oldragbagger
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Well said, Kaseencook.
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I agree too, kaseencook and well said . Like oldragbagger, I have super dry skin , if I can have a bath with my soap and do not need lotion after I dry off .I do believe I would be correct in saying that my soap definitely added moisture to my skin . I have always used a ton of lotion , creams etc until I started using my own handmade soap. It has to be something in the soap.
Kitn
Kitn
How interesting to hear so many of you say that you are newbies and plan soaping to be a part of your retirement. That is my exact plan too. I've decided to make as much soap as I can in 4 or 5 different fragrances and then jazz them up to make them uniquley mine and then I am giving them away to friends, coworkers, neighbors so I can build business by word of mouth. I have been l breathing, sleeping and living soap since last February and I can't stop! I haven't cleaned my house in over 2 months 
. What is happening to me :!!!!
I need help. Is there a treatment center for soap addicts and maybe a halfway house for extended care?
. What is happening to me :!!!!I need help. Is there a treatment center for soap addicts and maybe a halfway house for extended care?
SimplyE
Well-Known Member
cdwinsby said:
Agreed!
As I read this thread, it makes me realize that even after months/years there is constant change to what you originally thought was a good bar of soap, including that recipe that you find to be "the one". I was one who thought that I could sell quickly after soaping for a couple of months. Not so. There is so much more involved than just "making soap". It seems to be such a simple practice, but after all, it is a natural chemistry that makes soap, and there needs to be a considerable amount of research, as well as trial and tribulation, not to mention a ton of expense, to make that bar of soap "just right". There are just too many variables to take it lightly, IMO.
I wonder - how many bars of soap would you have to sell to actually support yourself by soaping...
Taking in the ACTUAL cost to make soap, and the price you can ACTUALLY get.
I don't think it'll be much like retirement...
Taking in the ACTUAL cost to make soap, and the price you can ACTUALLY get.
I don't think it'll be much like retirement...
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carebear said:
I believe in what my skin feels like now , after years of suffering with horribly dry skin , that truly does make it so in my book.
Kitn
gekko62
Well-Known Member
safire_6 said:I have been l breathing, sleeping and living soap since last February and I can't stop! I haven't cleaned my house in over 2 months
I need help. Is there a treatment center for soap addicts and maybe a halfway house for extended care?
ROFLAO!!! ahh hahaha
I SO know the feeling LOL
Soapers Anonymous......hi,my name is____,it has been __days since I last soaped :shock:
gekko62
Well-Known Member
cdwinsby said:
Ditto
Whenever I see soaps like that(primitive/rustic,woteva),1st thing springs to mind is natural,handmade,gentle. If you're comfy with yr bars that way,I say go for it! I absolutely love the look.
Praps you could have a rustic line & a fancier one??
MAKE some molds..easy-peasy! Even saw a youtube vid where you didn't need nails!
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carebear said:
Carebear, most time for folks, everything is not black and white but shades of grey, of course you've heard this before.
When I see soaping as part of my retirement plan, I look forward and build on what I already have. I have a thriving daycare business that pays for the roof over my head, my car, blah, blah blah...and long as I pass the business to my daughter I expect that to contiue...now looking forward...soaping is that thing I LOVE!...will bar sales pay a $1,000 a month mortgage...I don't even have the energy to imagine setting that as a goal...HOWEVER...
making gift baskets and selling other crafters wares in addition to my own...I can definately see in my future and if I can get to $500 a week I can be less of a "burden" to my daughter and what will eventually be her daycare business. Right now I can make about $100 selling soap in one serious outting...but as you know my material cost is still high.
oldragbagger
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Profit is indeed black and white, but how much of that black and white profit needed is purely individual and is where the grey area comes in. I see that Philly has other resources, continued income from a daycare center, and hopefully social security and none of us knows, or needs to know, what else. I have a lot of older, retired friends who often say to me how just a few hundred dollars extra a month could help cover their medications, or give them a much needed visit to the grandkids once in awhile or whatever the case might be.
I too see soaping as PART of my retirement plan. And an important aspect of the role it will play in my retirement plan does have to do with the fun of it. I know more bored, aimless, sick retirees than I care to admit. But I also know retirees with a passion and a zest for life that are living in what we could truly call their golden years. I want to be one of the latter and I think that being engaged in something that stimulates you, something that you love, contributes to that end beyond anything you can calculate in terms of monetary profit. That having been said, if it is also something that can bring a little extra cha-ching into the mix, what could be better than that.
Fortunately I have a few years left before those retirement years are upon me, so I am taking it slow. I experiment and experiment and experiment some more. As a matter of a fact, my husband gathered up 5 bars of my lavender soap and took it to work yesterday to give to the secretaries because I still have every bar of soap I have made except for the ones we have used. I guess I'm a little anal about not wanting to let go of any until I have it "just perfect".
Obviously we are a diverse group, and there are so many paths available for us. But we all share a common obsession and can surely find ways to encourage each other along whatever his/her individual path may be even if that particular way would not be right for us.
I too see soaping as PART of my retirement plan. And an important aspect of the role it will play in my retirement plan does have to do with the fun of it. I know more bored, aimless, sick retirees than I care to admit. But I also know retirees with a passion and a zest for life that are living in what we could truly call their golden years. I want to be one of the latter and I think that being engaged in something that stimulates you, something that you love, contributes to that end beyond anything you can calculate in terms of monetary profit. That having been said, if it is also something that can bring a little extra cha-ching into the mix, what could be better than that.
Fortunately I have a few years left before those retirement years are upon me, so I am taking it slow. I experiment and experiment and experiment some more. As a matter of a fact, my husband gathered up 5 bars of my lavender soap and took it to work yesterday to give to the secretaries because I still have every bar of soap I have made except for the ones we have used. I guess I'm a little anal about not wanting to let go of any until I have it "just perfect".
Obviously we are a diverse group, and there are so many paths available for us. But we all share a common obsession and can surely find ways to encourage each other along whatever his/her individual path may be even if that particular way would not be right for us.
G
Guest
carebear said:
well care bear...I'll be 46 this year so like Picard says ...I have 20 years to "make it so" 8)
right now I'm at about $1.58 in material cost per bar...but once I get my first order of bulk oils and lard and tallow, my cost per bar will go under $1. I am also shooting for a holiday kiosk at one of the local malls, contacting other crafters in my area to see if they are interested...and looking at materials to create bath and body related gift baskets I can sell for $50 that contain $20 or less in materials.
cdwinsby
Well-Known Member
Every one of the markets I go to is filled with retired folks peddling their wares. They all enjoy what they do and it gives them some pin money. They have their financial planning for the 'bills'. Crafting is for the fun and for the 'extras' in most cases.
They (nor I) worry much about an hourly wage since they are combining 'work' with 'pleasure'. If your hobby and passion is also your job then it's much easier to give yourself a lower hourly rate. Heck, I do this 24 hours a day...I was up at 4:30 this morning...jumped straight out of bed to go and cut soap...even before coffee...now that's nuts! :roll:
How many people do you know who get paid to have fun? Not many....I feel lucky to be one of those people. Even though I don't actually get paid much, it's more than enough to keep me going. I'm only 41 but I sure hope I'm doing this in some form or another when I 'retire'.
They (nor I) worry much about an hourly wage since they are combining 'work' with 'pleasure'. If your hobby and passion is also your job then it's much easier to give yourself a lower hourly rate. Heck, I do this 24 hours a day...I was up at 4:30 this morning...jumped straight out of bed to go and cut soap...even before coffee...now that's nuts! :roll:
How many people do you know who get paid to have fun? Not many....I feel lucky to be one of those people. Even though I don't actually get paid much, it's more than enough to keep me going. I'm only 41 but I sure hope I'm doing this in some form or another when I 'retire'.
G
Guest
Making money full time from soap must be do-able. I mean if there's older family members who are able to help out here and there then it should work as a family business type of project.....?
I'm currently on the sick and I know that if I was ever able to work again, I'd like to make soap for a living.
I'm currently on the sick and I know that if I was ever able to work again, I'd like to make soap for a living.
pin money is one thing
supporting yourself is another.
soaping is expensive = and some don't see just how expensive because many of the costs are buried in other household bills. for example, when I'm on a big soaping run my utility bills go up (water and electricity, mainly). some of my materials costs are included in my grocery bill. and insurance isn't cheap!!!
I could go on and on.
I do make money soaping, but sadly nothing near what it costs to run my household. To do it as my primary means of supporting myself would take oodles of energy and capitol as well. Not to say it cannot be done - clearly some do it. Right now I am saving the money toward my retirement - but let me tell you, a full time soaping job to bring in - say $40K a year AFTER TAXES (which, by the way, wouldn't go far where I live) would take a LOT of soap.
Say your oils cost you $0.80 per bar of soap. Then there are fragrance materials, colorants, packaging. Then business expenses of insurance, an accountant (if you go full time you may need one! at least for taxes), capitol expenditures, utilities, brochures for your wholesale business. Don't forget fuel for your car, plus wear and tear. And even the bins to haul stuff in. Running that dehumidifier and or air conditioning. Hell, buying the humidifier. Kiosk fees and the like aren't cheap - and malls require you to have $1-2 million dollars in liability insurance.
How much does that come to per bar? Let's say your bar cost you $2.50 with all that included. You sell them for $4. Take out your income tax. And you are up to a cost of almost $3 per bar. Say you make, though, $1.20 on a bar of soap in the end. Then you need only sell 33,000 of them to make that $40,000 to live off of! Per year.
(ok, so you sell your stuff nekkid - no packaging. and you only sell at markets with a minimal booth fee, and you forgo taxes. so you make $3 off each bar. great. then you need only sell about 13,300 bars!
AND THAT'S NOT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT PAYING YOURSELF. or anyone else.
Yes, people do it for a living - and that's great. I'd like to. I hope to.
But to support oneself on it is a tremendously CHALLENGING full time job.
supporting yourself is another.
soaping is expensive = and some don't see just how expensive because many of the costs are buried in other household bills. for example, when I'm on a big soaping run my utility bills go up (water and electricity, mainly). some of my materials costs are included in my grocery bill. and insurance isn't cheap!!!
I could go on and on.
I do make money soaping, but sadly nothing near what it costs to run my household. To do it as my primary means of supporting myself would take oodles of energy and capitol as well. Not to say it cannot be done - clearly some do it. Right now I am saving the money toward my retirement - but let me tell you, a full time soaping job to bring in - say $40K a year AFTER TAXES (which, by the way, wouldn't go far where I live) would take a LOT of soap.
Say your oils cost you $0.80 per bar of soap. Then there are fragrance materials, colorants, packaging. Then business expenses of insurance, an accountant (if you go full time you may need one! at least for taxes), capitol expenditures, utilities, brochures for your wholesale business. Don't forget fuel for your car, plus wear and tear. And even the bins to haul stuff in. Running that dehumidifier and or air conditioning. Hell, buying the humidifier. Kiosk fees and the like aren't cheap - and malls require you to have $1-2 million dollars in liability insurance.
How much does that come to per bar? Let's say your bar cost you $2.50 with all that included. You sell them for $4. Take out your income tax. And you are up to a cost of almost $3 per bar. Say you make, though, $1.20 on a bar of soap in the end. Then you need only sell 33,000 of them to make that $40,000 to live off of! Per year.
(ok, so you sell your stuff nekkid - no packaging. and you only sell at markets with a minimal booth fee, and you forgo taxes. so you make $3 off each bar. great. then you need only sell about 13,300 bars!
AND THAT'S NOT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT PAYING YOURSELF. or anyone else.
Yes, people do it for a living - and that's great. I'd like to. I hope to.
But to support oneself on it is a tremendously CHALLENGING full time job.
gekko62
Well-Known Member
Personally,I'd look on selling soap as supplementing income,but MOSTLY as a way to afford to keep doing something you love. Seriously,I don't think anyone has the idea to get rich off it.
Dixie
Well-Known Member
cdwindsby
My husband was trying to help calculate my expenses and he said I had to include my time. I told him if I did that the bar of soap would cost $30.00!!! You can not calculate the time invested because for one, being a hobby, you spend twice as much time as you need to. If I was making soap calculating my time it would not be enjoyable.
So instead I look at it like this: I get paid for having fun![/quote]
My husband was trying to help calculate my expenses and he said I had to include my time. I told him if I did that the bar of soap would cost $30.00!!! You can not calculate the time invested because for one, being a hobby, you spend twice as much time as you need to. If I was making soap calculating my time it would not be enjoyable.
So instead I look at it like this: I get paid for having fun!
[/quote]ibariaSoap
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I'm noticing that some of the more successful soap makers/sellers have a really specific niche. Some of them go for more modern looks/packaging, some more 'country' looking.. some more 'organic' looking.. it really all depends on your target demographic of those you believe you will be selling to.
I think the business plan idea is a great one! Don't be afraid to tweak your ideas/goals along the way!
I think the business plan idea is a great one! Don't be afraid to tweak your ideas/goals along the way!
