Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can buy boxtops on ebay - seriously!!!!

Also ask your family members - mom, aunts/uncles to save them, too.

As a box tops school coordinator, I can say that officially this is not allowed. Obviously, they have no way of enforcing this rule. However, there is a chance that the purchased box tops are counterfeit. Also, it is beyond ridiculous that someone will spend money to buy them online just so their kid's class can win a contest. The money from submitted box tops can only go to a school or PTA and never to an individual person.

Right now there are over 100 auctions for box tops. THis is the low season as not many schools do their competitions this late in the year so the number is lower than normal.

Just because they are for sale on ebay does not make it right. General Mills (the company that runs the box tops program) makes it very clear that purchasing box tops is not allowed. Not only are some of them faked, but it is a charity program for funding schools and it is not intended to line people's pockets.

We buy a bunch of things with box tops. A couple of times a year I think for a second about saving them then don't. It's not worth it. I also think coupon clipping isn't worth my time. We write a big check to the PTA every fall so I have no guilt.

Anonymous wrote:I never bother with it and never give it a second thought.

Same here. What a waste of time and energy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can buy boxtops on ebay - seriously!!!!

Also ask your family members - mom, aunts/uncles to save them, too.

As a box tops school coordinator, I can say that officially this is not allowed. Obviously, they have no way of enforcing this rule. However, there is a chance that the purchased box tops are counterfeit. Also, it is beyond ridiculous that someone will spend money to buy them online just so their kid's class can win a contest. The money from submitted box tops can only go to a school or PTA and never to an individual person.

Right now there are over 100 auctions for box tops. THis is the low season as not many schools do their competitions this late in the year so the number is lower than normal.

Anonymous wrote:I actually buy lots of box tops stuff. But I still can't be bothered to cut them off. I tried one time for a whole month to be super vigilant. I got 12. That's $1.20 to my kids school. Totally not worth it.

We have a ziplock bag in the key drawer for box tops. Rip the box top off, place in bag, recycle cardboard. Twice a year we give over 100.
It's not really that hard.

WE found there was a lot of pressure to do this - but there is pressure to do a lot of things for school. We pick the ones that are most appealing to us / easiest to achieve and don't worry about the rest.

I like the box top collection. Every time I buy something with it, I save the box top in a ziplock bag. And I buy things I nor pally would have anyways. So easy and the school gets money.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually buy lots of box tops stuff. But I still can't be bothered to cut them off. I tried one time for a whole month to be super vigilant. I got 12. That's $1.20 to my kids school. Totally not worth it.

Wow -- I think for the amount of effort that cutting, organizing and thinking about it woudl take that I could just donate to the PTA directly. Insane. And I guess I am DCUM or something for thinking this way, too..

One of the reasons the box tops program is so successful is that the kids can get involved and be able to turn in something tangible to show their support for the school. Let the kids hunt down the box tops on the packages and cut them out. Let the kids bring them to school and drop them in the box. And, yes, you also should also donate to the PTA because box tops aren't enough. Make sure you tack on ten cents for every box top you tossed out.

Anonymous wrote:You can buy boxtops on ebay - seriously!!!!

Also ask your family members - mom, aunts/uncles to save them, too.

As a box tops school coordinator, I can say that officially this is not allowed. Obviously, they have no way of enforcing this rule. However, there is a chance that the purchased box tops are counterfeit. Also, it is beyond ridiculous that someone will spend money to buy them online just so their kid's class can win a contest. The money from submitted box tops can only go to a school or PTA and never to an individual person.

Anonymous wrote:I actually buy lots of box tops stuff. But I still can't be bothered to cut them off. I tried one time for a whole month to be super vigilant. I got 12. That's $1.20 to my kids school. Totally not worth it.

Wow -- I think for the amount of effort that cutting, organizing and thinking about it woudl take that I could just donate to the PTA directly. Insane. And I guess I am DCUM or something for thinking this way, too..

I have asked co-workers and the ones with children out of elementary school are huge contributors. They are use to cutting them out when they see it and are happy to help.

You can buy boxtops on ebay - seriously!!!!

Also ask your family members - mom, aunts/uncles to save them, too.

I never bother with it and never give it a second thought.

Cascadian Farms products, Kleenex, and Ziploc products - which I normally use, so I'm not going out of my way to buy items with the box tops. There is a PTA-sponsored ice cream party for the class that contributes the most, but there's no sense of competition (i.e. there's no kid or teacher pressure to send them in.)

I don't go out of my way. But I did sign up for the EBoxTops at Safeway, so my kid's school gets some without much trouble on my end.