Think Groupon!

I cannot tell you how many fun activities I have found on Groupon.  Even more fantastic than the ideas, is the fact I can often take my troops to events for a really great price! I highly recommend you sign up to receive these deals.  There are numerous "Deal-of-the-Day" websites out there that offer up to 90% off on events, activities, and excursions.  Groupon seems to be the most popular in my area, but a brief internet research will reveal there is Zozi, Living Social, Mamapedia and Hometown Deal to name just a few.  I recommend signing up with ALL these websites and you will receive daily alerts on the specials in your direct area.  Groupon really makes an effort to notify you of events very close to your home which is really helpful when planning Girl Scout activities since traveling and transporting a large troop can be cumbersome. Some of the sites you may be able to indicate how far you are willing to travel.

If you are concerned about cluttering your personal inbox, I found creating a Girl Scout e-mail simplified my life a great deal and it is super easy and free to do.  I simply logged on to Google Gmail and registered for a new e-mail.  You can be clever and name your new e-mail a host of creative names that indicates it is your Girl Scout e-mail:
GSLeader@gmail.com
Leading2 GSTroops
GSLeaderforLife
I find my parents have really appreciated this direct e-mail hotline as well.  For me having different e-mails helps to compartmentalize my life a bit.  On my mac I can list all my e-mails and sift through each address independently or all at once.  The computer clearly lists the addresses and a number indicating how many messages I have from each address.  I am sure this can be done on a pc as well.

Here are some of the great deals I never would have known about OR been able to afford for my girls without Groupon.

We will attend the 4 hour archery class next week in our End-of-the-Year-Hunger Game Bash!  I was able to purchase a 4 hour class for 16 girls for $250!!!  That's only $15/girl or $3.50 an hour.

For our Cookie Selling Reward my Junior Troop enjoyed DFW Adventure Park.  The girls participated in 5 team building activities and one zip-line ride.  It was AWESOME!  The girls had to appoint a leader for each team challenge and had to learn to work together to solve puzzles.  It was great to watch them advance from each challenge.  At first they ALL wanted to be leaders (imagine that) but as they progressed through the course they realized solving the puzzles required teamwork, listening to the leader and finding the talents in each team member.  It was not only insightful but hugely rewarding for the girls.  I highly recommends this park to any leader or troop!  It would be worth the drive for those troops outside of the DFW airport area. You will be amazed at your troop's potential.  

A word of WARNING:  Be sure and read the fine print.  Some deals may have limitations on the number of girls that can participate or the number of packages you can buy.  I have worked around the number of packages by asking my co-leader or parents to purchases packages.  But you should always call the business ahead of time to ensure they can accommodate a large crowd.  Groupon's reimbursement terms are not the best so you never want to make a purchase, unless you are certain all your girls can participate in the time frame of the deal.  Packages do expire.   I have found Birthday Party packages are the best deal with my large troops, sometimes they include pizza and cake which is a bonus!  There is always a reason to celebrate!!!

Finally, all field trips require GS Permission Slips and some activities are considered high risk requiring a High Risk Activity PS.