She’s got style, she’s got flair, she’s likely got credit card debt! Fran Fine, the makeup saleswoman-turned-nanny from Flushing, Queens, enjoys a life of luxury among Manhattan’s rich and famous, but it probably costs her a pretty penny.
The Nanny, starring Fran Drescher as the titular caregiver, turns 30 on Nov. 3, and the show’s clearly a ’90s time capsule with its revolving door of A-list cameos and Fran’s bold fashion. The latter of which makes us question just how she can afford her expensive taste. (Eagle-eyed fans will notice that she’s often walking around in Moschino.)
It helps that Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy) covers her room and board at his Upper East Side mansion off Central Park. Plus, she can be thrifty.
“Oh you can always get your money back,” the nanny once quipped. “Ma once got a refund on a chicken carcass that she claimed the meat fell off on the way home.” She also famously stashed a prawn from a buffet “for later.”
With all that she’s saving, it must balance out with what she’s spending, right? If one thing’s for sure, Fran would love girl math.
Here’s a closer look at how Fran could keep up with her Manhattan surroundings on a nanny’s salary.
Humble Beginnings
After graduating from Hillcrest High School, Fran went to cosmetology school and helped run her then-fiancé Danny’s wedding dress shop. However, after he dumps Fran, she resorts to selling cosmetics door-to-door. A makeup salesperson’s salary and commission are based on experience and sellability. Fran used her salesperson skills to talk herself into a seemingly better gig.
The first home she visits is Max Sheffield’s Upper East Side mansion, where he immediately thinks she’s a job candidate for the nanny role in his household. He reads her resumé, which is written in lipstick and lists her mother from Queens as a reference (much to England native Max’s disappointment, who thought it was the Queen Mother).
Fran has no professional experience with children and seems to lack the discretion Max is looking for in a nanny. But due to Max’s urgency to fill the role, Fran gets the job on a trial basis, and the rest is history.
Her Nanny Salary
Throughout the show, Fran claims she makes $6 an hour (roughly $12,000 yearly) and frequently asks for a pay raise.
This may seem low considering Fran was providing round-the-clock child care — and it was! The New York Times reported in 1998 that nannies’ wages had been rising throughout the ’90s as the role became more nuanced and specialized. The average nanny was reportedly making $400 per week ($20,800 yearly) — or even as high as $800 weekly ($41,600 yearly).
The Times also notes that if Fran had been college-educated, had a driver’s license, or at least any professional experience with kids, she would have been considered more valuable to the Sheffields.
By providing entertainment for Max’s three kids (Maggie, Brighton, and Grace), helping them with their homework, and even dispensing valuable life lessons, Fran likely deserved to be compensated more.
Casual UES Digs
Lucky for Fran, she had housing, meals, and presumably health insurance covered through Max.
The Sheffield residence, located at 7 East 75th Street in the Upper East Side, boasts 20 units, making for plenty of space for himself, his kids, Fran, Niles the butler, and an ostentatious home office. It included six bedrooms, several bathrooms, a chef’s kitchen, dining room, and even featured a private patio. Fran compares it to Caesar’s Palace (for better or for worse).
Comparable homes in the same neighborhood are about 7,000 square feet and typically cost in the $5 million range in the ’90s. The same home was bought for a cool $14.5 million in 2008, so Max could likely foot the bill for his staff’s living quarters and insurance needs.
Shop Til Ya Drop!
Fran’s shopping habits are as memorable as her coordinated outfits. Even though she’s living rent-free and doesn’t have to worry about groceries, she’s not exactly wise with her money.
According to costume designer Brenda Cooper, Fran’s wardrobe sometimes featured affordable pieces from Kmart, thrift shops, and garage sales. Who could forget when she got into a hands-on fight over a sweater at the Loehmann’s Semi-Annual Red Star Sale in Season 4?
At the same time, her outfits might have looked as expensive as they were. The show would pull clothes for Fran at the Beverly Hills Neiman Marcus from designer labels. For example, a Moschino skirt suit ensemble today costs upwards of $8,000, and if we converted for price inflation, Fran was likely paying $4,100 in ’95.
In Season 3, Fran famously goes on a shopping spree after learning Danny gets engaged to someone else. Her frenzy goes beyond new boots, however, when she purchases items ranging from a horse-riding saddle and food processor to a pasta maker and exercise machine.
