I don't usually pay a lot of attention to costs, but with all the price increases over the last year I sat down and figured out our pie costs. Just curious how it compares with others on here. We have four basic pies we use:

1. A cream pie (whipped topping and a pie crust)

2. An extra sticky cream pie (whipped topping mixed with marshmallow fluff and a pie crust)

3. A pudding pie (vanilla or chocolate instant pudding with a pie crust)

4. A cream topped pudding pie (instant pudding topped with whipped topping in a pie crust)

In our neck of the woods, Walmart and Aldi are the 2 stores we usually get our supplies at. Current prices of supplies there are:

Large tub (1 pound) Walmart whipped topping: $1.94

Large container marshmallow fluff: $2.82 (mix it 2 containers of whipped topping to 1 marshmallow fluff)

Aldi instant pudding mix: $0.69 (mixes with 2 cups of milk)

Aldi Whole Milk 1 Gallon: $2.92 (price actually down from last summer, and highly subsidized in our state)

Aldi 2 pack ready to bake pie crusts: $1.79 (includes 2 crusts and pie tins)

At those prices, our costs are:

Cream Pie $2.84
Extra Sticky Cream Pie $4.25
Pudding Pie $2.49
Cream Topped Pudding Pie $3.14

Those figures are based on a pie crust holding 3 cups of pudding and using 1/3 a container of whipped topping to top a pudding pie. These figures also don't account for the electricity used baking the crusts and mixing the pudding. So what is your pie cost??

-JD

I just broke down these exact costs for someone in my DM's the other day. My pies are of the pudding and whipped topping variety but I don't use pie crusts because I don't like the sensation of the crumbs in the slop. I also buy the large tubs of whipped cream and I think it's also $1.94 here. One tub is enough for two pies.

But the pudding I buy in bulk in the gallon cans. I use Webstaurant Store online when buying by the case (6 cans to a case), but anything fewer than 6 cans, it's cheaper to buy them individually at the local restaurant supply store. One can of pudding is enough for 5 pies.

My session Friday night last week was 40 pies. That's 8 cans of pudding and 20 tubs of whipped cream.

6-can case of pudding bought online and shipped: $56.82 (32.99/case + 23.83 shipping!!!)
2 extra cans of pudding bought individually at restaurant supply store: $22
20 tubs whipped cream: $38.80

So, about $117 for 40 pies. Not including money spent on paper plates which I double layer and then the protective plastic sheeting to prep the area in my garage.

We have not actually sat down to get exact costs on our pies. That being said, our system looks very similar to both of your set ups. So I'd put our pies between $3-$4 per pie. Mrs prefers the baked crusts (over graham cracker) so we try to buy in bulk when they are on sale. We have also purchased a 15 pound tub of whipped topping from Sam's club for $35. That netted us about 25 pies (some with cake batter filling, some just the whipped topping)

We also are big fans of cake batter Slime but thats a whole other topic with other costs associated with it.


And then there are the other "smaller" costs..... the plastic drop cloths, the electricity to whip/mix supplies (we purchased a drill attachment to help mix buckets of slime/gunge easier), the costs of laundering the clothing and rainbow backdrop. But those are all fairly limited when looking at the big picture.


Knowing how much money (and effort) goes into prepping the pies, I have also gotten more comfortable with paying the $3-$4 for a pie/cake from the discount shelves at Walmart/grocery stores.


Great thread! Thanks for posting

Last lot we did were store bought cases, custard (or chocolate custard) with Italian meringue topping. We did 10 for the last shoot, which was released today.

The cases were £1.10 each.
We used a small amount of custard powder from a 3kg bag of powder which are about £20 quid, so lets say £1 for all 10 pies.
Then two cartons of egg whites ay £3.50 each and two 1kg bags of caster sugar at £1.65.
That total to £22.30 for 10 pies or £2.23 a piece.

It probably wouldn't be unfair to add another £5 total for boiling the kettle a couple of times for the custard, having the gas hob on to make a 120C sugar syrup for the meringue and having the mixer on for probably half an hour in total.

That would put each pie at £2.73 which converts to $3.28. xxxx

Ok now you're speaking my language! When it comes to pies I cheat

Tins (recycled from earlier pies): $0
Crust: Flour tortilla baked in the oven* : 7.5 cents
Filling: Cake batter with kid friendly tempera paint** : ~10 cents
Topping: 39 cents (same stuff Andi uses, normally tops 5 pies per tub)

*I bake on convection at 435F for about 7 minutes. Once cooled, put in bottom of tin and use the back side of a knife/fork/spoon to crack it a few times. This will ensure it breaks up like a 'real' crust
** Brown = chocolate, yellow = vanilla/banana cream, green = key lime

Sometimes I'll mix in shaving cream to change the consistency of the topping and make it lighter but it's not a significant cost factor.

Cost per pie = 57 cents
Here's what they look like

I hadn't really given costs much thought but, I'm now curious to work out my average session cost. I'm going to include the cost of cleaning up afterwards.

So, for a simple foam pie session.
A pack of paper plates: 25-30 for £1 (poundland)
Shaving foam: average cost about £1:30 per tin and one tin will make about 3 pies.
Bin bags: about £2 for a roll of ten, but usually get away with just one per session
Dust sheet: £1 each. Usually use one per session. Maybe two for a bigger session.
Cloths or wipes: about £1:50 per pack of wipes but will only use about 1/5 of them.
(optional) food colouring or paints for coloured pies: about £1 per colour

So, if we use just one pack of paper plates for a session, we'll need about 10 tins of foam to fill them.
So, let's work it out.
10 tins of foam: £13
1 pack of paper plates: £1
1 dust sheet: £1
1 bin bag for clear up: £2 10 = 20p
1/5 pack of wipes: £1:5 5 = 30p
(optional) 3 different food colours: £3

So an average pie session for me would cost between £15:50 and £18:50.

I know there are other factors like travel costs and hotel costs if I do sessions in a hotel (which I often do) but a good pie session for under £20 is achievable.

Oh, btw, that makes my average pie cost about 52p

I use the real thing... Like 15-20 bucks a pie.

I rarely WAM myself but when I do I make it a good one.

Only the real thing for me. I buy frozen pies from Marie Callender's or Edwards but only when they're discounted at my local Kroger chain. Every few months I find them at 40-50% off.

Yes I'm a diva.