Some people find it unwise and even crazy that someone would let go of a well-paying corporate job and leave everything else behind to live off the grid. What they don’t understand is that you can still make money while homesteading. While your earnings may not be as huge as your salary from your previous job, it should be enough to sustain a simple life.
In reality, a life-changing decision such as going off the grid is not that easy for those of you who have been exposed to city life most of your lives. With a little discipline and perseverance, however, you’ll soon reap the many benefits of living on the homestead. Besides, you can still make money while homesteading as long as you’re content with a simple yet sustainable life.
Make Money From Your Garden
Some homesteaders grow just enough to feed the family. Others prefer to have extra produce so they can barter or make money off their hard work.
Sell Produce
Selling produce is perhaps the easiest way to make money while homesteading. As a homesteader, you likely have a yard where you grow vegetables, herbs, and even fruit trees. If not, then you should start learning how to grow your own produce either from seeds or by transplanting store-brought seedlings.
Self-sustainability requires a little more work, however, since the goal is to be as green as possible. That means fertilizers, pesticides, and other harmful chemicals are to be avoided. The good thing about going organic, aside from the benefits to your health and to the environment, is that you don’t have to pay for expensive chemicals. In other words, with a little more sweat and effort, you can make money a bit more.
Grow Kitchen Scraps
You can also grow new plants from kitchen scraps. After gathering the parts you need for your meals, set aside the scraps and use them to regrow new produce. This method is pretty practical and you can even earn from the stuff you’d usually throw away or add to your compost pit. If you manage to regrow a lot of your scraps, you can sell the extra ones you don’t immediately need. Check out this BuzzFeed list of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and other plants you can regrow.
Sell Seedlings
Aside from growing and selling produce, you can also make money by selling seedlings. As mentioned, you can buy seedlings to start your garden. Many homesteaders actually prefer this since it takes more time for seeds to grow. Take advantage of the demand and make money selling seedlings.
Sell Seeds
Once you’ve got your garden going, you’ll have a steady supply of seeds. You can make money by selling them, as well. But first, you need to learn how you can gather the seeds properly and prep them for selling. Know how to save the seeds here.
Make Money Through Mushroom Farming
Practical Self Reliance cites high demand as the main reason why you should go into mushroom farming. Oyster, portabella, and shiitake mushrooms, in particular, will help you make money while homesteading since they are pretty easy to grow yet provide high yields.
Make Money By Raising Animals
Homesteaders love raising quails and chicken because they’re easy to raise compared to other animals. They also provide a variety of food products such as eggs and meat. Chicken and quail eggs, in particular, have a high potential to make money. There’s also a demand for live chickens and quails. To get an idea of how to raise quails even if you have a small space, check this out.
Make Money By Selling Homemade Products
Canning and Preserving
With all the home-grown produce you’re harvesting, you can make money by canning and selling them. If you have an excess of tomatoes, you can make canned tomatoes, pickled tomatoes, or tomato sauce infused with herbs.
Dried fruits, jams, sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers, and meat jerky are just some of the things you can make at home. There are lots of foods you can preserve and make money from. It will all depend on what you grow or raise at home.
DIY Soap
Soap-making is a popular hobby among homesteaders. Some have even made it into a money-making venture. You shouldn’t depend mainly on selling homemade soap to make money while homesteading. The returns are not that regular as compared to selling produce. However, since you’re making sap for personal consumption, why not sell the extra bars you make? They still add to your income. Learn how to make your own soap here.
Make Money By Offering Your Services
If you’re a handyman by craft, then you have something to fall back on if you ever decide to leave the city. Blue-collar jobs are always in demand and you can make money off your skills.
If you have experience teaching, maybe you can offer home-schooling or tutoring services to your neighbors. Those who have a sewing machine and know how to use it can make money by repairing clothes. You need to pinpoint what particular skill or talent you have and take full advantage of them.
Work From Home
Some homesteaders still have a job that brings in the moolah. Many of them write for a living. In fact, many of the sites or blogs you read about homesteading and prepping are done from the homestead.
Contrary to what some people may believe, the homestead still uses electricity. Of course, there are some hard-core off-gridders who have taken to living in the middle of the forest where there are no electricity and water supply.
Many make money by writing blogs or selling e-books about their homesteading life. Others dwell on specific topics they are well-versed on. Some homesteaders also do graphic design, online tutoring, and other online jobs. No matter what skill you have, you can still make money while homesteading as long as you have electricity, internet, and a computer.
Quitting your job and life in the big city is a huge decision indeed. But if the only thing holding you back from living on the homestead is your income, don’t worry too much. There are plenty of ways to make money while homesteading. You just need to be creative. Find out more homesteading tips and DIY projects you can do to make money over at The Gentleman Pirate.
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