CF friend? AIBU to tell her to f*ck off

[Lovemusic33]

I occasionally make celebration cakes for friends and family but I am a registered business so never do it for nothing (but rarely make much from a cake). I also work part time and lead a pretty busy life.

So today I get a message from a friend (close friend) asking if I could make her a cake for 2 weeks time, she said she will pay for the ingredients for me to make it. So I’m thinking ‘what about paying for my time?’ So I ask her what kind of cake she would like and she describes to me the cake she has in mind. A cake that would probably cost £100+ to buy from anyone else, why? because it would take around 8 hours to make (maybe longer), on top of that is the cost of electricity and I would probably have to buy a few bits/tools to make it.

So AUBU to tell her to f*ck off? Do people really not realise how much time and skill goes into making a cake? It’s not something I just chuck together in a hour.

Just to add, it’s not her birthday so she’s obviously told a friend that she will ask me if I can make it for nothing.

I think thumbs up in response to that text is good. She knows you won't be mak8ng it and why, and now she also knows that time needs to be taken into account not just ingredients' cost. Next time, she won't be so cheeky.

I completely understand where you're coming from OP. I used to make cakes and they were really good, looked good and tasted great too which is rare!! Unfortunately my family more than friends really took the piss with it, they even had the cheek to constantly say I should make it into a business but when I tried to they would just want me to make it for free for them, so I stopped! One of the worst CFs was when my sis in law asked me to make it and would pay for it, she gave me £20 where a cake of that size and effort ordered somewhere else would be at least £120... Another time she said she'd drop the ingredients to me so I sent her a list... From that full list she sent me a box of eggs... The cheapest of the bunch! At least if you're going to be a CF about it, send the bloody double cream, it gets expensive with the amount I have to buy! So yadnbu!! Just tell her no... That's what I do now, my time is too precious, I'd rather do my own thing thanks than make a cake and pay for it and waste hours doing it

Late to the thread - but you've send a good reply - she knows she was pushing it!

Very hard to make much on cake making - i made a special cake for my DH this year, and between ingredients, decorations, cake board, a few utensils and some new cake tins it cost nearly £90! And that's not factoring in the 8 hours+ i spent on it.

If you want paid work I can't understand why you didn't quote her a proper price and at least give her the chance of giving you the paid work! Or am I missing something?

OP - it's tricky when you have a skill that some people see as a hobby iyswim. If you suspect someone is trying to CF you perhaps you could cut them off with "it's best if you email me your specifications and ideas so that I can come back to you with a quote". It's a lovely skill to have and probably great for when you choose to do a special present. I'm about to make a birthday cake for my DS and going to attempt to recreate a pouring from a bag smarties one!

I'd say I normally charge x amount for that. With friend discount it will be x. Let me know if you want it so I can book you in x

white, I have a job where I earn quite a lot per hour, I would rather take on more hours in my job than make a cake for hardly anything. I don’t make cakes for a living, it’s a hobby that I used to run as a business before I got my other job.

Anyway, it’s all sorted.