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In this week's Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 269 - Sugar Cookie Side Hustle, we wanted to take it back to the beginning - specifically to those folks who know they want to take on a new hobby that not only covers itself, but also pads the pockets for some decent fun money.

🚗💨 Sugar cookies as a side hustle is an awesome concept because it doesn't require cars, insurance, fuel, or oil changes. You're also in control of your schedule more than those "overlord apps" that ding, and you have to jump to accept the request or face a bad review and a possible account restriction.

Even better? A lot of us already have the basic tools needed to get started - so even the startup costs are lower than most hobbies (just ask me about rug tufting... I ain't had none of that stuff lying around!).

Imaginary Example: You're a stay-at-home-mom.

You have about two hours a day that you can dedicate to baking, and you don't need to carve out anything extra to find them either - stay with me. They're already "baked" into your day during your kids' naptime or right after you put them down for bed. Since decorated cookies only need about 8 hours to dry, this schedule works pretty well for a sugary side hustle.

Here's what an example day could look like:

• 🕓 Your kids wake up at 6:00 AM, and by 6:30 you're prepping them for the morning.
• 🕓 At 7:00 AM, while the day is still quiet, you plan out your designs.
• 🕓 When naptime hits at 2:00 PM, you make your dough and prep your icing.
• 🕓 Then at 8:00 PM, once the kids are in bed, you settle in to decorate.
• 🕓 By morning, your cookies are dry and ready for packaging and pick-up.

🥶 Add in the ability to freeze your sets a week or more out, and you've got a nice little time runway.

You're not trying to replace a full-time income or build an empire; you'd simply like to make some fun money (💸 an actual sugar m-a-m-a lol - u). Whether it goes toward date nights, a family vacation fund, or a little guilt-free spending of your own, cookie decorating can give you a way to earn extra cash doing something creative on your own schedule (🚗🚗🚗 without having to be in a car delivering). With the flexibility of sugar cookies, you could scale this thing up to a brick-and-mortar or tone it down to a seasonal thing you do around the holidays.

Chances are, about 50% of the supplies you need are already sitting in your kitchen already - talk about a start-up cost WIN. A hand mixer, a baking sheet, a plaque cookie cutter, and the basic primary colors for coloring will get you started. And for anything you're missing, you don't have to spend much if you're willing to check your local buy nothing groups, Facebook Marketplace, or simply ask around in a community group (also a great way to signal to a potential audience you're warmin' up the ovens). You'd be surprised what people are happy to give away or sell for next to nothing.

You don't need to invent anything from scratch either - could this BE any easier?! Some of the most popular tried-and-true royal icing recipes aren't even behind paywalls. Mike Tamplin's recipe, Sally's Baking Addiction, Haniela's. And if you want to get spendy, Etsy recipes are just a few bucks but totally not required to get out the gate.

Snag the podcast to learn what you don't need to get started (hint: artistic ability. Just as Corrie and her oranges 🍊).

👂 Snag this podcast on any major podcast player (Spotify, Apple Music, Audible, Amazon Music, or watch it on YouTube) by searching for Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 269 - Side Hustle Sugar Cookies.