Budgeting

One skill a leader of any age must master is how to develop and work within a budget. To develop this skill in the girls, begin now. Involve them in considering the costs of these items for their event: Will they need to pay for transportation to the site? What is the bus/train fare? Or will they reimburse drivers for gasoline? Is there a fee for site rental? How much? Are there special supplies the troop must purchase? A first aid kit, dishpans, a tarp, craft supplies or something else? Can the items be borrowed? Rented? Are there charges for activities in which the girls will participate? What do the girls plan to eat and how much will the food cost? Will the girls bring some of the food from home? What about some money for emergencies? It may be a good idea to bring some cash for an emergency taxi ride, equipment repair, or to purchase that forgotten food item. Will extra insurance be needed from your Girl Scout Council? Girls can make calls or search online to find the costs of transportation, needed equipment, and site rental. If they aren't familiar with grocery costs, you might plan a trip to a grocery store for gathering price information and comparison shopping. Once the girls have figured the total cost for their overnight (or any other event), they will need to compare it to the money in their treasury and ask themselves some questions: Do we have enough money for the activity? Do we want to spend this much of our treasury on this one activity? What are ways we could cut the cost of this event? What are ways we could earn money to cover the cost of this event? What do Volunteer Essentials and our council say about appropriate ways to raise money? This is the time for girls to revise the budget so that it becomes a more workable plan. They'll learn to make compromises and to think creatively when they fine-tune their budget. Even Girl Scout Daisies can make simple decisions about how to spend their troop funds. As the girls grow they take on more responsibility for budgeting and working within a budget. In this way, they develop both leadership and life skills-a goal for us in Girl Scouting. • In the course handout you'll find sample activities to help girls learn to budget. Let's Review: 1) Adults should handle budget planning until the girls are in middle school and are old enough to be involved.      A)  True      B)  False 2) Items to consider when planning a budget for an overnight event are      A)  transportation, food, activity costs, equipment      B)  site rental, insurance, emergency funds      C)  immunizations, medications      D)  A and B      E)  A and C 3) If girls discover they don't have enough money for the activity planned, they should forget about the activity.      A)  True      B)  False 4) Budgeting is a life skill as well as a leadership skill.      A)  True      B)  False

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