Out of stock??

I feel like I need to explain! Currently, I'm out of stock on more than just a few favorite soaps, and it's the Christmas season too, where people want to buy more, and I'm running out.

It's because I'm trying to make a decision. Yes, a rather big decision!

You probably guessed it, I'm trying to decide whether to continue making soap, and if so, at what capacity. I work a full-time job at the high school, and have also taken on the job of yearbook adviser, which is another job in itself! The soap business was started as a sideline, with the hopes of someday being able to do just that alone. But, as is such in life, things change, and, because we're now dependent on my school job for health insurance, that would be a huge extra amount I'd have to make each month just to be able to do soap alone, if I were to also cover the cost of insurance. It might be possible, but it would also be an extremely huge leap of faith to even try, and pretty risky.

To keep up with the demand for soap, I usually spent most weekends making soap, and a lot of my evenings making labels, wrapping bars, ordering supplies, doing paperwork, website work, etc. Basically another full-time job. In the summer, when I have time off school, it's not so bad, but when I'm working full time, doing farmers' markets after work each week May through October, and shows on some weekends, it gets to be an awful lot.

So this fall, once my super-busy months of September and October were over, I just relaxed a bit on the soap business. My plan was that once I ran out of soap, that would be it, I'd be done. But I do still have enough supplies to make a bunch more soap, and that was my plan for today, which got sidetracked by filling orders, working on the website, etc. Maybe next weekend I'll spend a day making a bunch more.

But that doesn't help those who might want to order for Christmas, because it takes 6 weeks to be ready, and I feel bad about that!! And when I visit with repeat customers at shows, like last weekend, and they tell me that my soap is all they'll use anymore and how much it has helped their skin, I feel bad about even thinking to quit because it helps so many others (and no, I am not usually a "guilty feeling" person about things either!).

The good news is that there should be a supply of the good old favorites ready around mid-January, when the dry winter skin needs it the most.

Anyway...I haven't decided what to do yet. I may just continue the online sales and do a few shows and not take on the weekly markets...I'm just not sure.