Monday, January 18, 2010

Capitalism and consumerism

C has been pestering me to earn some money and I told her she could make something in the kitchen and hawk it to the neighbors. Since they were off school today for MLK day, she started in on me first thing this morning and I told her to decide what she wanted to make and just go ahead. She went to the food storage room and chose a package of peanut butter cookie mix. The only thing I did was measure and pour the oil and C & S (5 years old) did all the other measuring, egg cracking, mixing, portioning and clean up. I helped with the oven parts.

The cookies were baked to perfection. After they cooled a bit the girls put them in two bags and we put the bags, a stack of napkins, and some tongs into a small metal pan and we set off. I waited on the street a la Trick or Treating, while they went up to the doors. At 25 cents a piece or 5/$1 it took only eight houses to sell them all and come home with $5.25.

The part that touched me was that E was completely uninvolved with the project, yet once C & S had taken in $3, C said, "Oh good, now there's a dollar for each of us!" I really hadn't planned to share the spoils with E because she didn't do any of the work, but that thought never occurred to C. Sweet girl.

They each came out with $1.75 (I donated the raw goods :-) ), paid 10% tithing, then we all headed to the grocery store and Walgreen's to do some shopping.

S bought a bag of miniature marshmallows and E bought some papaya spears from the health food section. C waited until we got to Walgreen's and bought a Twix bar, as did S.

It was a great lesson all around. I have the feeling I'll be hit up for another adventure like it on the next day off school. I must remember warm cookies 45 minutes before lunch sell well . . . .

1 comment:

  1. what a great lesson for them all.

    Your C is very sweet.....she sounds like my little G.she always shares no matter what!!!

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