Do you know what Box Tops are?
I was among the uninformed until this year when my daughter started public school. Box tops are these little dillywhoopers (see pic above)on the sides of cans, top and sides of boxes, on labels and wrappers of all sorts of everyday household products. For example: Huggies diapers, Ziploc bags, Gogurt, Pillsbury products, and Cheerios...these are just a few.
Well my friends, Box Tops are huge! They are a big deal, a very big deal. I still don't know much about them, I know they are worth $.10 each for your school. I know that the class who collects the most gets a pizza and ice cream party. I know my daughter is a nazi when it comes to looking for them.
For those of you who would like to know more, here is their site.
www.boxtops4education.com
But back to the real reason for this post.
Each time we grocery shop I try to keep in mind the hunt for box tops, but most times the generic brands are cheaper, and you just can't pass that up. Generic brands do not have Box Tops...but there are somethings you just have to go name brand on...we usually end up with 5 box tops each shopping trip. Every little bit counts right?
We collect them and send them back to school each month. Our pantry often will look like a mouse ate a perfectly rectangle shapes out of cereal boxes and soup cans.
Over the holidays we went to visit my mom and dad. My mom and dad, bless their hearts, are still raising kids...two very huge and hungry 17 year old, athletic boys. She grocery shops. A lot.
As I was helping her sort out groceries and cook up some dinner I started noticing the treasure she had in her pantry. It was Box top mania in there! Much to my surprise (NOT!) she was not collecting them. I could just imagine the thousands of dollars of Box tops she was hoarding in her pantry and the thousands more that have been carelessly thrown away!
Throughout the week, I let it be known, very sweetly, that no Box tops were to be thrown away!
On the day of our departure my sweet mother presented my daughter with a Ziploc (Box top) baggie of all her Box tops...her pantry has now been plagued with the same little, rectangle eating mouse. Thanks, Mom!
Here's to all of you who fight to keep the cereal boxes closed with holes cut out of them!
And to all of you who have kids up and coming, start saving now! You will be the hero of the class if you bring in a bucket full. (the expiration is like 3 years!)
And to those of you who don't have kiddos in school anymore, I'll send you our address and we will take care of them for you :)
Clip on Box Top savers! Clip on!
Box Tops are huge in our house too. Our school sends a sheet home each month with ten spots to put box tops on and I have to try and keep track of who took in the last sheet to make everything "fair." All the classes in the school have monthly competitions to see who can raise the most tops and the winning class gets to watch a movie after recess. I know they help out the school but they are such a headache for me. And I would much rather be buying the generic brand of most items.
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