The Value Of Your Time.

Business By vgcea Updated 13 May 2013 , 5:57pm by Annabakescakes

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vgcea Posted 12 May 2013 , 10:18pm
post #1 of 19

I just spent a good amount of time cutting up two 13 inch, and one 9 inch cake base from foam core board. Apart from the process being mildly irritating, it got me thinking... am I really saving that much money compared to buying cake drums in bulk?

 

I love the freedom I get with foam core; I can cut a board whatever size I want rather than being stuck with the standard 2" increments.

 

For that freedom: I have to drive to Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon or buy them on sale (30% off the last time), laboriously cut them up, changing xacto blades every now and then, clean up the grand mess I tend to make. So quite a bit of time, energy, and the cost of xacto blades.

 

For $4 and change + the cost of gas + xacto blades, and my time I can get two 13 in and one 9 in. cake bases/drums.

 

So compared to just ponying up and ordering them in bulk at $15.62 + shipping for a six-pack of 14" drums, I reeeally don't think this foam core route is the way to go.

 

I could very easily have spent this time making a sugar flower that I can charge at least $15 or $20 for. Le sigh. Reminds me of the time I tried to make a peony without a cutter and spent ages 'free-handing' the petals.  A cutter would have saved me a few gray hairs. SMH.

 

 

Are there supplies/tools you always 'splurge' on because it's not worth your time to try to DIY them? What are they?

18 replies
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yortma Posted 12 May 2013 , 11:50pm
post #2 of 19

Fondant.  I don't have the time or energy to make my own.  I splurge on Massa Grischuna neutral which is wonderful.  I also buy cake boards unless I need a nonstandard size or shape.  Then I cut my own out of particle board with a jigsaw.  

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vgcea Posted 13 May 2013 , 12:09am
post #3 of 19

Ah, yes, fondant. I still make mine at this time because I don't have so many requests for fondant cakes that I can't knock out a batch or two as needed. Weird as it may sound, I actually look forward to making fondant. Maybe it's all the kneading... so therapeutic. icon_lol.gif

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Annabakescakes Posted 13 May 2013 , 12:13am
post #4 of 19

AI agree about the cake boards. Ugh! I have a Bakemark account so I get boxes of 6", 7",8", 9", 10", 12", 14", 16" and 18". It is no trouble at all to set an 11" cake on a 12" board and trim with a pair of scissors.

As far as the drums go, I just stack 4 of them with the corrugation all crossed around for strength, and wrap with colored foil. It's not for food contact, so I don't set the cake on it, but on the waxed cake board.

I figure it costs about 80¢ to $4, depending on the size.

I also have bought quadruples or more of most tools, so I don't have the down time of having to wash everything all the time just to use it again.

I am almost there with the fondant....

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Vista Posted 13 May 2013 , 12:15am
post #5 of 19

I always use plywood, and ask for them to be returned.  So far I have not had to charge a deposit for them and I get them back within a week or two.

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vgcea Posted 13 May 2013 , 5:56am
post #6 of 19
Quote:
Originally Posted by Annabakescakes 

I agree about the cake boards. Ugh! I have a Bakemark account so I get boxes of 6", 7",8", 9", 10", 12", 14", 16" and 18". It is no trouble at all to set an 11" cake on a 12" board and trim with a pair of scissors.

As far as the drums go, I just stack 4 of them with the corrugation all crossed around for strength, and wrap with colored foil. It's not for food contact, so I don't set the cake on it, but on the waxed cake board.

I figure it costs about 80¢ to $4, depending on the size.

I also have bought quadruples or more of most tools, so I don't have the down time of having to wash everything all the time just to use it again.

I am almost there with the fondant....

You use this for stacked cakes? If so about how many tiers for this type of DIY board vs a standard cake drum? I can't imagine that the combo boards would support a couple of tiers. Then again, some of these drums are cake boards stuck together.

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cazza1 Posted 13 May 2013 , 6:13am
post #7 of 19

I wouldn't dream of making my own fondant.  I'd much rather spend that time doing other things and yet I love being in the kitchen.  Funny how priorities work. eg. I love to embroider but give me a hem and I will hate it.

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Annabakescakes Posted 13 May 2013 , 6:41am
post #8 of 19
Quote:
Originally Posted by vgcea 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Annabakescakes 

I agree about the cake boards. Ugh! I have a Bakemark account so I get boxes of 6", 7",8", 9", 10", 12", 14", 16" and 18". It is no trouble at all to set an 11" cake on a 12" board and trim with a pair of scissors.

As far as the drums go, I just stack 4 of them with the corrugation all crossed around for strength, and wrap with colored foil. It's not for food contact, so I don't set the cake on it, but on the waxed cake board.

I figure it costs about 80¢ to $4, depending on the size.

I also have bought quadruples or more of most tools, so I don't have the down time of having to wash everything all the time just to use it again.

I am almost there with the fondant....

You use this for stacked cakes? If so about how many tiers for this type of DIY board vs a standard cake drum? I can't imagine that the combo boards would support a couple of tiers. Then again, some of these drums are cake boards stuck together.

 

 

700

 

I had to dab the sides to get the colors off the white buttercream where they ran. the gum paste flowers wilted and a couple broke...I had to walk through a flash flood, with water over my ankles, and I forgot to charge for the delivery!

 

Yes, I did my own wedding cake! Saved a fortune, but was still putting roses on it with curlers in my hair 15 minutes before I was supposed to walk down the aisle! All Buttercream.

I do 5 for the 4 tier cakes. If you use some white glue, just a swirl between each board, they are even stronger. The bottom cake of the black and red cakes on the stand was once a bottom tier, and the other cakes were stacked on top. It was a 4 tier, filled and covered with fondant and it held up. I just about got in an accident, and the fell over, but the board was fine.

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vgcea Posted 13 May 2013 , 7:06am
post #9 of 19

Wow how awesome. I always wondered how on earth one would use up those 250 count boxes of cake boards, but I see how you've managed to multi-task these boards. Thanks for the photos. Your cakes are beautiful :-)

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vgcea Posted 13 May 2013 , 7:09am
post #10 of 19
Quote:
Originally Posted by cazza1 

I wouldn't dream of making my own fondant.  I'd much rather spend that time doing other things and yet I love being in the kitchen.  Funny how priorities work. eg. I love to embroider but give me a hem and I will hate it.

Hehehe, kinda like how I have no problem doing laundry but really dislike putting up the clothes when they're done, forget ironing.icon_lol.gif

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manddi Posted 13 May 2013 , 1:06pm
post #11 of 19

A

Original message sent by vgcea

Hehehe, kinda like how I have no problem doing laundry but really dislike putting up the clothes when they're done, forget ironing.icon_lol.gif

I'm glad I'm not the only one!

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Crazy-Gray Posted 13 May 2013 , 2:05pm
post #12 of 19

ATotally agree on cake boards; I find it more cost effective to spend the time decorating but that's cos times soooo tight for me lol. for the same reason it's premade fondant and also pre coloured for ivory and black. I also sketch on my tablet rather than pencil and paper to save the faff of scanning it in and email.... You could however hire someone cheap to do these for you... Or a free work experience volunteer would be even better! Ha ha ha.....

Anna those cakes are so beautiful! But that 1st one wow your photo is stunning... The reflection in the stand... The harsh faded light... It really is wonderful! :-)

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AZCouture Posted 13 May 2013 , 4:07pm
post #13 of 19

Hopefully most people are taking advantage of being a business, and buying wholesale. CK is one place that pops to mind, and I order most of my stuff there, especially cake drums. Way cheap.

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Marielijah Posted 13 May 2013 , 4:53pm
post #14 of 19

Dumb question but I'm new to this... what is a cake drum?

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ellavanilla Posted 13 May 2013 , 5:08pm
post #15 of 19
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marielijah 

Dumb question but I'm new to this... what is a cake drum?

 

A cake drum is a thicker stack of cake rounds covered in decorative foil. you can see them at the very bottom of most larger cakes. ^^

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Marielijah Posted 13 May 2013 , 5:11pm
post #16 of 19

Ellavanilla... Thank you very much for that.  Now I understand.

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Annabakescakes Posted 13 May 2013 , 5:38pm
post #17 of 19

AI

Original message sent by AZCouture

Hopefully most people are taking advantage of being a business, and buying wholesale. CK is one place that pops to mind, and I order most of my stuff there, especially cake drums. Way cheap.

I have tried to get an account with them twice, and they never contacted me back! I would love a price list! I have no trouble buying $125 of product, lol, I could double that!

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Annabakescakes Posted 13 May 2013 , 5:51pm
post #18 of 19

A

Original message sent by Crazy-Gray

Totally agree on cake boards; I find it more cost effective to spend the time decorating but that's cos times soooo tight for me lol. for the same reason it's premade fondant and also pre coloured for ivory and black. I also sketch on my tablet rather than pencil and paper to save the faff of scanning it in and email.... You could however hire someone cheap to do these for you... Or a free work experience volunteer would be even better! Ha ha ha.....

Anna those cakes are so beautiful! But that 1st one wow your photo is stunning... The reflection in the stand... The harsh faded light... It really is wonderful! :-)

Original message sent by vgcea

Wow how awesome. I always wondered how on earth one would use up those 250 count boxes of cake boards, but I see how you've managed to multi-task these boards. Thanks for the photos. Your cakes are beautiful :-)

Thank you both so much!! The black and red one has rounded sides because it fell over when I had 7 cars squeeze into my "buffer zone" in front of my van. I made a u turn back to the shop and had DH cover some boards while I fixed up the cakes! I was only a mile away, and had been gone 15 minutes, when it fell over. (Construction traffic, and I can't see that they did anything at all but foul up traffic for a week. I never even saw people working, just orange barrels and cones!)

Actually, DH does 99% of board covering for me, while I bake and decorate. He made about 100 bows for me a week and a half ago. He does a lot of the work that I don't have time to.

And that fist picture, the cake was in a corner with black curtains, in an old theater in Cincinnati. There were spot lights on the cake, I had them adjusted slightly before I left, because I could smell the buttercream melting!

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Annabakescakes Posted 13 May 2013 , 5:57pm
post #19 of 19

A

Original message sent by manddi

[quote name="vgcea" url="/t/758311/the-value-of-your-time#post_7393249"]Hehehe, kinda like how I have no problem doing laundry but really dislike putting up the clothes when they're done, forget ironing.icon_lol.gif

I'm glad I'm not the only one![/quote] I am sitting at the arm chair now, since the couch is covered in clean laundry! My twins will be 13 this year, I am going to be giving them jobs doing laundry and mowing, and unloading and reloading the dishwasher while I focus on cooking and my cakes, and my hugs and kisses ;-) If I can get a couple more cakes a week, I'd rather do them and give all the money to my kids for the work I hate!

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