Budget Brilliantly

Once girls decide which project to pursue, they have to set a budget.  A budget is a way to determine how much something costs, and write it down. The younger the girls, the more they will need adults to help at this point. Older girls planning a trip can do much research on their own. They can look online or call a travel agent. They can go to the grocery store and price the cost of food. If they agree on a service project, they will need to figure out the steps, determine what supplies are needed, if advertising will be used or if it will be necessary to travel from one place to another.  Here, there may be lots of steps, and more opportunities for decision making along the way.  
 
Once the budget is set, the girls can then determine how many boxes of Cookies they will need to sell in order to reach their budget and achieve their goal.  
 
Girls will want to share with the parents the goal that the Troop has set, as well as the funds that will be needed to reach the goal.  
 
The girls might determine that each girl will be responsible for a minimum number of boxes – 100 boxes per girl. Or the girls could decide that each girl will set her goal to meet a proportion of the goal equal to each of the other girls in the Troop.  Some girls have proven track records as “big sellers.”  These girls may agree to strive to reach a greater share of the budget. Again, parental support is essential to reaching goals!
 
Troops also have the option of earning incentives based on the number of boxes of Cookies that are sold, or the Troop may decide to forego the prize incentives and take an extra rebate of $.05 per box. This requires a formal vote of all the girls in the Troop who plan to sell Cookies, with a 2/3 majority voting to take the extra money. Another way to make extra money is for girls to set a goal in Cookie Club of at least 100 boxes, and if the troop averages 100 boxes per girl, the troop will receive an extra $.02 per box.
 
For Troops that choose to take the prize incentives, individual girls may set their personal goals toward the various prize levels. These decisions should be worked on together with parents so that goals are reasonable and responsible. The back page of the GS Cookie® order form shows the prizes, patches and the number of corresponding boxes of Cookies®.  Girls should share the information on the order card with their families.
 
And that’s the process, set goals, make decisions and plan a budget!