It's that time of year. THEY are back.

[mizzie]

Originally Posted by andrew80k

This year they have a program to send cookies to the Troops overseas if you don't want them

Originally Posted by 98DaysOfSummer

You can also buy a box and "donate" it.

Yes! If you want to support Girl Scouts (or just can't say no to the cute little girls, but don't want the cookies in your house) you can pay for a box and tell the girl to donate it. They can send it overseas to the troops or take them to a nursing home, hospital, Veterans home, etc. It's a wonderful option!

Last year there was a man who had already bought all he wanted, but thought my daughter was really sweet. So he asked her what her favorite cookie was and bought a box for her! Another great option that REALLY excites the Girl Scout.

Originally Posted by aliasihaya

WOW! That truly requires will power. One of the common threads on weight loss sites is to get rid of everything in your house that would be too tempting. But what do you do when it's part of your job to have those things in your house? :-)

It's hard at first, but it does get easier in a way. By the end, you just don't want anything to do with Girl Scout cookies anymore. lol It also helps that I have an "I can eat what I want so long as I have the calories for it" take on dieting. So I can have one or two cookies if they will fit into my day.

And I also adopt the "not mine" concept that someone else mentioned.

Originally Posted by duckyyellowfeet

Realistically, the troops make almost no money per box (60 cents, I think?) so just a straight donation does do more good. ....most of the money doesn't directly benefit the girls selling.

A straight cash donation is also a great option and yes that way the troop will get 100% of the money. But please don't have the idea that most of the money doesn't go to benefit the Girl Scouts. Last year the cookies in this area were $3.50 a box. It's true that $.50 went directly to the troop, $1 went to the bakers (and really, you can't expect them to do it for free, that's really quite cheap) and the last $2 went to the Girl Scout organization. But that money goes to benefit girls also! If you don't have a daughter in Scouts, you might not realize how much the councils do for the girls. There are a lot of gatherings that are free or very cheap (parties, lock-ins, swimming, etc), plus there is a program to help girls who wouldn't be able to afford the uniforms, etc.

And really, the individual troops don't need tons and tons of money. Last year my troop made over $650 and we didn't even sell very aggressively. That's enough to fund the meetings for the year plus a few special things. And troops that really get out there and sell do even better. I know there are troops where the troop, not the parents, buys all the uniforms, books and badges, they don't have dues and they can take special trips and such just off of what they make during cookie sale.

Sorry to derail the thread, but it's a common misconception that the girls don't actually benefit from cookie sale and that's just not true.

[NEMom]

I said NO this year. I love them and will eat a whole package in no time.
I told everyone living in my house to keep them AWAY. No girl scout cookies will darken my door.

[Sunshine73]

*drools*

I was doing VERY well in saying no until I went to a family birthday party yesterday. Faster than a ninja that order form came out and before I knew it hubs and I were caving in. We ended up ordering four boxes.

[redautumn]

My daughter is a Girl Scout and has sold a lot of cookies. There is a place on the cookie order sheet where you can donate a box to a solider overseas. I have had some people do that. My dh and me have ordered some but they will got straight into the freezer. Maybe I can break open a box of thin mints this summer (preferably to share with a few people). Those are my favorite!

[ennay]

OK, I can't be the only one....One of the cookies they were selling had the word "LEAD" stamped on the cookie.

I can't be the only one who read this as lead. as in Pb. As in the toxic heavy metal that used to be in paint and still shows up in toys and food from China.

Ohhhhhh LEADership. Marketing fail

[mizzie]

Originally Posted by ennay

OK, I can't be the only one....One of the cookies they were selling had the word "LEAD" stamped on the cookie.

I can't be the only one who read this as lead. as in Pb. As in the toxic heavy metal that used to be in paint and still shows up in toys and food from China.

Ohhhhhh LEADership. Marketing fail

LOL, yeah. That would be the Shout Outs (at least that's what they are called in this area, some of the names change from place to place). They have "inspirational" words on them like believe, learn, change, etc. I guess I read it as lead (like leadership), but I can see how you didn't. That's funny.

[duckyyellowfeet]

Originally Posted by mizzie

A straight cash donation is also a great option and yes that way the troop will get 100% of the money. But please don't have the idea that most of the money doesn't go to benefit the Girl Scouts. Last year the cookies in this area were $3.50 a box. It's true that $.50 went directly to the troop, $1 went to the bakers (and really, you can't expect them to do it for free, that's really quite cheap) and the last $2 went to the Girl Scout organization. But that money goes to benefit girls also! If you don't have a daughter in Scouts, you might not realize how much the councils do for the girls. There are a lot of gatherings that are free or very cheap (parties, lock-ins, swimming, etc), plus there is a program to help girls who wouldn't be able to afford the uniforms, etc.

Oh, i know the numbers. I was a girl scout for 10 years. I know that the organization needs their share too. Our council was just....not so good. So I'm in the mind-set of "donations to troop can do the most good"

[mizzie]

Originally Posted by duckyyellowfeet

Oh, i know the numbers. I was a girl scout for 10 years. I know that the organization needs their share too. Our council was just....not so good. So I'm in the mind-set of "donations to troop can do the most good"

Ah, I see. That's a shame that your council wasn't as good about passing it down to the girls. Maybe I should count myself luck that ours actually plans a lot of free gatherings. Almost too many, truth be told, seems like I'm always going to some GS event or another.

[Petite Powerhouse]

Girl Scout season is awkward for me. Last year a little girl came to my door selling cookies and I said, "No, thank you." She stood there looking so forlorn, and her mom was standing at the end of my driveway. I didn't know what else to say. I said, " Thanks, though," again, and then closed the door.

This year my boyfriend answered the door to several little girls. He said, "No, thank you. We don't eat much junk... er... we don't eat that kind of thing...." One of the little girls said, "It's OK" very kindly. Then he added, "Thanks, though"—lamely, just like I did. I was laughing the whole time from the kitchen. He felt bad for calling the cookies "junk," but I know how he felt. Caught off guard, neither one of us knew quite what to say to cute little girls selling cookies.

I won't buy them to give to anyone, and neither will he, because we aren't comfortable giving other people food we consider to be unhealthy. And I won't buy them and just throw them away because I think we waste enough in this country. So... I end up disappointing cute little girls.

[Italiannie]

Well, I love them and I bought several boxes. Last year I did the same and really didn't eat that many.

I have 3 Teenage/young men in my house and my hubby, so I open the box, take one or two, set the box on the counter and they disappear - within seconds. Of course, the boxes vanish quickly from the pantry, too, and when they're gone, they're gone.

[Petite Powerhouse]

Personally, when I was a Girl Scout, I hated this time of year. My father was the boss at work, and so he refused to sell cookies because he was afraid everyone would buy them because he employed them all. And I have never been a salesperson. Going door to door was the worst thing I could imagine as a child. Girl Scouts, band fundraisers.... I never sold much at all because I absolutely hated walking through the cold and snow, knocking on strangers' doors. That's part of the reason I feel bad about turning little girls away at my door.