Lemon Stand
My kids were busy last week and it all started with a Boy Scout Merit Badge. Luke, 11, is currently working on the personal and family management merit badges. If you know scouting at all, you know that these two badges are time consuming. Part of the requirements are to decide on something to save money for as a family. Luke and the rest of the kids decided they wanted to save money for a trampoline. We had a trampoline for years but got rid of it before we moved to Idaho. It was old – we had it since before Beau was born and he is 9. The trampoline cost $209 at Walmart so Luke set some goals on how we would save the money. We have been saving $20 a week by not eating out (make our own pizza on Friday nights instead of ordering, etc.) and not going to the movies as much. We were getting pretty close to the amount we needed.
Beau also needed to complete some requirements for a Cub Scout badge so I suggested they make a Lemonade Stand. It just so happens that we live in a neighborhood that is still under construction. The builders throw their scrap wood in piles by the street so we scavenged a couple piles and found the wood we needed. I taught the boys how to remove nails, use the miter saw, nail gun, and sander, and with some yellow and white paint, pretty soon we had a decent lemonade stand.
Though I would prefer, freshly squeezed lemonade, we don’t live in the south where lemons grow in your back yard and buying lemonade is more cost effective than squeezing it ourselves. We bought our lemonade at Costco – they sell one of the better lemonades out there. We also made some yummy lemon treats. Gabi and Emma helped out with the baking. They made Lemon Cupcakes with lemon frosting, Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry filling, Lemon Bars (this recipe is delicious and the only lemon bar recipe you should ever make), and Lemon Crinkles (cookies).
We decided to set up the Lemonade Stand right in front of the pool, also where everyone entering and leaving the neighborhood would see us. It was a success! The kids had lots of customers, from neighbors to construction workers.
After 4 hours of serving our lemon treats, we had sold out of lemonade and only had a couple cupcakes and lemon bars left. We had made enough money that the kids were finally able to buy the trampoline. The next day, we headed to Walmart. Wouldn’t you know? It was on sale! The trampoline price had gone down to $188 so the kids had money left over that they chose to save for souvenirs on our camping trip we are taking in a couple weeks.
It turned out to be a great learning experience for everyone. The kids learned the value of saving money and hard work. Everyone chipped in and reaped the benefits. The boys asked if we could have a lemonade stand every week. I am not sure it will happen quite that often but we will for sure have more this summer!
