I have this inside joke with myself that “Past Diane” always has my back. She’s always researching, organizing, and creating something I’ll end up needing later on — even if she doesn’t know it at the time.
That’s how I ended up with all these spreadsheets, templates, and tools that I still use every day.
I enjoy making my life easier any way I can because life is hard enough! Especially when your fear of failure says that you need to have everything figured out before you even start.
While being overly prepared yields diminishing returns, I found that these resources have helped me feel prepared enough to trust that I’ll figure it out along the way.
I hope these make your next adventure a little easier!
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For Personal Use
Annual Budget Spreadsheet Template
I constantly found myself in a financial loop of never spending money yet never having any — until I started tracking my income and expenses for the entire year.
You don’t get an oil change every month, but you know you’ll need another one eventually. Your income may fluctuate but there will always be bills to pay.
Hell, things may be going well then an unexpected expense throws off your entire month.
And looking at your finances for the entire year helps you see opportunities you may have otherwise missed!
For example, if you’re paid biweekly, there are two months each year when you’ll receive an extra paycheck.
Instead of wondering where that money went, you can intentionally put it toward your emergency fund, a vacation, a hobby, or that business you’ve been dreaming about starting.
Because budgeting isn’t only about spending less.
For Home Bakers
Cake Pan Converter Spreadsheet
Have you ever found a recipe for an 8″ three-layer cake but only had a square 9×9″ baking pan?
Or maybe you went through a mini cake phase and wanted to use your favorite recipe instead of searching for one specifically made for 4″ round cake pans.
Because sure, you can look up “small batch chocolate cake” but can you be sure it’s better than the recipe you already love?
When you realize the perfect recipe you found doesn’t use the baking pan you have, you don’t have to panic about the math.
Want to try before you buy? Check out the Recipe Library to preview the Cake Pan Converter using my favorite recipes.
Cottage Food Label Template
Every state in the United States of America has different cottage food laws.
In the state of Maryland, I can start selling my baked goods to the public right away as long as I follow their labeling guidelines.
While your requirements may differ, this free template will give you a head start — plus you don’t have to worry about matching up the lines on your laser printer.
Recipe Scaler & Pricing Calculator Spreadsheet
Every baker knows that weighing your ingredients is the way to go!
For my home bakery, I weigh every single ingredient and cookie by hand, but some weeks I need to make more dough and others I need less.
And of course, starting a home bakery is so much more than just baking.
You have ingredient, labor, and packaging costs along with vendor and processor fees, overhead, taxes — it never ends!
That’s why it’s so important to know what you’re spending and, most importantly, what you should be charging.
Experiment with different profit margins and labor costs to find prices that work for your business. Because money stress will make you sad, and no one cookies or cakes from a sad person!
Remember, this is a business — not a breakeven hobby.
Pre-Order Storefront
Every two weeks, I set up at my local farmers market to sell my chunky cookies, but you don’t have to wait until market day to make sales.
I accept pre-orders, which allows customers to reserve their cookies days leading up to the market, through HotPlate, which is a popular platform for home bakers. It’s easy and free to use as features are straightforward and fees are only applied when someone orders (and you can decide who pays them).
My most loyal customers don’t miss out and I bake what I need, which is especially helpful during the slower months when I don’t want to bake more than I can sell.
New features and improvements are constantly being rolled out and their customer service is very responsive over text, email, and phone.