Two Cents Tuesday: Girl Guide Cookies

So, my newest endeavor is to have a post every Tuesday (or as many of them as possible) and the theme will be my thoughts and opinions on something.  Hence the name Two Cents Tuesday 🙂  Today’s topic is about Girl Guide Cookies.  So sit back, grab a cup of tea and read along.  I would love to hear your thoughts on what I have to say so please post your comments to the blog!

Girl Guide’s or Brownies, are known the world over as a great place for young ladies to meet new friends, learn new skills and share their cultures and background.  I am all for that and I was even a Brownie myself, a long time ago.  I am a total advocate of most of what the Girl Guides stand for.  My mother was a leader when I was in Brownies and I have fond memories of spending one night every week, over at my school, singing songs, doing crafts, putting on plays and learning all sorts of things.  I loved to do something to earn a badge.  I think one of my most favorite badges to earn was the one for learning the alphabet in American Sign Language.  It actually spawned an interest that saw me take formal training to learn ASL and to volunteer at the Bob Rumble Camp for the Deaf.  That is what is so fantastic about Girl Guides.  It can awaken a passion or interest in you that you never knew was there.

I recall the camping, especially in the winter!  I loved the winter camping.  Emily is a Brownie now and she has been on several winter camping excursions.  I was pleasantly surprised to see they still do that in Girl Guides.  Something else they still do is sell cookies to raise money for the Girl Guides of Canada organization.  I suppose one could call it a time honored tradition to sell GG cookies.  Now, as a rule of thumb I am all for fundraising.  I mean lots of places are not wealthy or supported by the government, so they must fund raise to get what they need to run the show, so to speak.  My daughter’s school does fundraisers, all the time, to cover the cost of supplies and trips.

But, while I am not opposed to fundraising, especially when the supporters get something for their trouble, ie; cookies, I am getting annoyed by the constant price increases.  The already too pricey GG cookies went from four dollars a box to five this past spring and needless to say, they have been a harder sell.  Most people will still buy them, but now, instead of buying five or sixes boxes, they are buying three or four.   We appreciate whatever support our family and friends can give us and we understand that it is tough to spend five dollars for cookies that taste very much like an Oreo or Fudgie-O.  I just wish the Girl Guides of Canada would understand the same thing:-( It is not as if we see the benefit of all the cookies we sell.  When I was a Brownie, according to my mama, we did not have to pay to register.  We now pay $150.00 for the year.  That is not so bad, but add in the cost of the uniform, camps, outings, crafts and badges.  We have spent almost 100% more this year for these “extras”.  My question is this; what the heck good is it to fund raise if our troupe, our children, do not see the benefit?

To add insult to injury, the GG cookies are not quite the healthiest option out there.  While our American counter parts long ago got rid of trans fat in their cookies ( all eight plus varieties),  the Canadian GG’s seem to not have noticed the weight problem out there.  Especially the one facing children of this generation.  Apparently it costs too much money to revamp the recipe for the Canadian cookies.  It is not as if they aren’t making money, cause at five bucks a box someone is raking in the cookie dough.

So, that is my two cents on the matter.  Not much will change unless everyone stops buying GG cookies and I would really hate to see anything happen to the organization.  It would just be nice if they could tweak the prices a bit and surprise everyone with a discount.

FT&PD

Suz