$4/Gallon Scouting vs $6/Gallon Scouting

[Knot Head]

We add a gas charge for each scout. With the national avg. at $3.87 per gallon we would charge each scout $0.04 (4 cents) per mile. We round to the nat'l avg. so if gas goes up we will eventually go to $.05 per mile. The money goes in the gas pot. The guy that pulls the trailer (if we take it) gets 100% reimbursed. The remaining drivers split what is left in the gas pot.

 

Not a perfect system but it helps and whilenot close to what the IRS allows per mile for deductions it helps the same people that drive most of the time.

 

We have talked about staying closer to home and at $6 a gallon probably will.(This message has been edited by knot head)

[JMHawkins]

Basementdweller is right - the biggest impact is going to be on the overall financial status of the families and communities. $4 gas is causing food prices to rise, and $6 gas will make it even worse. Other prices are rising too - high gas prices drives inflation. The overall economy will suffer significantly from the higher prices. Families will have less disposable income for Scouting, and the community will have less available for donations and fundraising. Being thrifty will be more important than ever, and not just in your driving plans. Expect budgets to be tighter all the way around and plan for it.

 

This concludes this test of the Doom and Gloom system. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming...

[Engineer61]

Probably not a big impact on our Troop. Outside of summer camp, they pretty much shut down during the summer here.

[red feather]

Frequency won't change, locations already have. Working towards more backpacking style camping and the committee is looking into a smaller trailer.

 

yis

red feather

[Eamonn]

Have to agree with Basementdweller.

We are very fortunate living close to a few state parks along with great natural resources that tie in great with just about any Scouting activity you can think of.

But I do see that a lot of families are going to cut back on unnecessary spending.

While most of us can cut back on the amount of driving we do. What really hurts is the price of heating oil, which a lot of families in the area use.

I normally fill my tank in the fall. Last year I bought 1,000 gals. It cost me almost $3,000. If the price continues to rise? This year it looks like it might cost me $6,000.

I can see how and why people are cutting back.

Ea.

 

[SeattlePioneer]

Does anyone think that pinched family finances will make Scouting MORE attractive?

 

I'm thinking that might be the case especially for Cub Scout Packs that emphasize fun and inexpensive activities that can include the whole family.

 

Are there ways we can market our units to be more attractive in times that are fiscally difficult for families?

[JMHawkins]

Seattle,

 

Absolutely, I think Scouting can be more attractive, we just need to emphasize low-cost, fun-filled activities. With lots of volunteer effort.

 

I've always thought summer activities are a great opportunity for Cub Scouts especially to provide thriftier alternatives to summer camps. Unfortunately it's difficult on the volunteers to put that together and staff it, but if they can, I think it would pull in kids who's families are cutting out or cutting back on various other summer camps. A lot of packs shut down for the summer, but I think they could recruit pretty heavily if they marketed some summer activities.

 

Now, that said, most districts have their hands full pulling off a three-day Day Camp for cubs, so I can imagine the average Pack would be really challenged. But... A summer Derby Camp? Build, paint and tune PWD and Space Derby cars/rockets the first two days, race them on day three amid lots of games of tag, capture-the-flag etc.

 

 

 

[packsaddle]

Some potential ways to cut back and balance the family budget:

Quit tobacco

Quit alcohol

Quit junkfood, especially drinks purchased in plastic bottles.

Quit cable/satellite, etc. and go with an antenna

Carpool (basically drive fewer miles)

Go on a diet (for most of us, at least)

 

For a lot of us, the above measures serve several functions. First, their continuance signifies that things are not bad enough yet, really.

But the really important thing is that ALL of us could actually benefit by taking those cost-cutting measures.

 

For those of us who claim to want the good old days, this WAS the good old days when all of that crap either didn't exist, was too expensive, or else we were still in deep denial about tobacco. The alcohol saving has been available since we discovered fermentation.

Gadd, I'm sounding like a Mormon.

[SMT224]

We'll deal with it for the rest of our 2011 activities, either by charging Scouts a surcharge or drivers will just eat it. But if prices are still high when we do out September 2012 planning activities, we'll have to carefully balance distance vs cost to Scouts & Troop. Transportation will become a significant cost to consider in the equation, and could mean outings closer to home or expanded fund raising efforts. Unfortunately higher fuel prices - along with ripple impacts - may make folks less able to contribute to the Troop via our fund raiser.

[Basementdweller]

Pack......you owe me a keyboard.. spit my coffee all over it. I am not disagreeing, it is about priorities, we americans are super materialistic.

 

You cannot believe that a family will give up any of these for scouting. Especially, tv and internet???? You for got the smart phones and data plans. first thing to go is scouting.

 

First you sign up in the fall it is 37.5o for nationals cut. then your on the hook for a shirt and stuff for another $50 or so....then the popcorn sale kicks in....Does the pack or troop have an activity fee or program fee???

 

 

[qwazse]

Big screen vs. big woods. Not sure who the winner is on that one.

 

But, scouting is labor intensive. If parents have thrown all of the xtra's overboard and still need to work evenings and weekends to afford the commute to their day job, our kids have a problem.

 

P.S. (for packsaddle) - The price of juice (because it is essential transporting water in refrigerated trucks) is climbing. There's every reason to expect it to exceed the cost of cheap alcohol. Starting to drink may be a cost-effective solution for some folks.

[packsaddle]

Methinks qwazse may be tiptoeing (tipsytoeing?) toward a problem?

 

Basementdweller, You're right! I completely forgot about cell phones...what a Luddite I am! I guess 'neo-Luddite' would be more accurate. BTW, Man! I have keyboards. Just send me an address....

[Basementdweller]

We have one mom doing that....just had her cable disconnected to keep both sons in scouting. she didn't have enough in their ISA to pay for summer camp.

 

Monday night she had a surprised look on her face when she got their current balances.....Both boys are able to go.......Wonder how that happened.

 

 

[Moggie]

I wish fuel was only $6 a gallon here rather than $2.40 a litre ( that's about $12/gal) it is here in the UK.

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

[Scoutfish]

I use a cell phone on a non contract plan- It's actually cheaper for me in the way I use my phone.

 

Don't have a land line..cost too much and I'm never home to use it, plus, if you don't answer it, everybody calls your cell phone anywyas.

 

I have cable, but it's my wifes more than mine. I jusyt watch the weather and morning news. I bet I have watched all of 10 hours of tv since Jan 1st, 2011

 

Internet? Gonna kep that one too. I do about half of all communication with my council, my pack, my DE, a ton of scouting info and forms ideas, etc.., plus I use it for my position of North East Cape Fear District - Camp McNeill Promotiuons.

 

Then there is a great group of scouting guys I like to trade words and ideas with online!

 

I quit smoking in Sept of 2009 after 20 years of a 1 1/2 pack a day habbit and I quit drinking MtDew as my primary source of water this past Nov 2010. I don't eat candy, or a ton of junk food, but finding my resolve being tested as a brand new Micky D's opened up last month 1 mile from my house anda Bojangles is about 1/3 of the way completed as we speak about 1 mile farther. (used to be the closeest fast food was 20 miles away).

 

Granted, Cubs is different, than the Troop, but My son is a second year Webelos now...so it's not "If" for me, but "how soon " it all hits me.