So The Cookie Crumbles

Penny at 6 months in our linen closet

Well as you may or not remember I was going to try to make extra money by baking cookies. I do not have a tax id# so I cannot cut the cost of the items that I make and I live in a 600 square foot condo complex with a sweet dog named Penny. Because of Penny I could not pass health codes because dogs have to be 500 square feet from the kitchen. Since I love Penny more than money I was doomed to make only coins named after her. People love my items but my friends are poor and I was only able to sell to them. So it was kind of like a tupperware party and my friends were all tupperwared out.

I did do a lot of baking and trying out of recipes but away from the cameras and the blog. I have been perfecting my apple-pear galette which is a BIG hit with my friends and family. I also have been dreaming about going back to school to be a Pastry Chef and my big dream is to The French Culinary Insitute. However it is really expensive and I want to do the 9 month advanced/honors Pastry Chef program. Although expensive it is a great place to learn,I would get a lot of internship possibilities and business contacts. But where would I get this money?

At first I thought okay keep the condo and then have a place to do the baking but that is too expensive mortage + baking place+ prices of food+ I still need to move my items and have a place to meet possible clients. So I am thinking of a time line of saving for 5 years getting a place with a basement then go back to school. Then do catering out of the basement kitchen (dog free), do online sales, go to local coffee shops/etc anyone who would sell it and do like cookie/ice cream or tea parties alla event planning. The idea of having a place to live and then running a bakery is too much for me right now! Plus I do not want all that work, to handle employees (pay for employees) and all that potencial food waste. There would be TOO MUCH OVERHEAD! That is why I think the next step would be to have a home basement kitchen that rocks. Plus if I added a room it could be later sold as a potencial basement apartment or a in law suite adding value to the house.

Our next step is to go to a financial advisor to see if my dream can be a reality and so we can budget accordingly. We shall see. Until then I am going to try to bake more, practice new techniques,and save money. I am also learning to can items this year, make jams and learn to infuse vodkas with fruits.