As the oldest of 6 kids, there wasn’t much extra money for things. But being in 4-H had extra expenses that went above and beyond what we could afford. I was active and lively and wanted to do every activity possible and my mom knew we had to find another way to pay for it. She had had some experience running candy fundraisers for my gymnastics team and knew there was money to be made. She had also gotten a great tip on the best place to sell candy fast.
She gathered a little seed money and purchased a supply of assorted candies from Costco. She set my sister and I up with boxes of assorted king sized candy bars had us learn the spiel. “Hi, my name is Larissa and I’m selling candy for 4-H.” We used all the money for our 4-H activities so even though the fundraiser wasn’t specifically organized by our 4-H club, it wasn’t a lie either.
She made phone calls to every bowling alley in a 15 mile radius and found out when their leagues played. We’d eat dinner, sometimes in the old station wagon, on our way to a bowling alley just in time for the 7pm league. She’d call ahead to get the okay from the owner and we’d set out, little sibling in tow, and win the hearts of nearly every bowler there. My little siblings we’re definitely the secret weapon and my sister and I would fight over who got my brother who was the youngest. We could finish a whole bowling alley in 20 minutes and we’d be off to the next one. We’d often cover 3 bowling alleys in a night, have time for a candy break, and then go back to each one in reverse order for the 9pm leagues. On a good night, we’d make over $300. The best part about being homeschooled was not having a bedtime so we could sleep in as late as we needed to the next day. We were always night owls anyway so there really was no adjustment.
We’d go out a couple times a week and we had a blast. Sometimes my mom would give us quarters to play air hockey and sometimes we’d get tips of candy bars or even money. Once my sister got a tip of 8 king sized candy bars. Those candy bars sat on the top shelf of our refrigerator until she could finish them and every time I opened the fridge, they taunted me.
In high school, I was getting g to old to look cute selling candy to adults so my mom set me up with a cooler to take to high school. We got permission from the principal who said that as long as it wasn’t a distraction, it was okay. We downgraded to regular sized candy bars and included air heads which actually made the most profit per unit. I got known by everyone in the school as the Candy Girl. I always had the candy. I dealt with a few people who would try to take candy or a couple dollars here and there but no one ever tried to rob me.
All that money did so much good for our family. We were able to attend camps on Catalina island, in Big Bear (summer and winter), go to the State Capital, and have all the supplies needed for every project we ever wanted to try. We’re we poor growing up, yes. But my mom always found a way for us to have what we needed. It’s one of the best lessons I learned growing up. There is always a way.