Is Cub Scouts expensive?

[midnightmommy]

My DS wants to go see what it is all about tonight, but I'm a tad bit nervous. We are on a pretty tight budget. I seem to remember paying dues every week for Girl Scouts and then my uniform and handbook...but honestly I don't remember how much. How much does a uniform and handbook cost these days? Is there an enrollment fee. I will pinch pennies if I have to if he really wants to do this. I'm just planning ahead if I can.

[sewingmommy]

You pay a registration fee for the year ...ours is 50. that pays for the handbook , neckerchief , and all the patches for the year that your child earns ...also pays for the pinewood derby car they make .... not sure how much the shirt is but you can check that out at your local hobby shop I think....

hope that helps

[annettemarie]

Definitely check with your pack, though, because what the fee covers varies. Ours covered dues/registration, the neckerchief, a t-shirt, bare bones derby kit, and some patches, but did not cover the handbook, shirt, or money for extra trips and activities. Call and ask-- it can't hurt and it might take some stress away.

BTW, I feel your pain. My oldest starts Boy Scouts tonight and my third is being signed up for Tiger Cubs.

[nd_deadhead]

My DH has been a Cubmaster and Scoutmaster for almost 10 years. He never turned a boy away because of finances. Ask about fundraising opportunities in your pack - it's very possible the pack will pay for your initial expenses, and you can pay it back after a fundraiser.

We also had a number of shirts - especially in Cubs - that older boys had outgrown, available to younger/smaller boys.

In addition to selling things like candy bars and popcorn, our older Scouts do a couple of manual labor projects to earn money.

My twin sons are 16 years old, and on the verge of becoming Eagle Scouts. It has been a wonderful experience for them!

When they were 14, they went backpacking by themselves for 3 days (with two other Scouts the same age). They planned all their meals, bought their groceries, loaded their gear, planned their route. They were in a State Park, so I had to register their remote campsite for them, but they were on their own from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. They hiked 8 miles to their campsite. They were a mile from the nearest potable water, so they got water from a nearby lake and purified it. They had a blast! Our family doesn't camp, so all the skills they used on that trip were learned in Scouts.

[Kristine233]

My daughter started girlscouts a gain this year and it was $32 for the year and that included her sash, patches for the year, handbook and registration fee. Usually you only have the registration. ($12 for us) Some troops use cookie sale money to pay for the next year's registration and fees. If you are on a tight budget you can also apply for scholarships.

My son is in boyscouts and I know its similar for scholarships. We pay about $35 a year for him and that covers his handkerchief, slider and patches, extras (supplies, derby car etc) and registration. We as parents still have to buy the book, shirt, hat as needed. I found boyscouts to be more expensive than girlscouts, but worth it either way.

No weekly meeting fees for either. I should add that boyscouts (err cubsouts AND boycouts actually) do different fundraisers such as the "Hot dog stand" at the local super market and raise money for activities.

[34me]

Like everyone said it often depends on the pack. We had a lot of kiddos from lower income families but we had some major popcorn power sellers so we charged $10 per year and $1 per meeting and you got the book, neckerchief, slider, all the belt loop thingies, patches, pine wood derby, all the supplies for the weekly meatings and the Blue and Gold Dinner (spaghetti but still...). We also had "a guy" that scoured thrift stores and garage sales for shirts we could give out to kiddos that couldn't afford them. When we bout my ds's first shirt I think it was about $30!

[Poddi]

We paid about $130 for this year. This include most supplies, snacks and booking for camping places, so we think it's fair. A lot of places don't collect enough then they need to do additional fund raising.

I'm sure they'd offer the option to pay just one semester at a time.