to not bake cakes for the school to sell for less than the ingredients cost me?

[ANTagony]

This am took DS1 to school teacher stopped me in corridor and said would I mind baking some cakes to be sold for children in need to the staff on Friday. She particularly requested Chelsea buns (I've made them and lots of other cakes for the school before). I have a lot on this week but said I'm sure I could rustle up something. Rearranged my week to fit in an extra batch of baking (already baking for PTA meeting Friday morning). Collected DS1 from school to be handed a notice saying cakes would be on sale in aid of children in need on Friday and would be a flat rate 10p each. I can't buy the ingredients for 10p each. I'm a single parent I have a younger son to and money is really tight. I don't object to helping out where I can but they are asking me to bake cakes which would cost over £1 in the local bakers,give them for free and then feel good about themselves (the teachers) for donating 10p to charity in return for something they couldn't get for any where near that in the shops. I feel really taken advantage of. I'd rather just give the ingredients money to children in need, then they'd win (make more money than if the school charge 10p per cake) and I'd save myself a lot of effort. Is this mad should I just wind my neck in.

I think you have a fair point. The teachers are being incredibly mean! 10p per cake? FFS!

Oh FFS just say no then next time and someone else will do it and you can just give a donation to Children in Need.

YAB uncharitable, resentful AND unreasonable.

YANBU at all. I think if that is what she wants then she should provide the ingredients. Tell her you can't afford to do it, or make cakes that only cost 10p each or less.

How is it uncharitable to give the ingredients money to charity rather than bake the cakes and less money go to charity?

Resentful yep I guess thats true

I had this problem with my excellent Fairtrade chocolate coated nuts for the Christmas Fair. £5 a box to make and £1 a box to buy.

It's really a goodwill thing and you just have to go along with it really. It's not about the money.

Of course the other option is to buy value basic sponge cakes for about 3p each from Tesco, batter them about a bit, and pretend you made them. Best of both worlds. That would be my preferred option in your shoes.

Flat rate of 10p per cake - so make very small cakes.

I don't think you are being uncharitable. They take time to make and cost money. That's fine but its always a few people who do it the most.

My PTA rep ignores me every day in the playground until she wants some cakes making, last time she asked me at hometime directly to do it for the next day even though it wasn't the turn of my child's class.

When I handed the cakes to her the rude woman didn't even bother to say thank you!

Thats not such a bad plan. Mellowing out a bit. I don't mind finding the ingredients cost or the effort but for them to make less than the cost - it feels like every one looses. Guess you felt the same way with the fair trade nuts.

for 10p as others have said make petit-four size cakes - that way they will make the money back you have 'donated'.

I think it's shocking that they undercharge for stuff like that - what they're basically saying is 'can you make stuff that we will basically give away for a very small charity fee'.

And what is worse is the local table top sale had sold all their cakes to the volunteers and make a whole £12.56 for a table groaning with the most fabulous home made cakes that I would seriously think in a deli you would pay £150 for.

YANBU I could understand 10p if they were flogging them to the kids but surely the teachers can afford more than that!

We did cakes this morning at mother and toddler group for Children in Need. Some were shop bought, some homemade. IMO the price of the homemade ones will never reflect the cost, time and effort put into them. But so long as they are sold for a reasonable amount, the people who made them don't feel put out and the buyers don't feel ripped off. We sold them for 40p or 50p each. Raised about £50.

In your place I really wouldn't want to bother either.

We weren't allowed to sell them to the kids at the school this morning. Healthy school policy and all that .

Always use the cheapest ingredients for cake sale stuff. Do not use fairtrade/organic stuff. I always use supermarket value ranges for cake sales.

I always get hounded for cakes because DH is a chef. DH never makes the cakes, it is always me. [pissed off emoticon]

Maybe thats the best of both worlds. The kids seem to love the mini cakes I've done in the past. They cost less than 10p to make so I won't feel taken advantage of. I guess I could do iced biscuits as well - they're cheap and go down well.

Oh it's a big cake-y minefield. At our church Christmas fair, there's one lady who routinely makes these exquisite baby Christmas cakes, rich fruit cake all marzipanned & iced... and they go for £1 each. Must have her sobbing into her candied peel.

Totally see your point, and it's soul-destroying, but doubt people would pay RRP for them in school. Teachers should definitely stump up more than 10p though, that's scandalously cheap.

But can you not see?

The OP is making a donation to charity by buying the ingredients for the cakes.

The teachers are going to limit their donation to 10p AND get something yummy in return for it too!

They are the ones being MEAN. They should pay more. Then the OP wouldn't be narked.

You should of course give the money to charity instead. That way the charity gets more. Isn't it obvious?

Why are the teachers buying the cakes? Aren't the parents allowed to buy some too? Oh and don't forget the children!

I don't think you are being unreasonable, it is always nice to be appreciated and they seem to be undervaluing you, just chill out and think of Pudsey

YANBU . If they can only affort to give 10p(It is the teachers I am talking about not the children) they don't need you to bake a cake they can just donate the money. Very greedy teachers!

I'm astonished that your local bakers charge over a pound for a chelsea bun! What a rip off.

Here's an idea. Why don't the teachers bake buns at a loss and sell them to the parents and children for Children in Need? Same charitable outcome ...

The teachers are being v' mean!

I wouldn't even bother with the Chelsea buns - I'd just give them mini cup cakes.

ANTagony

...slightly going off at a tangent, but would you share your Chelsea bun recipe because they are my favourite and my best.

10p a cake! At our cake sales we charge 50p a cake for standard size cupcakes, 30p for smaller and biscuits and £1 for special ones. 10p is dirt cheap.