Just before school started, I was asked to buy a discount card from the football team. This involved several businesses in our town giving discounts on goods and services when presented with the card. While this isn't too bad of a deal, it turns out that the ONLY business I do regular business with is the hair salon where I get my hair done. I could use the card there, but it is just taking money out of the hands of one of my very best friends, so I can't do that to her. So, I'm left with a pretty useless, plastic card that will be thrown away when it expires. I should have just handed over the ten dollar bill and told the kid to keep the card.
The Boy Scouts came calling at my door yesterday and I felt the need to pay them for some crappy popcorn. Between the Boy and Girl Scouts, I'm very disappointed in how commercial they are becoming. Much too much time is being spent on selling stuff that--let's face it--isn't all that tasty. We had the popcorn a couple of years ago and I wasn't impressed. The only thing going for it is the minuscule amount you pay for--there barely will be a one-time snack for one person in the can I paid $20 for, so I won't have that hanging around the house for too long. And when was the last time you bought Girl Scout cookies? Those things are getting smaller and less in a package, while the price is going up every year. And they ARE NOT as good as they used to be. But I still buy them and pay the money.
I had a few years where the money train had come to a complete halt here. My girls were out of the house, so they weren't selling and there were no kids in the neighborhood coming door-to-door. The guys that K works with had their kids moving on out of the house, so we weren't getting hit up through work. The grandkids are home schooled, so there aren't any fund raisers through them, so I wasn't shelling out the big bucks like I had. It was nice. But now things are changing--the neighborhood is getting filled with school-aged kids again and so they are on the move once more.
Within the next few months, I figure I have the hockey kids, the band kids, the kids from the French club, and the Girl Scouts knocking on my door. The only ones I'm really waiting for are the ones who will sell me the fudge-filled Easter eggs that a local candy company makes--and I don't know WHO sells those anymore as fund raisers. But whoever comes selling the eggs will be surprised, because my order alone will fund their group for the next six months.
I hate the fund-raising. I can't remember the last time we got hit up, even though there are a few kids on my street. One year, a kid was selling wrapping paper, and it was real good quality. That was something different!
ReplyDeleteHaven't bought Girl Scout cookies for a while, we noticed the same as you-smaller, not as good and more expensive. And that popcorn is lousy! You'd think someone would have told them to try something else.
I haven't been hit up by any fund raisers, in quite a long time. Thankfully!
ReplyDeleteAs I said, I like helping the different organizations out, I just wish they would come with something worthwhile to buy! And I REALLY appreciate kids who come door-to-door on their own--too many kids rely on their parents going to work and hitting up their fellow employees. If a kid is going to go door-to-door in the kinds of weather we have, then s/he deserves to have me hand over some money. ;)
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