Oh My Gosh, Re; Cookie Bouquets & Pricing

Baking By twinsline7 Updated 10 Mar 2006 , 4:12am by lacie

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twinsline7 Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 6:27pm
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OH MY GOSH!!!!

ok.....so I do not have a business yet or anything like that.....I have another 4 years before I can get into a building and serious business....my boys are just too young right now! BUUUUUUT I like doing the cookies and cakes for my family and friends. I recently made my grandmother some red hat cookies for her Red Hat group.....well they LOVED them and are so excited over them that three of the other groups want me to make some for their meetings!!!!! And would like me to make little bouquets for birthdays and stuff..........


what do I do??? I of course would love to make them especially since the more I do the better they get!!! icon_lol.gif I know my grandma and I know she has probably already told them to pay for them!!

HELP ME!! Of course my husband is thrilled, but is afraid I won't charge or under charge! icon_confused.gif

19 replies
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spottydog Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 6:30pm
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Good for you! Just try not to drown yourself. My husband has said the same thing to me regarding cakes. Gosh I am going through the same thing. Good luck with it.Just learn to say no if it gets to be too much is what I have been given for advise. icon_smile.gif

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twinsline7 Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 6:32pm
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Do I charge ...do you think? if so what?

I sound and feel so dumb!!! But I don't want to get in troub le ....but I also don't want to miss out on a great oppurtunity!

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spottydog Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 6:35pm
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I hear that! Absolutely charge for them. I am not a cookie person but I am positive someone on this site could tell you what to charge. At the least get paid for the materials.

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klg1152 Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 6:38pm
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I say go for it! I have 2 young children also and have to do most of my baking/decorating at night when they are asleep. I have tried my best to get really organized and do all my mixing and baking one day and then decorating another, works well because it gives everything time to cool and me time to breathe. Good luck!

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twinsline7 Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 6:41pm
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That is EXACTLY when and how I do it too jaxdesserts!!! My husband works until late ....comes home around 11/midnight..........I'm one who canNOT go to bed until he is home....I hear anything and everything and then some I noises I create!!! Anyway as soon as the boys go down I start baking or decorating!

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ps3884 Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 6:41pm
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Absolutely charge. I can't help you with pricing. I have such a hard time with that myself. If this was a one time order, maybe I wouldn't be as concerned with charging. But, it looks like this is multiple orders with potential for lots of repeat business. That will be a lot of time, effort and money on your part. Make sure to recoup your costs and get something for your efforts. Start with determining how much it costs you to make the items and go from there. Might want to take a look at the pricing matrix for some help.

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klg1152 Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 6:41pm
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I would charge and somewhere on this site was a really good suggestion of charging a dollar per inch so if it is a 3 inch cookie you charge $3 per cookie - remember they are very time consuming.

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ps3884 Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 6:47pm
post #9 of 20

I just found the pricing matrix - I haven't used it yet but, many on CC seem to really like it.

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-5711-pricing.html+matrix

I also bake and mix one day and decorate the next (mostly at night when the girls are in bed). It's pretty hard to do it any other way right now. My girls are 2,3 and 4 and want to help too much. icon_biggrin.gif That doesn't make for an easy time. icon_wink.gif

Good luck!!!

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twinsline7 Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 6:55pm
post #10 of 20

thank you!!!


oh I agree I have too many helpers around here too!!! But i will say ,y only girl out of 5 ....is 4 and the best partner anyone could ask for!!! We just bump heads when we talk about naming our business ....she thinks it should have her name!!! icon_lol.gificon_lol.gif

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twinsline7 Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 7:18pm
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the dollar an inch sounds good....bu tI also think I'm not up there at that level especially with antonia yet......she and so many are great!!! So I automatically lower it.....this ticks my husband off!!! icon_lol.gificon_surprised.gif


maybe I need to work on my own worth first! haha!

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KHalstead Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 7:22pm
post #12 of 20

why not charge a dollar a cookie, I think that's fair....but then again people always say I under charge....but they would have to be more inside of a bouquet!! Because then you're talking about packaging them inside of something and all of that. I would tell them a dollar a cookie and let them know that's the price BECAUSE they know your grandma....that normally you get more for them. They'll never know you're not in business... LOL


By the way twinsline....I once saw a plaque that said "There is a special place in heaven for the mother of 3 boys".....and I have two boys and I thought I know exactlly why that thing was made, they're terrors LOL....we tried once more for a girl....my husband said "if it's another boy, we could try once more" and I said "yeah right, if it's another boy I'm definitely done having kids" LOL...I got lucky and it was a healthy girl...but man, I don't know how you do it with all those boys!!!!!!!!!!

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twinsline7 Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 7:31pm
post #13 of 20

ME NEITHER!!!!!!!!!



hahahah I tell my husband all the time....it's her......if it wasnt for her I would be locked up in a padded room!! She keeps me sane....she keeps me hopeful......she definitely keeps my day balanced!!


The cookies are not in a bouquet...they are wrapped and ribboned also they are personalized....something else I need to keep in charging mind!

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ps3884 Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 9:03pm
post #14 of 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by twinsline7

the dollar an inch sounds good....bu tI also think I'm not up there at that level especially with antonia yet......she and so many are great!!! So I automatically lower it.....this ticks my husband off!!! icon_lol.gificon_surprised.gif

maybe I need to work on my own worth first! haha!




I'm right there with you. I have only done a few "paid" cakes so far, and I'm always so concerned about charging too much, that I charge too little. (I'm lucky if I recoup my own costs thumbsdown.gif ) My confidence is not there yet. Maybe I need a psychologist instead of more cake classes. icon_confused.gificon_lol.gif

Don't sell yourself short. You deserve every penny!!!

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twinsline7 Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 9:13pm
post #15 of 20

" Maybe I need a psychologist instead of more cake classes. icon_confused.gificon_lol.gif"


I LAUGHED REALLY OUT LOUD ON THIS ONE!!!! ....I think the same thing sometimes!!!

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twinsline7 Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 9:29pm
post #16 of 20

icon_redface.gif oh oh....did I do something wrong? My title got changed....opps sorry I didn't mean not to put the topic!! icon_redface.gificon_surprised.gif

i was just so excited!

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betycrker Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 9:30pm
post #17 of 20

H guys. Please don't under charge for your work. I know we do it because we love it but at the same time it is necessary to not go broke doing what we love. I know that where I live butter is about $4.00 a pound and the cost of sugar keeps rising. I hope that at the minimum when you are setting prices you are getting reimbursed for the cost of your ingredients, packaging, and delivery. (this does not cover the cost of cooking gas/electricity, shopping, starting over cuz the kids got into the last batch, or the time you have put into the work but it does help)

If you are thinking of starting a business then think of yourselves as professionals. Think about it. Your doctor, mechanic, accountant, child care provider, (or whatever) does not generally discount or de-value their services because they are not as experienced, or because they have become friends. ( I know that when I bake I am not saving the world or keeping people healthy but I am making them happy and that is a valuable service) I put the best of what I have into my work and I think that it is fair to put a decent value on that service.

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southaustingirl Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 10:22pm
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I've looked online to see what other people/companies charge.....wow!! They charge alot!!.....$49.99 for a 9 cookie boquet.

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twinsline7 Posted 8 Mar 2006 , 4:18am
post #19 of 20

I saw that too.....but a lot of that is the name...isn't it?

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lacie Posted 10 Mar 2006 , 4:12am
post #20 of 20

looking around the net the average is $2 - $5 per cookie, depending on how detailed

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