For those of you unfamiliar with what the touchdown jar is, I'm here to fill you in.

You know how you're always stuck scrambling around at the end of the season for money to cover the costs of the team party, players’ gifts, etc.? Well, say goodbye to that. Last season, we raised $391.46 this way. No need to beg people for money all thanks to "the jar."

Here's what it's all about:

• Who - Touchdown Jar

• What - A jar used to collect money for end of season festivities, or anything else your team desires (shirts, trophies, even coaches’ gifts). It doesn't even have to be a jar, to be honest. I currently use a fantasy football bank that I was previously gifted from an awesome group of parents. Up until then, I was using a shipping tube from Michaels that I painted and jazzed up a bit with a helmet decal. I've even seen people use coffee cans. In fact, they work great because of the noise they make when coins are added.

• Where - Games, scrimmages — both home and away.
• When - Any time your team scores a touchdown, you pass the jar around. You can assign a single person to do it, take turns or simply pass it from fan to fan. Little siblings are great for the job. Who can say no to a sweet, smiling, cute little kid? I send out weekly emails (usually the day after each game) letting the team know how much we collected that game and what it brings our grand total to.

• Why - Because it's so much easier than trying to collect money at the end of the season. It doesn't feel like the typical money collection. Fans — parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends — are super excited because their team just scored, which makes them more generous. And quite frankly because it works, that's why. As previously mentioned, we raised $391.46 last year. Yes, $391.46. We used it to cover our laser tag party and even purchased personalized shirts for our team. Think about it? Would you have received that type of major money simply by sending out an email asking for it? Yeah, I didn't think so either.

Yep, that is a $20 bill in there!

What are you waiting for? Make your jar and go score some touchdowns.

Vanessa Mejia is the mother of three football-playing boys, ages 14, 13 and 10, and lives in northern Virginia. Her boys also play basketball, soccer and track and field. She shares Team Mom ideas, tips and tricks along with other facets of her family’s life away from the football field. Read more of her work at https://confessionsofasportsmama.blogspot.com. You can also join her and hundreds of other football-loving moms in the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group.