hey everyone i'm new to the site. i've been cake decorating professionally for 12 years, but it's been for the navy and grocery chains. in other words already pre-priced cakes. well i have been given the chance to work out on my own. the only problem is i'm not sure how to price my cakes/work. i don't want to over charge but at the same time i definatley can't afford to under charge either. i'm a single mother of 4 and sometimes i feel as though i'm putting into the cake than i'm getting out of it. please help in letting me know how to go about finding prices for my cakes. 
Most of us price by the serving. Most of us use the Wilton charts to determine how many servings a cake will yield. Some use Earlene Moore's chart but you get less servings so her prices are higher
A lot depends on your location. In more rurel areas you get less than say like in LosAngeles or New York.
Many suggest you investigate your local price by calling other decorators/cake shops/bakeries asking ?s like you were going to buy.
I think right now most are starting their b'cream pricing around $2.50 to $4 a serving; fondant is usually higher and 3-d sculpted even higher. HTH
welcome to CC! You'll learn more on here than you've ever imagined you needed to know (that was my experience!).
I would caution you that since you worked in a grocery chain bakery, you're probably used to their pricing ... and those are NOT good comparisons. As you price-shop, you need to compare stand alone bakeries and other cake decorators in the area.
I've told more than one person, "My cakes are not priced like walmart ... and you won't find cakes like mine IN walmart."
Some people can't afford me and that's ok. 
Here's the wilton chart that I use to determine servings and pricing: http://www.wilton.com/wedding/wedding-cakes/wedding-cake-data.cfm
Here's a link to my website where I show how to cut a cake to achieve the Wilton servings: http://cateritsimple.com/_wsn/page10.html
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