Okay - I'm sending an e-mail to a potential customer. I worked with her before, when I was in Accounting. She's looking for bridal shower favors for her daughter.
I have looked online and the prices are just nuts to me....just through the roof it seems. On the low end....locally, our gross grocery store cut outs are $1.40 with no packaging.
So - I've GOT TO price myself at least $1 more than the gross grocery store. $2.50 minimum right? Then, add for the optional fancy message tag?
She's considering (1) dress & tux heart design (2) monogram with swirly/flowers or (3) piped cartoon bride & groom (which by the way is NOT my thing....I will have to opt for piping over free clipart)
I have a feeling these designs would be $3 to $4 in most others estimations? Okay - so, I'm rambling...
My nervousness stems from not being able to say " I don't NEED this order, my effort is worth the price...if they don't want to pay it, that's okay...there are others that will....work smart...not hard".
So, the words are easy to type...but not easy to stick by. Kinda moody today if you get my drift - so I'm not "with it" hard as nails like most days.
Help!!! 
Evmarie
Price a dollar PER INCH for the cookies themselves.
For the packaging, price the cost of the packaging materials (including gas/wear and tear on your car to go get them or shipping if you order them online), plus an hourly rate for packaging them. Estimate 2-3 minutes per favor for packaging (if you are tying/curling ribbon) and pay yourself at least min wage for the packaging.
So, say you are doing 20 favors, of 2 cookies per favor and the cookies are 4" cookies, and the packaging material is $50 (just making up numbers here). That's $4 per cookie x 2 per favor = $8 per favor x 20 favors = $160 + $50 for the packaging. Say it takes one hour to package all the favors and you pay yourself $10 for that hour. That all adds up to $180.
HTH!
Thanks prterrell - I get your explanation. My brain IS working properly based on what you've posted, so that's a relief. I guess I need to step away from the e-mail and MAKE SURE I'm saying what I mean confident and with out being spastic.
I guess I'm just down in the dumps today and am having a hard time asking for what is right. Plus, when it comes down to design I'm having a difficult time establishing what is a "simple" design. It doesn't seem like I ever want to do a "simple" design. There is always something that makes it more time consuming. So, my minimum price isn't rock solid in my brain.
So, what would everyone call a "simple" design?
A "simple" design would be flooding the cookie in a solid color/covering cookie with a rolled icing and then piping a plain font monogram, maybe adding a drop flower or two. Basically, anything that requires more than a few seconds to decorate is not simple. If you have an edible image printer, you could make things easier by printing the monogram out and "gluing" that down to the cookie. If it's going to be a fancier font, that is what I would do, rather than piping it.
Just a tip I use for myself when I'm having a hard time sending an email I need to send, but necessarily want to have to send. I do it in steps. I first write out my email, now it's too scary to send, so I just save it in my draft folder. Leave it sit there, then go back when I feel the courage, and just hit that send button.
Thanks Monet1895!
Yup cownsj! I'm doing that right now. I finished the rest of my very late dinner and looked at something else for a while. I JUST went back and re-worded a part here and there for the last time.
I really feel like I needed that "simple" design reference point to start from. It just wasn't clicking. So, now I feel okay with sending the e-mail. If she doesn't go for it, that's fine. She's not the only person in Ohio that needs to buy cookie favors. 
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