd Lots, and Dollar Stores that sell high quality but discontinued household items for extremely low prices.

In most discount houses you will find clothing hanging on long racks. Shoes, socks, or underwear may be piled up in bins. It is advisable to look for those items that carry familiar brand names as much as possible, or ask a neighbor or friend to go with you. Although some of these goods are the very same that you would buy in other stores at higher prices, often they are made with inferior materials and poorly assembled.

If you do not have a warranty and have problems with vacuum cleaners, toasters, radios, and so on, look under "Electric Appliances — Repairs" or "Radio (Vacuum Cleaner, etc.) Repair" in the Yellow Pages of the telephone book. Try to find a repair shop specializing in your particular brand name, if possible. Other kinds of repairs — china, glass, zippers, etc. — are also listed by item in most phone books. Repairs are very expensive, however, and you may be charged a minimum fee just to have the item examined, particularly if you ask someone to come to your home to repair a large piece of equipment or an appliance. Sadly, in most cases involving small appliances, it is cheaper to replace an item than to repair it.

When you buy new electrical appliances, radios, TVs, or other major items such as stoves, you will probably be given some papers with them. One of these is likely to be a written warranty. This means that if anything goes wrong, you can have the item repaired free of charge for a certain length of time — for some items as long as three to five years. You should read the warranty carefully. It probably asks you to send in a postcard to establish the date of purchase. If so, be sure to do it as soon as possible. In addition, write the date of purchase on the warranty itself, along with the serial number on the appliance. Keep it somewhere safe so you can find it if you need it. The warranty will be of help only if you have saved the papers and complied with the instructions. You may be able to buy an extended (longer) service warranty for larger appliances for an additional fee, often up to 25 percent of the purchase price. With the drop in prices of many consumer electronics, you must weigh carefully the cost of such a warranty. With computers, digital cameras, video recorders, and so on, you can be virtually assured that in six months time, you will be able to buy a better model for less money.

If you have bought something and want to return it, you can do so with most items from nearly all department stores and often, but not always, from smaller shops. However, you must have the sales slip. Some stores will take returns without the receipt, but they will only refund the lowest amount the item has sold for. Thus, if it has gone on sale since you bought it, you may get back only a fraction of what you paid. So do not throw away any receipts until you are sure you are satisfied with the item.

Sometimes during a sale, the store will post a notice warning customers "All sales are final," which means that you may not return the item for exchange or for your money back.

If you are returning a gift that has been mailed to you from the store and therefore you have no sales receipt, save the gift slip that accompanies the item and/or take off the delivery label from the front of the package. It has various markings on it that have meaning for the clerk. If you have no label, then ask to exchange for some item of equal worth. It is often easier to do this than to get a cash refund.