School fundraisers are evil....

[luvzmybabz]

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One of my son's school saves these yes we eat more processed then we should but cutting WAY back on it so son will not have as many this year however is there some way to find out what all items have the boxtops on them. I could not believe my eyes when I saw them on Huggies Diapers.
OT:
Also just received a flyer yesterday for the new target in a towm about 5 miles away. The first page is all about why you should buy from them because what they do for the community. Then they mentioned the school district that they give to is not even in that town but in OKC a large metro area where an overblown MAP FOR KIDS project is taking place. Just a nother reason to buy local, the taxes stay local.

 

[Possumpoint]

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I totally agree. A few years ago, I paid $12.00 for what I thought was a BOX of chocolate something (can't remember the fancy name they called it), anyhoo, the BOX consisted of 4 tiny patties that maybe had one pecan chip in each patty. It's a total rip off! And, that gift wrap they want the kids to hock door to door, I can find better looking paper at the dollar store.

 

[wischickenlover]

My 12-yr-old DD came home last week with another fundraiser for....magazine subscriptions. Between DH and myself, we already subscribe to numerous publications that are of interest to us. We dont need anymore magazines! I am sure the pizza and wrapping papaer one will be coming home soon from my DS too. I don't mind supporting the schools for the most part...except for the past couple of years. A referendum that the school board was trying to get passed, failed. So the threat was in cutting off most extracurricular activities, as well as sports, along with some teachers, upping the class sizes a bit. I live in a very small, rural area-with the largest "city" having a population of just under 4,000 people. It is also a very economically depressed area. Many, many of the families are low income, if not poverty-stricken. So, two years ago, the school district decides that property taxes are not enough to pay for the schools. They began charging large "student fees" to families on the first day of school. Any sports or extracurricular activities would cost extra money. Last year, I had 3 kids in the district. I owed almost $200 on the first school day for these student fees. At the time, I was unemployed and searching for work and we had six people in our family. The extra $200 was nowhere to be found. After all, the rent and utilities, and food had to come first. The schools badgered and harrassed us until we scraped up enough money for those fees. A lot of money to us at the time. Same fees this year too. I know there were many families who just could not pay this. But the law says you have to have your child in school...or else. So when the fundraisers come around (that i ALWAYS bought from in prior years), I tell them I already gave at the office..........

 

[Henrietta23]

Quote:
One of my son's school saves these yes we eat more processed then we should but cutting WAY back on it so son will not have as many this year however is there some way to find out what all items have the boxtops on them. I could not believe my eyes when I saw them on Huggies Diapers.
OT:
Also just received a flyer yesterday for the new target in a towm about 5 miles away. The first page is all about why you should buy from them because what they do for the community. Then they mentioned the school district that they give to is not even in that town but in OKC a large metro area where an overblown MAP FOR KIDS project is taking place. Just a nother reason to buy local, the taxes stay local.

You can go to the website for both boxtops for education and the soup labels and print out all the products that have the labels. There are only a few I'm willing to change what I regularly buy just to get the box top. It's like marketing blackmail! LOL, uh oh I'm back on my soapbox and late for a meeting!!

 

[WriterofWords]

I do support the Price's milk caps and the Box Tops for education. I figure if I have those anyway why not cut them out? It's as easy as clipping coupons. Also since we have a Price's Dairy in El Paso they are close to us and we have gotten over $75000.00 dollars in Grants from them for our school activities, supplies for kids who need them and playground equipment. Those are very good programs.

 

[fowltemptress]

Sometimes I wonder about these fundraisers when I find out a local school district is giving laptops to every student to take home for homework purposes. Last I checked, schools and local libraries allow access to computers. I'm not sure I like the idea of sending portable, breakable, expensive items home with kids indiscriminately. I also don't like that you can quickly become the workplace pariah if you never buy any type of overpriced goods from the parents of children. I'm not cold hearted, but I'm not paying 20 bucks for nasty cookies, especially when it's not even the kid asking me to buy them! I've seriously never eaten anything as gross as girl scout cookies, but I'll buy something at a bake sale any day . . .

 

[arlee453]

4 school aged kids here.

We don't. I repeat.... DON'T participate in any fundraisers where they are selling something.

Kids know not to even bring the junk catalog home.

I will gladly write a check to the PTA for the amount that I would have spent in the catalog - at least then the PTA gets the WHOLE amount, and not just the 'profit'.

With 4 kids there is no way I could keep up. And I don't buy from other kids either - I just tell them I'll give them a check (if it for a good cause) but that I don't waste money on stuff I don't need or want. (in a nice way, of course)

My kids did a walk a thon last year - best fundraiser ever - and I gladly wrote the check for each of them. The school got most ALL the funds. They got an afternoon out of class to exercise. Winners all around...

 

[Henrietta23]

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I do cut them out when I have them. What I dislike is that I now have a kid who can't go shopping with me without begging me to buy certain brands because he wants his first grade class to win the pizza party. Or who gets upset with me when I don't because now his chart isn't as high as the kid who sits next to him. I don't mean to sound beligerent toward WOW at all if it's coming across that way. Just clarifying why those programs in particulat irritate me.