How to Make Money Homesteading

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Is homesteading cost-effective? It certainly can be. There are many ways to both provide for your family’s basic needs and make an income on your homestead. Here are some topics to consider when you’re working toward finding ways to make money homesteading.

Can I make money on a homestead?

The goal of many homesteaders is to spend more time at home. For many people, working toward self-sufficiency means not relying on a 9-5 day job and commuting to the office Monday through Friday.

But is this a reasonable goal?

Though it will take time to get there, it is possible to provide for your family’s needs from your homestead.

However, one of the biggest ways you can make money from your homestead is by saving money. By providing your own produce, meat, eggs, milk, honey, and other basic needs, you can end up saving a lot.

Your first years of homesteading may be the most costly. This is because you’ll have to invest in equipment, tools, and infrastructure. However, once you have portions of your homestead set up, you can use them over and over.

For example, if you have to build a chicken coop, your first-year cost of chickens might be high. But next year, you’ll already have your coop set up, and the investment will be significantly less.

Start with one project at a time. Over the years, your homestead will grow. As you learn and gather tools, your homestead will become more and more cost-effective.

What items can I sell off my homestead?

You can begin selling from your homestead right away! Here are some ideas for items you can sell from your homestead.

Fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, honey, eggs

In most states, there are not many rules when it comes to selling these items.

It’s also fairly easy to produce these products. You’re already growing a garden to feed your family. Why not expand it and sell the extra?

If you have bees, get a couple more hives and market the honey you don’t need.

A dozen laying hens can produce around 60 eggs per week. It’s easy to sell your extra eggs for a profit.

Meat and milk

Many people are interested in buying farm-fresh meat and milk. Raising a few head of cattle will likely provide more meat than your family can eat. Selling the extra meat is a wonderful way to make money homesteading. Other meat sources you can raise on your homestead include sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, and rabbits.

If you raise dairy, such as cows or goats, you may also be able to sell the milk.

However, meat and milk can be a bit more difficult to sell than produce. As you may expect, there are more regulations for selling these types of food. Be sure to carefully understand the requirements in your state before you decide to sell meat or milk.

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)

A CSA is a model by which farmers and homesteaders can sell a share of the harvest to customers on a regular basis. In a CSA, consumers pay a lump sum at the beginning of a growing season or installments throughout the season. Then, they receive produce from the farmer on a regular basis (usually weekly) throughout the season. In this way, consumers can expect fresh food every week, and producers don’t have to worry about constantly marketing and finding customers.

Some CSAs stick to produce. Others include shares of additional products such as eggs, meat, cheese, flowers, and homemade bread.

Other products

Homesteading isn’t limited to producing only food, though. In this post, we discussed more aspects of homesteading outside of food production. These can include skills like producing textiles, woodworking, and welding.

Each of these skills provides an opportunity to sell your products.

Lastly, you can make money from additional products that you make for your own farm. For example, if you’re building a dozen heavy-duty tomato cages, why not make it two dozen and sell the extra?

Did you create the perfect design for an easy-to-move chicken tractor? Why not build another and sell it? Perhaps even better, how about marketing the plans and letting others build their own?

Just be sure to do some research to see if there’s a demand for your products before producing extras.

Where do I sell items from my homestead?

There are various ways to sell your items.

If you’re focused on produce, you can start by simply setting up a roadside stand and leaving a box to deposit cash. On your roadside stand, you can consider selling items like fruits, vegetables, honey, and eggs (just be sure to keep the eggs in a cooler on hot days!).

Facebook is another way to advertise your products locally.

Is there a farmer’s market or farm auction near you? Perhaps you can take your crop to the market or auction each week to make a profit. This reduces the need for advertising, but will also take a portion of your profit.

Talk to people you know. Let them know what products you have available. In many cases, meat and milk can be difficult to find. Let your friends know that you raise livestock for these purposes.

If you sell physical products, such as textiles, wood or welding products, or digital plans, use online resources, like Facebook Marketplace or even Etsy.

How much money can you make homesteading?

The amount of money you make homesteading can vary greatly depending on what you decide to sell. While any one product may not be enough to support your family, each individual endeavor adds up.

For example, if you sell 10 dozen eggs per week at $3 per dozen, that adds up to $1560 per year.

The annual cost of a CSA membership can vary from around $400-$700 per year (though this varies). With only 5 CSA customers, you could earn $2500 or more per year.

Whether you decide to invest your energy in prioritizing one income stream, or you diversify with many, there are plenty of ways to make money homesteading. Just keep your costs in mind when calculating the income you can earn.

Can you get paid to homestead?

As you build your income streams and your family businesses, it’s certainly possible to get paid to homestead. More and more people are looking for fresh foods and handmade products. Figure out what items are most cost-effective for you to produce. Do some research on the needs around you. Then, just get started! Every year, your homestead will grow and hopefully become more profitable.

Other ways to make money homesteading?

Growing produce, raising animals, and making physical products aren’t the only ways to make money homesteading, though.

As you learn and expand your homesteading skills, there’s plenty of opportunity for you to share by teaching these skills to others.

You can do this by teaching classes, either physically or online. Host a learning day at your farm for families nearby who hope to homestead someday, too!

You can also share the information you’ve learned online through outlets like blogging and vlogging. How many times have you turned to Google or YouTube to find the answers to your homesteading questions? You, too, can share your experience with others!

You can make money homesteading!

Like anything worth doing, it takes time, effort, and lots of learning in order to make money homesteading. But you can get there! Keep learning and growing, one step and one season at a time.