Most sourdough starters don't die from neglect. They die from confusion.

You bake a beautiful loaf on Saturday. Then you stare at the jar on Sunday wondering: counter or fridge? You forget to feed it Tuesday. By Thursday you're Googling "is my starter dead?" and by the next weekend you're starting from scratch.

The problem isn't that you're lazy. The problem is that nobody gave you a clear system for the between part.

Here's what actually matters for weekly bakers:

1. Storage location changes everything. Counter starters need daily feeding. Fridge starters can go a week. If you're baking once a week, the fridge is almost always the right call — but the transition matters.

2. Feeding frequency isn't one-size-fits-all. It depends on your storage method, your kitchen temperature, and how far apart your bakes are. A twice-a-week baker and a once-every-ten-days baker need completely different rhythms.

3. There's a real limit to how long a starter can wait. It's not infinite, and it's not the same for every starter. Knowing your window takes the anxiety out of the whole process.

I built the Sourdough Starter Care Kit to solve exactly this. Four practical tools: a storage cheat sheet, a feeding frequency guide, a hold-time worksheet, and a weekly care planner. No recipes, no science lectures — just a clear system to keep your starter alive between bakes.

$19, instant download, lifetime access.