For some reason every year it catches me off guard. You would think, with me being an addict, that I would have exact dates down. Still, I am surprised each year* when one of my daughter’s friends calls me up or comes to the door peddling the goodness in the green boxes. Thin Mints, that is.
Photo by Josh Kenzer
One year I bought 12 boxes of Thin Mints, telling myself that would give me one box per month. That’s the biggest lie I’ve ever told myself. Because when you actually do the math** that’s only one cookie per day, and who can eat just one Thin Mint? Who can eat just one of any of the Girl Scout cookies?
This purchase of 12 boxes of Thin Mints wasn’t actually that extreme of a purchase back in the day, especially for deliciousness that was supposed to last me throughout the year. Girl Scout cookies did not used to cost $4.00 per box. I remember them costing $2-something per box, and that wasn’t that long ago.
When Reagan’s friend called me up this year to sell me what I can so affectionately call “my drugs”, I almost choked when she quoted me the price. And that was after I had already placed my (less than a dozen) order. How could I readjust my order on this poor, unsuspecting Scout when all she was doing was peddling the drugs in order to raise money. I swallowed my frugal pride and told myself the deliciousness would be worth it once those boxes were in my graze-hungry little hands.
This is your fair warning, though, Girl Scouts of America. Even addicts have their limits. I am going on record to say that I will not buy cookies next year if they are above $4.00 a box. I’m also saying that I may not even buy them if they are still $4 per box. We’re in a recession for cripe’s sake. Who can afford that? Even though they’re addicting and for a good cause (I can’t remember what they money is used for, actually) they’re not a staple and I can quit cold turkey. The shaking and grumpiness will subside after a while, and who knows, with Pinterest I may even find a good substitute recipe and make a decent enough knock off version (gasp).
*The one year I wasn’t surprised was when Reagan was actually a Daisy. Selling cookies was torturous. I do not go door to door selling things and I’m not making my kids do that either. That’s not the reason I haven’t had my girls in GS again though. I was not impressed with R’s troop leader and I also thought the things she was learning or supposed to be learning in GS we were teaching her at home. I’m not a fan of doubling efforts.
**One box per month — the breakdown. That’s two sleeves per box, so one sleeve every two weeks. 14 cookies per sleeve means 14 cookies every two weeks. 7 cookies per week means only ONE cookie per day! I am doing that correctly, no?
Not So SAHM 