I'm already feeling overwhelmed by all the stuff coming home that they are selling. I don't ever remember doing any of this when I was young, unless it was for a large trip. We may a LOT in taxes and I can't believe I am still having to buy all of this.

I turned in my wrapping paper order last week and the next day, the pie and cookie dough order form came in. At least, we love the pies, but $15 for one pie. Yikes.

Then, the worst is, all the kids come and knock on my door and I have to say "sorry." My DH ordered from 2 neighbor girls and I could pass out. I thought I would save so much money now that we aren't paying for preschool. I was wrong. LOL

By Trina~moderator on Monday, October 2, 2006 - 09:35 am:

I hear ya, Eve! Ty & B go to two different schools and both bring home different fund raisers. Thankfully our district just started a new policy that discourages door to door sales. They are only allowed to sell to family and friends. I just started giving cash donations. The school only gets 40-50% of the sales, but 100% of cash donations. I'd rather donate cash and *know* the school is getting all the money, than buy the junk they're selling.

By Tarable on Monday, October 2, 2006 - 09:38 am:

I know what you are saying. My dds are going to different schools this year and we are getting so many different fund raisers that it is ridiculous. I feel like I have asked all my family and friends to the point that I don't want to ask anyone to buy anymore than they already have. But I don't want to buy anymore either.

And I totally know what you are talking about with the taxes... We live in TX too and school taxes are outrageous.

By Marcia on Monday, October 2, 2006 - 09:46 am:

I rarely order from the fundraisers. Our school does magazines, and I don't want any. They do the cookie dough, and that I will buy. They also fundraise for things like Jump Rope for Heart, and I put in a set amount for the family. I have 5 kids participating in these things, and there's no way I could afford to dish out money for each and every thing.

By Tonya on Monday, October 2, 2006 - 10:03 am:

Fundraisers are crazy but they are needed. That is the only way some schools can bring in money for school projects and activities. I am on the parent board at school and I know I hate the things but have come to realize how much the money goes towards.

Like Trina said though a cash donation is way better because the school gets to keep all of that where if you buy stuff the school only gets a certain % of that.

By Debbie on Monday, October 2, 2006 - 10:16 am:

Luckily, we only have one major fundraiser. But, now with 2 dks in school, we have twice as much to sell. Like Trina, this year, I just did the cash donation. It is much easier then selling, and the school gets 100% of the money.

By Dana on Monday, October 2, 2006 - 06:08 pm:

I am so greatful that our DD goes to a school that does not do door-to-door fundraisers. We have a fall festival that works mostly on parents donating store bought candies/cakes/snacks and we do an old fashion carnival at the school. It cost $1 for the bus kids who have to leave early and $5 for all others. We get a lot of kids from the near by neighborhood. Also friends can come too. The next event is a basket auction. Again, parents send in cash or buy a theme item for their class's basket. Then there is an auction night. The biggest winning auctions are the time the teachers donate for something fun w/ the child of the winning bidder. They can go for as much as $200!

Last but not lease is our Jog-a-thon. That is the closest thing to a door to door we have.

I hate those wrapping papers and chocolate orders!

By Dawnk777 on Monday, October 2, 2006 - 06:29 pm:

We already did a cookie dough sale, for band, to raise money for their Minneapolis trip. In November, the music department does a Kringle and Fruit sale. My co-workers are really nice to order stuff from me. Of course, I buy their stuff, too. A local Christian school makes REALLY YUMMY homemade apple streusel pies. Theya re $18, but well worth it! I buy two, one to eat now and one to eat sometime in the future. One of my co-workers, went to that school. Her kids went to that school and now her grandkids go to that school! LOL!

It's Sarah's last year in Girl Scouts, so we don't have to sell cookies this year! I'm so glad to be done with it! We'll have to buy cookies from someone else in January!

By Trina~moderator on Tuesday, October 3, 2006 - 11:58 am:

Dana, our district does fundraisers AND all that, too!

By Jackie on Tuesday, October 3, 2006 - 01:16 pm:

The elementary school here does fundraisers, selling of the wrapping paper, candy etc... I do not sell it. I know its for the good of the school. I sponsor the school in other ways. I pay dues for the PTA, I go to all the festivals they have, the fall festival and Holiday party. They have these on the weekends, and you buy tickets for games and all that jazz. I figure I am giving to the school during these events.
With having a son in boyscouts and a girl in girlscouts, we do a lot of selling.
Over the years, I have bought a couple of items for myself during the fundraising at school, but have never asked anybody else to buy stuff.

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, October 3, 2006 - 03:30 pm:

We only do the band fundraisers. There are school fundraisers, too, but I figure the band ones, are enough!

By Luvn29 on Tuesday, October 3, 2006 - 03:42 pm:

Ugh! We have always felt this way, with two kids in school. When both were in the same school, we sold to our friends and family, and then split it up between them, or gave it all to one, depending on the way "prizes" worked at the time, and then split the prizes with them.

Now, they are both in separate schools, and Ashton is in Cub Scouts, and Emily is in a Children's Theatre that uses fundraising to pay for costumes, etc. so no child is turned away due to income. Emily just sold Cookie Dough for the first time, and did very well at that. Ashton is supposed to be selling popcorn for Cub Scouts, and will be getting a fundraiser from school in a week or two. And we just found out that Emily will be selling $10 cans of "gourmet mixed nuts" for A.C.T. (the theatre) starting in a couple of weeks.

The ones for their extracurricular activities are definitely for a good cause, but the problem is, we only have so much family to sell to, and we aren't allowed to go door to door. Ashton is allowed to sell on an online Cub Scout site and the popcorn will be delivered directly to the buyer, so we may do a little better with that with out-of-town family. I don't know....

We are also volunteering at the Fall Fling this weekend (an outdoor festival on main street in our town) for both groups! A couple of hours at a booth selling popcorn and hotdogs, etc for Cub Scouts both days, and a couple of hours for A.C.T. selling lemonade, etc!

The older they get, the more there is!!!

By Sandysmom on Tuesday, October 3, 2006 - 04:11 pm:

I know what you mean, Eve. We had to buy gym uniforms, volleyball clothing items and band clothing items all to the tune of like $82.00. Then, we received two different fundraisers on the same day. This is all for one kid. It gets to be too much.