Time for a new topic:
To what extent are scouts involved in making the troop's budget? To what extent are scouts involved in spending decsions within (pre-made) budget categories?
What have you seen (and how well has it worked)?
What do you think is the ideal?
What have been the major schools of thought on this subject?
Obviously some expenses are mandatory if you want to be a scout troop (rechartering fees) and ought to be included in any sane budget. Other expenses I cannot imagine dropping (patches for ranks, merit badges, etc).
But there is a lot of stuff that