How to track your ingredient inventory
Running out of butter in the middle of an order or letting ingredients expire in the pantry are two ways to lose money. Tracking your inventory prevents both.
Step by step
- 1
Add everything you keep in stock
Ingredients, packaging and products you resell, each with a unit of measure and a cost per unit.
- 2
Set a minimum stock level
The quantity below which you need to buy more. For items you use daily, think about one week of use.
- 3
Record stock in and stock out
Purchases come in, production use goes out. Waste, personal use and donations also go out, each with its own reason.
- 4
Check the list before you shop
Items that are out or below the minimum become your shopping list. That way you buy what you need without overstocking.
Finished product inventory
If you bake ahead to sell ready-made, you also need to know how many pieces you have on hand. Record production when a batch is ready and sales when they go out: the balance shows what is still available and keeps you from taking orders you cannot fill.
Waste is a cost too
Treats that went stale, a cake damaged on delivery, an expired ingredient: logging waste shows how much it costs you each month and where to adjust production.
Inventory in the app
- Inventory of ingredients, packaging, resale and other items, with minimum quantity and cost per unit.
- Flags items that are out of stock or running low.
- Finished product stock by production, sale and adjustment (loss, personal use, correction, donation).
- A delivered order automatically deducts the product from stock.
- History with date range filters and PDF and CSV export.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to track inventory for every ingredient?
Start with the most expensive ones and the ones you run out of most often: chocolate, butter, eggs, packaging. Expand later if it makes sense.
How do I record an ingredient that went bad?
As stock out with waste as the reason. That keeps your inventory accurate and lets you see how much you lost each month.