Why do I charge for magical work?

The sordid topic of coin. One that is constantly brought up by various people with the notion that whatever I do, should be done free of charge as a service to the Universe. For those who remember my physical shop, will remember the below text being on a poster on the wall above the counter 😉

Village witches (village wise women) have always charged for services, traditional witches were not seen in the days of yore as outsiders, they were one of the most valued members of the community and trades of money and/or goods were always exchanged. It is this exchange that signifies the exchange of energy and trust between both parties. I uphold these traditions as do the generations of my family and therefore a fee will always be asked to pay for my expenses (yes we have to buy our own supplies too!), time and knowledge.

For an example, a 7 day spell with me costs £80. Some say that maybe extreme but let me explain why that is in fact very cheap and what I actually receive is far below minimum wage. Over a 7 day spell, I cast the same spell for you 7 times. Each spell lasts a minimum of 90 minutes. So over 7 days what I use are:

At LEAST 14 spell candles or 1 7 day jar candle with 14 spell candles = £7 – £14.99 (Minimum)
About 300g herbs – £10+
7 portions of incense resin mix – £5.50
7 charcoal discs – £1.00
Spell oil – £5.50
Spell powder – £5.50
Other spell ingredients – £10 (Minimum)
At LEAST 10 and half hours of my time – £86 (at UK National minimum wage of £8.21 an hour)

The total amount I spend/time used on your spell would actually cost you: £130.99 Minimum if I charged like this was a regular salaried job.

Whilst I am generous with my services, my time and my goods, I also have a family to feed, a house to pay for, a car to run and a life to lead. Being a witch is my entire life, not just my job. What I do has worth, I have worth. Please respect the old wise woman ways, as I do.