How the numbers work

The arithmetic, in plain words

Margin

Margin is your price minus what one item costs you. Percent margin is that amount as a share of the price. A $7.00 jar that costs $2.60 has a $4.40 margin, 62.8%.

The day's fixed costs

The table or booth fee plus anything else the day costs whether you sell or not: parking, fuel, a tent weight you had to buy. Stock you do not sell goes home with you, so it is not counted as a cost of the day.

Break-even count

How many items you must sell to cover the fixed costs, at the mix you bring: the fixed costs divided by the average margin of everything on the table, rounded up. The sheet also shows, for each item, how many of that item alone would cover the day. If the count is more than you are bringing, the sheet says so.

Profit at each sell-through

The margin on 25, 50, 75 and 100 percent of everything you bring, minus the fixed costs.

Suggested price (Market Season)

Give a target margin, say 60%. The suggested price is your cost divided by (1 minus the target), rounded up to the next 25 cents so the change stays simple.

Starting cash float

A plain rule: twenty $1 bills always; six $5 bills when a price is not a multiple of $5; a $10 roll of quarters when a price has cents. Prices that are not a multiple of 25 cents are flagged, because they need pennies and dimes.

Stall Sheet does arithmetic only. It is not tax, legal or accounting advice; sales tax and permits depend on your state and your market's rules.