Day 15 - Alternative Ways to Make Money on Your Homestead

31 Days of Homestead Living!

Today I am going to share with you ways to make money with your homestead.  These are not ways to get rich, just ways to make a little money while you are doing everything else.  Sometimes it takes putting lots of different things put together to support a family.  We have collected these ideas, tried some of them, or plan to try them when we slow down and have more time.

1.  Farm tours - I really have wanted to do this for about 10 years.  We will do this when I retire.  Home school families come often and ask if they can look around.

2.  Sell vegetables and other items from farmers market booths or road side stands in your yard

3.  Eggs:  sell what you have extra.  We carry ours to church

4.  Sell manure -  from any farm animal.  People ask for this often

5.  Worm farming for fishing

6.  Sell small animals from your home.  Chickens, ducks, goats, sheep, rabbits, calves, just about anything

7.  Board animals such as horses, dogs and cats

8.  Sell shares of calves, pigs, vegetable boxes, etc.  People could go halves or quarters on pigs or calves.  Vegetables boxes:  Get 10 people to pay you in advance to have vegetables all summer.  If you sold 10 shares for $200, you would get $2000 in advance.  Take them a box of fresh items every two weeks, or however you wanted to do it.

9.  Board calves to grow off.  Someone might want fresh beef, but not want to pay the price of organic meat.  Or maybe they don't have anywhere to raise the calf themselves.  They could buy a calf at the sale, and you raise it and drop off at the butcher for them.

10. Make and sell cheese

11. Milk - for human consumption if your state allows, or for animal use

12. Bake and sell pies, etc

13. Bake bread for others

14. Take orders for holiday baking: cakes, pies, cookies

15. Gift wrap during the holidays

16. Put together large gifts for others during the holidays  (Bikes, swingsets, etc)

17. Holiday decorating services

18. House cleaning

19. Day fishing passes

20. Sell fish, vegetables, herbs, deserts to restaurants

21. Collect seeds to sell

22. eBay for yourself or others

23. Sell wool from rabbits, sheep, goats for yarn

24. Sell feathers (guineas, peacocks)

25. Sell fruit or nuts you grow or collect

26. Canning for others

27. Take in laundry, ironing, mending

28. Collect and sell hedge apples to use as bug repellent

29. Sell dinners for freezer meals

30. Have classes for any skill you know:  canning, herbs, wine making, etc

31. Have bed and breakfast weekends, they pay to work on your farm with you

32. Summer camps

33. Rent out farm for weddings, rehearsal dinners, company picnics, events, birthday parties, churches

34. Let photographers use your place for photo shoots

35. Rent animals to photographers for Holiday shoots:  rabbit and sheep for Easter

36. Cooking classes

37. Salvage metal

38. Sell vases to florists.  There is a local florist that buys any and all vases for fifty cents each.  They say they pay that at the thrift stores, and will pay that to anyone else who has some to sell.  If you have them to get rid of, may be worth it to try.  Might could pick up at yardsales.

39. Collect children's clothes, toys and equipment to sell at kids consignment sales twice a year.  Some sales here also take womens, mens, and household items

40. Sell garden seedlings

41. Sell small trees

42. Sell hunting leases

43. Offer shopping and errand service

44. Pet or house sitting

45. Sell yard sale spots in your yard for those who have nowhere to have a sale

46. I have heard ladies collect dogwood berries to plant and then sell trees in cups.  Could also do this with acorns, I guess. 

47. Tutor

48. Typing services and resumes.  I have done this for 20 years.  I don't advertise anymore, but people still call occasionally.

49. Pick your own _________ stands.  If you grow something you can do this, berries, apples, etc.

50.  Sell recipes

51.  Write an ebook

52.  I have companies that will buy books, used ink cartridges, cell phones, and a few other items from me.  I just collect a few, and send them in at one time.  They mail me a check.  With the books, I type in the number on the back, and the company tells me what they will pay, if anything.  The book company pays for shipping.

53. Internet surveys

54.  Coupon for savings, then sell extra purchases to others

55.  Sell get some bees and sell your honey

This is what I can think of tonight.  I'm sure there are others, and I will update as I have time.  Honey