Patrol Food Budget

[Gunny2862]

Our PLC instituted a set amount($10) for food over a decade ago Fri. PM, Saturday all day, and then Sunday AM. It's worked really well.

This last month they (the PLC) decided that while it covered food and pantry items very well, and was still holding at parity, they needed to help offset some fuel costs. They just voted in ($15), All adults still pay the original amount($10) some choose not to take the fuel reimbursement. They all eat really well, (the majority of the time) and have on occasion seriously impressed some of the parents who went along. If the adults don't take the fuel money it carries over until the family campout or can be diverted over for other higher cost outings(float trips, etc.)

 

The Previous SPL thought individually budgeting outings would be a great idea, until he shopped with a new Scout Scout and figured out that until the boys know HOW to shop, that unless they instituted more checklists and controls (virtually shopping for the new Scout) that the Patrol that Scout was shopping for would either miss at least one meal while having a different great one, be sick all weekend, or have huge wastage while they learned. With the fixed budget they can more easily transfer lessons learned across different shopping Trips, Stores, and Outings.

 

I like the fixed budget and planning in advance, it's the doing it without doing it FOR the Scout that's the trick. You CAN eat for a lot less than $10 but it's tough on 1st years who haven't shopped very much to do so.

And yes, they occasionally have made horrendous decisions - but the Patrol members seem to have ways of correcting those errors for the next time.

 

[Stosh]

The main reason we don't use a fixed budget is because it varies depending on the event. When we travel a long distance and then have to rent canoes/kayaks, the food budget drops, i.e. no steak and lobster. This process takes into consideration that there are more expenses than just food. If registration is higher, or rentals, or gas, or other factors, the fancy foods go by the wayside.

 

However, if they decide to go on a local hike, leave from the meeting hall and hike out, do a wood-fire cooking requirement, I'm not all that concerned if they do the steak and lobster thingy, because it'll only be food that is costly.

 

When we go to a local camporee and they have a Saturday night cookoff between troops, there have been some pricy items purchased to try for a prize, but then these types of things don't happen every time either.

 

The boy's chocolate chip cheesecake runs about $13/dutch oven. This is a lot more expensive than even a single meal. One has to add that onto the cost of the meal which really spikes the bill. But there's been occasions where the SM forked over for the treat and wrote it off on his taxes, too.

 

I like it when the boys can take all these extemporaneous factors into consideration when dealing with the menu budgets. The more they deal with the better they become in planning out the whole activity's costs. Last year with the price of gas twice what it is today, there were some pretty Spartan meals. No one went hungry and nutrition was not shorted, but PBJ instead of luncheon meat got us through with no problem.

 

Doing this often hones the skills of the boys to constantly be aware of the whole package of cost, not just the menus. They have even gone so far as to ask the adult drivers what their gas mileage was for the vehicle before asking them to drive. They quickly learned that a gas guzzling 12 mpg vehicle means PBJ and a 30 mpg vehicle means luncheon meat. If 4 boys from the patrol are going because 4 couldn't make it, how is the 30 mpg car going to affect the menu part of the activity budget? The more involved the boys are, the better they are at figuring out what works best for them.

 

The latest question? Does the DVD in Mrs. Jones' gas-guzzling conversion van out-weigh the cost of PBJ's or do we go with Mr. Smith's mini-van and have luncheon meat?

 

Stosh

[Gunny2862]

Stosh,

does your PLC plan the meals and then send the new Scout Shopping? Or do you use an older grubmaster or how is it that your system works?

 

Because I'm relatively new and trying to do a little bit of change at a time(elephant, argh)we are trying to follow the program - which includes letting those 1st year T-2-1 Scouts plan the meals and shop for them so they can advance. The PLC does look over the plan but without going to the huge checklist (even if the boys develop it) or ((having the SPL or PL go along to veto the Scouts choices on the ground) - which is just another version of the adult vetoing)the shopping doesn't always look like the planning.