I know it's a hard thing to do, I've had to go through it with all of the services I offer, including cake. I found myself continually saying, oh I'll take off a bit here or there, make it a round number or whatever. But nothing's worse than the feeling that you haven't been compensated fairly once you're done. So you have to grow a thick skin, just say the price and they can take it or leave it. You'll be better off for it in the end. And just as somebody else stated, those most likely aren't the customers that you want anyway.

Indy -- that attachment is priceless! I agree. I have to print that out and use it to!

Me too, Love the comparison.

Sweetcravings those marshmallow pops are really cute too.

I am just a hobbyist for now, but I was thinking about renting some kitchen space, so I was talking to my mom about it. I was wondering whether anyone would actually buy cakes at the price I would have to charge to even make minimum wage (we're in a small town), and she said I had to have price points for everyone. So she got a big lecture about how I DO NOT have to do that, I only want the customers who will spend a lot of money on a cake. I thought all you cakers would have been very proud of me.

Also, I cannot believe the low price some of you guys charge for your cakes. You must be getting ingredients way cheaper in the states, because some of your prices would barely cover cost of ingredients here.

I live in Europe, and the price of items in the states is SO cheap compared to overseas.

We were in Michigan in June visiting my Bubbie, and were astounded at how cheap everything was. Gas, clothes, food... everything! OMG!! The price of gas was so cheap! We filled up the rental car for one-third of what it would have cost here where we live!

I am aware that prices in the US have gone up enormously these past years. Few (if any) Americans realize just how good they had it, and just how cheap everything was before the economic crisis of the past year(s). I live in one of the most expensive countries in the world. Gas is almost $10 per gallon here, so yes, when we filled up our rental car in Greenville for $2.40 per gallon I do believe we earned the right to thing that gas was ridiculously inexpensive.

We bought so much we had to buy another suitcase to bring everything home. Levi's for $20 (they are more than $100 here). I bought two pair of Teva sandals for $70 (they cost about $150 here).

We also noticed the Wal-Mart effect EVERYWHERE; unfortunately (you know, Wal-Mart builds a store outside of town and within a year most of the downtown storefronts are closed and boarded up. The housing crisis has really hit Michigan. Tragically, we noticed homes and farms for sale everywhere we went.

I know, it's very sad and now it's worldwide. The great divide is getting greater -- the WalMart crowd vs the couture crowd. Earlier this year (forget which quarter) sales at Neiman Marcus were way up and sales at WalMart were way down. Figure that one out!

Sweetcravings -- I think I read that post. Yeah, 3.88 for the cheap butter, 3.99 for 1 kg (2.2 lbs)icing sugar at my local grocery store (although I can get it for about $3 at the next town and just over $2 if I go to costco in the city), flour which has doubled this year to $14 or $15 for robin hood and about $11 for generic store brand, 10 kg bag (22 pounds). There was something in Macleans (sort of the Canadian equivalent to Time) not too long ago about how even when the Canadian dollar was par with the US dollar, lots of things were way more expensive -- like 20% more expensive. And our tax rates are higher at lower incomes (you hit the maximum tax bracket around $80,000). Of course, we have universal health care, except for perscriptions and vision and dental etc etc.

I know, I know, I'm looking at it from the inside out. I went to the grocery store yesterday and spent $177 on things that would have cost $80 just a couple months ago. But this is a worldwide problem. We're all going to see it.