Homestead Income Options...8 ways to make $1000...

[matthewgoss]

I started a thread with the same title about the same time last year that ran for at least 6 months...I know it was brought back to the top of the General Board in April or May of this year, but it seems it has fallen off the end of the archive...I saved a synopsis to CD before I left Florida, and hope this can be a lively topic again as someone expressed an interest in reading the thread...so please post your ideas...

The original idea of the thread was that by employing several ideas that allow one to make $1000 per year you could generate a good side income on the homestead...


Here is the synopsis I saved:


Livestock/Animals
-rabbits as pets, for meat, for furs, for worm food, for fertizlizer/compost.
-raise chickens for meat/eggs
-worms for composting, bait, fish farm food/catfish barrel
-goats for milk, soap, ethnic meat market
-pigs for pig roast
-butterflies for weddings, special events, crafts
-exotics, careful of ponzi schemes...
-bees for honey, wax, pollination service, alternative health, bee hive removal service
-get into ethnic meat sales by donating meat to churches and organizations as advertising.



Wood
-crafts
-firewood
-lumber (sawmill)

Organic Produce Stand/gardening
-sell only high end produce, unless you are marketing something unusual or hard to find you will be competing with corporate farmers who will outprice you and your return will be very small.
-pumpkins
-gourds/luffas for the crafters market
-fruits
-herbs, fresh or dried
-mushrooms
-grow nursery plants, bushes, shrubs, vines, trees, etc
-flowers for edible flower salads
-Xmas tree farm
-ornamental shrubs
-potted plants
-trees (fruit, nut, woodlot, etc)
-flowers
-aquatic/pond plants/flowers

Handy Man Services
-Trash hauling
-Computer Service/Support
-Yard work
-Rototilling/tractor work
-Painting
-Snow removal/plowing
-Window washing
-Gutter cleaning
-Dowsing/wells
-cleaning basements/garages/attics
-gunsmithing/salvage
-build picnic tables, benches, mailboxes, adirondak chairs, gazebos
-fix up old cars and resell them


A hot dog stand

Gambling

Operate a Paintball Field

Housesitting/Caretaking for vacationing farmers/homesteaders

Writing
-Write articles for newspapers/magazines
-Publish your own books
-Publish a quarterly newsletter with articles about what is going on on your homestead and use it to advertise your products.

Sell gift baskets filled with food and crafts all produced on your homestead.



So what can YOU do on your homestead that will earn you $1000 per year?

Keep in mind this is only a synopsis of the ideas presented in last year's thread...if you can expand on these ideas or offer more suggestions, please do so for the benefit of those that didn't read the thread last year...

heshrugged

[rassd71]

An idea not listed above is to host weddings or private parties. If you have a nice setting it can be a good money maker, but you need to know what the areas of liability are and minimize your risks or carry LOTS of insurance!

Which is true about any time your business involves having people on your property.

Jams and Jellies or other canned goods are another good way to make extra money.

My firend in Manitoba has given up on his hobby farm for the time being to pursue other things. But he did very well with both the fruit veggie stand and the upick stuff.

The other thing he did was rent out the cultivated land for wheat. He had 60 acres rented out for wheat and that made him I think about $1500 canadian a year, but I don't know for sure.

A stocked fishing pond can also be a good money maker. Both as a u catch em pond, and if you want to sell them fresh to local stores. Personally my plan is to make a lot more than $1000 a year from my aquaculture business.

Another one is raising and breeding pets or small animals.
I'm not advocating becoming a puppy mill, of course!

[txanne63]

Being in betwen alot of fishing spots---son and I are going to open a bait stand.

Mostly fresh water bait.

We have ordered material on how to build a safe vat for the little critters.


Didnt we lose this thread in the big crash?
Glad you saved it Hesh!

annie

[Terri]

Here is something that I am just STARTING to look into!

Income tax deduction.

If I raise a LOT of veggies and donate them to the area food pantries, would I get a tax deduction? Less taxes paid is the same as more money in.

ANOTHER problem is that fresh food is not popular in food pantries, I only know of 2 that accept it and I do not know how much they can move for me. But, they might know of ANOTHER charity that would like veggies.

I would have to itemize, but I do. I do not know about the rest of it, I would have to ask the folks who do my taxes in January. THEN, I would have to speak to the food pantries.

[gwynyvyr]

Of all the old posts I have read through tonight, this one seems to be the best of them all...so many folks participated in the original, so many good ideas were generated...I think this one...or one of the same type should get *stickied* to the top of one of the boards...
Nothing political, obscene, religious, insulting, etc on this one!

I am sure if everyone thinks a bit, they can come up with a few more ideas for this thread!

[swampcedars]

For extra income I rent a field to a near by farmer and I rent out winter space for a boat and car in my barn. It has been a good arrangement and at this point it pays the tax's

-Swamp

[gwynyvyr]

There are folks in this area that raise exotics for fur and feathers...and not all of them have to be killed for the product!
One lady raises peacocks. I dunno what price you get for selling the feathers or how often they molt, but she seems pretty happy with her endeavor.

[catinhat]

I think reading through the original thread that was started on this topic was what got me thinking about 'Ten Things Farm'. That, and my inability to pick just one thing that I want to do! The things I'm working with now include:

*soapmaking
*jewelry and metalwork
*furniture finishing and re-finishing (new pieces, old pieces)
*quilting and sewing
*making stuffed baby toys - sock critters and such
*papercrafts - greeting cards and the like
*growing and selling pumpkins, ornamentals such as gourds and ornamental corn
*house/pet sitting (when the baby is older, and I can get out for a couple hours each morning without such a big production)
*other arts and crafts as they suit me, lol.

Thank you to all who have posted so many wonderful ideas. They are a real inspiration, and show that there are many, many ways to get this done!

-Catinhat

[gwynyvyr]

Hey cat...that was only NINE things! Keeping the last one a secret? 8)

[catinhat]

lol. honey. I have bees, sell honey.

[Frank]

$1000 per day? week? month?

how about real work?

everything else is just wishy-washy make-believe hippi crap!

my fallers make on an average $ 500/day, the pilers $250/day.
you charter my fishing boat for salmon? $ 700/day (800 this year)

now I know not everybody can work as a faller or own a charter boat or be contractor or outfitter or own a (new) office building in the upscaled part of town.

however, there is lots of work out there that pays well.

sitting in front of your pc whining and belly aching, expecting an "attack"any second and "flying the flag" does not
-and will not- improve you situation.

[sluggermn]

Of all the old posts I have read through tonight, this one seems to be the best of them all...so many folks participated in the original, so many good ideas were generated...I think this one...or one of the same type should get *stickied* to the top of one of the boards...
Nothing political, obscene, religious, insulting, etc on this one!

I am sure if everyone thinks a bit, they can come up with a few more ideas for this thread!


well there goes that idea out the window gwenn
thanks frank (NOT!)

[Lupine]

Whatever. ::) It's yesterday's hippies that are spending the most on specialty items these days.

I like this thread, because there are a lot of people who want to build a self-sustaining life on their farm, minimizing full-time job obligations that restrict your ability to work on the stuff you really want to do. Which is kind of the point of this whole website and forum, really.

So many complementary farmstead or small biz projects can also open up complementary markets. Sure, Frank, I can also make $3000.00 per gig, with one or two gigs a week, off-site. (And no, I'm not a high-priced hooker ;) ). I love what I do. But I'd rather make a bit less and do a variety of things.

So in five years, here's what I hope to have going:

A few select jobs in my current field

Operating a manageable number of hives, selling refined and unrefined wax, honey, nucs and splits. Maybe some value-added wax products. Removing swarms.

Direct sales of dimensional and rough-hewn lumber (very small scale)

Running a couple goat teams on other people's property, perhaps getting a few muni/state contracts. (will need to hire out).

Selling goat meat, skins (to hippie drummers), dairy, cheese, kefir, soap.

Selling pet/pack wethers, breeding stock.

Selling sheep fibers, lamb, breeding stock.

Extracting honey for small-scale hobbyists and producers, renting hives to nearby farms and gardeners.

Building custom woodenware and frames for beekeepers (maybe).

Raising mosquito-eating fish in rain barrels. They're gonna be there anyway and they breed like mad, might as well sell them.

Selling cattails, pussywillows and a few other specialty cut plants that. Bamboo, too. Huge demand for that.

Selling eggs, poultry, pullets (good market in Portland)

High-grade, small batch, boutique worm-poop fertilizer. I swear I could sell this stuff for a pretty penny with the right marketing.

Possibly selling specialty chicken feathers for fly-tyers. Or getting back to tying flies and selling them, but as incorporated into artsy fartsy stuff.

Writing.

Custom raised pork, and/or feeder pigs.

Chanterelles and Oregon truffles to a few cateters I know.

Meat rabbits for human or pet consumption.

Dyed rabbit pelts turned into cat beds. (Did I mention that two high-end dog boutiques opened in my neighborhood? They're giving Starbucks a run for their money.)

Blackberry jam, blackberries, blueberries, lingonberries.

Hazelnut butter.

Apple butter. Heirloom apples, pears, persimmons.

Goat milk/honey/beeswax beauty products.

And if I get good at my tractor, I can do some odd jobs with that. If any of the guys in the area will hire a lady. (I know Pre would, if he were here! 8) )

And yeah, if I ever got my dream boat--a fishing guide on the Columbia. Buoy 10! But that would just end up with me, my friends, beer and no fish.

What else. Oh, yeah, custom burn barrels and candle cans.

Tilework and custom mosaics.

Photo restoration, digital archiving for families and estates.

Bonded Hobby Farm Sitter (growing market for that around here).



Ideas not so suited for me:

Snow plowing (flat fee per season)

Ironing.

Sewing/Mending/Seamstress.

Meal Preparer. (Contract to prepare a week's worth of dinners for a family or busy couple/individual. Either cook at their house, or rent a commercial kitchen. I have a friend who got herself through college this way.)

Livestock AI technician

Small livestock consultant (for beginning hobby farmers/homesteaders)--good biz during freshening, disbudding, castrating, breeding, vaccination, etc. seasons, often cheaper than a vet and sometimes more help than a forum in case of an emergency.

Basic computer repair, training, networking.

Tutoring.

eBaying.

Estate sales (glorified yard sales) including cataloging, promoting and facilitating.

Snow chain service on passes (yay for tourists and overconfidence in SUVs!) I've been offered $50s for helping people chain up. All you need are Carhardts, a thermos of hot coffee, handwarmers, a multi-tool, sign, tarp and a warm car.



The trick is to find unique markets for what you do. I just learned that clubs that do Scottish things, like run around in kilts playing bagpipes while throwing rocks at each other, pay a premium for beewax for the reeds on their pipes.

And archers use beeswax for their strings.

[catinhat]

Geez, Frank, who is whining? *Besides you, I mean. When I do consulting work, I make enough in a day to charter your salmon boat for a few days....but I think I'll pass - you're just too cheerful.

Yep...Whatever. Back to the actual topic.

Marketing and creativity are crucial. *Also, supplementing whatever your 'main' item is. *The first year I sold honey, I had this cute stuffed bear, wearing a straw hat that had 'wedding veil' stuff hot glued around the brim, and a couple little bees hot-glued to the veil stuff - something I did so I'd have something on the table besides a bunch of jars of honey. *Lots of people really liked the bear...so the next year, I made a couple dozen, and sold them too! *When I sold rabbits, I also sold the feed blend. *I gave people the 'recipe' for the feed blend, but people who lived in apartments didn't want to buy rabbit pellets, 4-way, calf manna, oats, etc. and have all those bags sitting around - they just wanted to buy 5 pounds of the mix at a time. *(I made as much profit on the mix as I did on the rabbits, over the course of the year, and I was still selling it for less than the pet stores.)

Also wanted to say that 'Ten Things Farm' isn't necessarily the ten things I posted earlier, nor would it be the same ten things all the time....it's a work in progress. *Just like me.

Lupine, *I love your list, and like you, I'd rather make some $$ doing the things I love and want to try...I can always do a little consulting or write an article when we need some cash. *Still, you rock, girl! Can I be your bestfriend/sister/cousin/neighbor? * ;) *

-Cat

[cid300]

I have a small machine shop in my home and rebuild / restore antique gas engines and garden tractors as a hobby and a little side money.
There are also "model" engines that can be built the kits are less than $500 and sell for as high as $3,000 when completed. It would be easy to sell 2 or 3 a year at local farm or engine shows.

Here's an example
http://www.redwingmotor.com/

cid300

[swampcedars]

Cid, that is cool.

I just met a guy that goes to wrecking sites and talks to the Manager to get permission to take old bricks on the weekends. He puts them in his old truck goes home, cleans them up and sells them for restoration and garden projects. He does this in his spare time and seems to have gotten pretty good at selecting brick that don't need a whole lot of cleaning up and that saves time and means more money.

He told me he keeps raising his prices to slow things down since he can't keep up with demand, but the demand is going up since people love the old brick.

Something to think about if your in the right area.

-swampcedars

[Silverado]

everything else is just wishy-washy make-believe hippi crap!

sitting in front of your pc whining and belly aching, expecting an "attack"any second and "flying the flag" does not
-and will not- improve you situation.

"Driveby Frank" strikes again!

Frank does the term "enema" ring a bell? Why don't you apply it to that big mouth of yers..........

[Dixie]

A neat craft we saw at a craft show in the mountains was birdhouse gourds fixed to be bread warmers / servers. They were left natural on the inside (not painted or coated in any way) and on the outside they were painted with flowers and designs of all kinds. The gourd was cut (a little less than halfway down which formed the lid of the bread warmer / server). The bread, rolls or biscuits are put inside the gourd, it is then put in the microwave long enough to heat the bread, then the bread can be taken directly to the table in the gourd where it is supposed to stay warm for a while.

Also, rock candles. Someone had taken flat rocks, coated them with clear acrylic and glued a small clear glass container filled with oil on the bottom of the rock, drilled a hole in the rock at the thinnest point of the rock where the wick would stick out the top where it could be lit and look like the rock was a candle. (The messiest looking thing about this was the bottom of the rock. They had used a thick, yellowish glue to stick the clear glass container on with. In fact, the clear glass did not fit in with the rock at all. A small copper or other metal container would have looked a lot better and would not have been as heavy as the glass. I think they had to use gorilla glue or something to hold the glass thing on. The rocks were also not decorated on top with anything, and I think they could have looked really neat if they had been tastefully and simply decorated with some sort of natural looking plant materials that were durable.

My husband had the idea to drill holes in geods, fill them with oil and put a wick in them and sell them as rock candles. Only thing is, it is rare to find a completely hollow geod, in fact, many of them are almost solid all the way through. He had the heaviest duty drill bits, but those solid geods were impossible to drill - plus there was not a hollow inside to pour the oil into on most of them - and he ordered all sorts of different varieties. :-/


Here's another idea. People are always looking for cemetery floral arrangements. I know young people don't think about this much and it may seem at first as sort of a downer type of craft; but as you get older and lose a lot of family, cemetery decoration becomes about all one has left that they can do for the loved ones that have gone on. A lot of gravestones now have those stone vases on them, so smaller arrangements that are long enough and will stay put and are sturdy enough to hold up for a few months are what people are looking for. (Some of the cheap silk flowers' petals blow off with the first strong gust of wind, so if there was some way to acrylic dip and solidify some dried flowers where they would last, that would be something pretty, durable and different from the run of the mill).

[gwynyvyr]

I have seen those rock candles at a lot of art festivals/street fairs...gives me another idea for my shop!

And Frank, you poor thing, whatever in the world happened to you to make you you such a sad little man? Bless your heart, I hope you are feeling better soon.

And I am sure everyone here joins me in wishing you well and hoping for a speedy recovery from the forthcoming surgery I am sure you have planned...to get that big ol' stick out of your butt!

[coydog]

Game bird and gun dog training farm would be my choice if the insurance was ever affordable. When your own kids are little, an at home daycare is feasible, but then I doubt you'd have time to implement any of the other good ideas :) Burls & one of a kind tree art from staircases to lawn sculptures sell well. I find the higher end products (value added) make me more money in the long run.

[Lupine]

Cat, I think we're already sisters, in a sense. And, honey extractor or no, I'd love to have you as a neighbor!

This isn't so much as an odd-jobs thing, as it requires significant investment, but until I learned that the biggest freeze-dry operation in the West is just down the highway, I thought about having a small freeze-drying shop catering to smaller producers and to the public.

Brides pay to have their bouquets done.

Funeral flower arrangements--Great idea!

It's the best way to preserve food, nutrition-wise...so to provide custom freeze-drying for small farmers, homesteaders, preparedness-minded folks, etc. would be a great way to make the equipment pay for itself.

And if you grow your own meats, produce, cut flowers, etc., you can create value-added product, increase your market, and increase the amount of time you have to sell your goods. You'll also have healthier and more variable food in your pantry and long-term storage.

[catinhat]

At-home daycare......(shudder)

Seriously, if you go completely by the book with it, get all the licenses and really do it right, there's not much money in it....but there is plenty of work, long hours, and enough paperwork to make an IRS employee cringe.

And...since I've been the consultant that helped so many of the for profit centers around here get on track with things, I wouldn't be able to cut any corners....shoot, it'd probably cost me to have an at-home daycare, lol.

(It's not a bad idea - please don't think I'm slamming it, it's just something I could do, but refuse to right now - I want to explore lotsa new things.

Welcome to the forum, I hope you keep posting here!

:) Cat

[fastmover]

I knew a guy that used to tumble rocks he found in the streams when I lived in Washington State and he also used to look for shedded antlers and back gun racks and such out of it......

I like polishing rocks and have not got into it yet but my buddy made some moneys selling on ebay and at the farmers market...

[rassd71]

My brother bought a tiny little hobby lathe and has been turning wood pens. He does pretty good with it. He's probably made $5k in two years doing it part time. With a good outlet for them, you could make quite a bit more. IF you had local sources for 'exotic' wood blanks, you could make even more. He buys the blanks and pen kits off the internet.
So, with a small investment, that can be a good money maker.

[MooseToo]

speaking of rocks - in many areas, here included, a lot of sweat and time is spent clearing fields and building sites of all sizes of rock -
in other areas, rock for landscaping displays sells for BIG bucks -
this is known as an opportunity -

[gwynyvyr]

fastmover...when I was up in Montana, the Boy Scouts had a whole deal where they went into the woods to get discarded antlers...the troops made darn good money at it too! So I guess if you are in an area with plenty of deer, elk or whatever critter with antlers, that would be a good money-making opportunity!

And rocks...sheesh...We have old mines around Joplin and if you know where to look you can find SCADS of crystal! A friend and I have been scouting a few of the old *chat* areas (piled up mine leavings are called *chats* around here) and have been finding some good stuff.

Don't have the equipment to move any of those big suckers...but maybe if we took a few more friends along... ;D

[BrentL]

anyone ever do christmas trees? good money at the right time of year.

[Dixie]

Frank,

We are not saying don't work at anything but "hippie stuff". What seems "hippie" to you might be "art" or a "fun sideline hobby" to someone else.

Soapmaking, for instance, produces a quality product using a lost skill.

The mothers of young children on this board (especially those who home school) pretty much already have an honorable full-time job.

My husband, besides working on a homestead of sorts, raising the garden, cutting and splitting wood and all that jazz has a pretty demanding job as a freelance, self-employed bankruptcy fraud investigator for the courts with sideline inventories and evaluations for banks and other financial institutions. It is not a "hound the poor individual in bankruptcy" type of job. It is mostly aimed at large-scale operators and companies who like to borrow big amounts of money, buy stuff, go into bankruptcy in a few months and then take the hidden assets from the original business and start a new business, paying the one who lent them the original money ten cents on the dollar or worse, nothing. That is our main job, to stop that sort of fraud, and I do his narrative statements and inventories on the word processor. That job brings home the turkey bacon and pays the bills and has for over 30 years.

As another sideline he has a used book business, probably an old hippie project in your estimation, but it is our provision of a medical emergency savings account for ourselves. In other words, we self insure for medical expenses. No company will have us now due to pre-existing physical conditions. No whine though; we are dealing with it and the health insurance companies who once insured us have pretty much broke even on us with their steady, huge increases in our premiums until we finally just couldn't keep it up.

So, if you'll excuse us old hippie women (and some men) we would like to make our hippie herbal wreaths in peace and make enough extra money (plus enjoy smelling the herbs in the process) and maybe a little bit of old timey natural soap so that we can enjoy an occasional bowl of chili and a Frosty out at Wendy's.

:D

[catinhat]

Well, Dixie, as a stay at home mom who went to town on Friday to drop off some homemade soap for a friend, then stopped at Wendy's for a chili and a frosty, I'm now wondering if you are spying on me.

Hee hee.

Cat, who ALSO sells used books online (isn't it fun?)

[dubber308]

I do the handyman thing around here. Not a lot of money, but I enjoy helping people and making a little money or barter.
My dad is retired but keeps busy in a little shop we have set up. He makes coat and key racks shaped like fish, deer, elk, moose and bear. He uses a pattern and cuts them out with a router. He gave them away (literally) until my brother took some to his taxidermey shop and sold them for $25 each. Dad now makes a little extra cash keeping a small inventory at the shop. A neighbor admired the pie plate trivets Dad made for Mom. My dad made her a couple. The neighbor used these at a church potluck and my dad ended up with an order for about fifty at $10 bucks a pop. Dad makes a special hanger for my brother's shoulder mounts (the supplied hangers a pretty flimsy). Doesn't charge my brother anything, but brother takes him antelope hunting every year and gets the skulls cleaned and European mounted.
Mom does quilting, crocheting, embroidery, painting, photography....not much she can't do. She does most of this for family and friends for cost or nothing. She does sell a few things, mainly to help pay for crafting projects.
Growing up we never had a lot of money or the latest fashions, but we were rich with more than money.

[danville]

A long time ago in a far away place... back in the mid 80's when I was in high school, I was in FFA. We had to have an SOEP (supervised occupational experience project). Basically a little money maker farm project. I had lots of them. Raised sheep, bought bottle lambs and fed them out, bottle calves, a little herd of steers, chickens for meat, a pig project that turned into a farrowing house and 1,000 + babies a year. Now all of this started when I was 8 years old and my dad bought me a pig, paid for the feed, I took care of it and the profit was mine. I saved my money and bought more pigs and feed with it he next year. Everything else I had came from that. Now, I didn't have the cost of the land, my parents did, and the builth one pole building. They also had a pig pen and one strand of electric fence aroung the farm. Dad told me I could do I wanted with it but I had to pay for it. And that I did. By the time I was a senior in high school I was netting $10,000 + per year. Of course I had not personal expenses. My three hots and a cot were included. What was my biggest money maker? Minnows, softshell crayfish and lizards for bait. There were two ponds on the property and my dad had a friend who had just built a store/ bait shop about five miles from a new lake. I worked for him in the summer season during high school. He couldn't find a dependable bait supplier. So, (I live in WV, the store was in VA) I found a supplier of large shinners, not creek chubs, bought 3 pounds and stocked the ponds with them. One pond didn't have any other fish so the minnows florished. On thursdays I put out 10 minnow traps baited with stale bread and on Friday I would gather the minnows and the crayfisy that found themselves inside and sell them to my boss to sell in the store. It worked well for both us. During the week I would hit the mountain streams and catch lizards to sell to the store. I cleared over $8,000 the last summer before college just on the bait alone. It was not as labor intensive as the livestock and I enjoyed my time in the woods alone. Didn't even seem like a job. I am trying to get back to that now. I am ready to drop out of the rat race and live alittle. Have some property of my own now and am getting started again. Heshrugged, if you have any questions for me send a pm.

[hshess]

I am employed as an electrician and as such, I take on small jobs outside of work, usually under $200.00 each. Big contractors don't want to fool with jobs that "small".

I also buy and resale university surplus property. I also delivery university surplus property to the local hardware store. It saves the owner the labor of sending a delivery guy to pick it up, puts a few bucks in my pocket, plus he gives me a 20% discount at the store. And I just absolutely love small town hardware stores.
Also don't forget about recyclables. There is money to be made right now in that.
Herb

[Suzy]

Some of you know husband is a licensed electrician and started his own electrical/handyman business about seven years ago and he DOES the small jobs. He makes good money and could work seven days a week if he could hold up for all that work....he installs electrical outlets, phone lines, ceiling fans, more and more, he also builds steps, installs new doors, etc...

I'm still editing the newspaper from my home office but will be opening a small "store" in a room off my carport by March first, hopefully. In it I will sell my goat milk soap, jams and jellies, lap robes, baby quilts and more, to folks who come here anyway to buy my "farm fresh eggs from happy chickens." I will also be selling some of my photography and am doing limited edition prints of our county's covered bridges and some of the other historic sites AND making greeting cards with those same photos....these are really popular so far and I haven't even really started yet!

In the past I've given piano, keyboard, and beginning guitar lessons; cleaned houses; sold Avon; and done just about anything else when we needed money....

And we work HARD HARD HARD at everything we do whether it's tending the goats and making soap and working for the "public." If I'm a left-over hippie, I'm proud to be one....I'm conservative, loyal, God-fearing, and a hard worker and I don't have to apologize to anybody!!!! And most of you on this board are just as hard working or more so!!!!

[oldnndway]

I've told some of y'all before, but I'll say it again...if you have any sales ability you can make money on E-Bay.

I started out selling old comics that I had saved from the 60's and 70's and went from that into books.

I travel in my job so I pass through lots of towns and most have a thrift store of one kind or another.
I can pick up books (sometimes for as little as .10 or .25 cents) and resale for whatever the market will bid.

I ain't getting rich at it (in fact since having to re-locate from my home because of Rita I have my store on vacation setting right now) but I do make some pretty good spare money.

And you can sale just about anything that isn't readily available from Wal-Mart etc.

I have sold my kids used textbooks from college...turtle shells...pieces of wood that I gather in the river bottom...all kinds of stuff.

The market is wide open, just learn a little about whatever you plan to try and sell and get after it.

I also did real good for a while with an honor system candy box route.

I owned it...was my own boss...and worked when I wanted (and made enough money to buy my wife a new Honda car)

[rassd71]

Something to add, this was meant to show that there are lots of little things that could each make $1000 dollars profit. And if you put 8 of them together, you could make enough to live off of.

Various small sources of income can often be better than a single source!

[catinhat]

Very important for me, because I tend to lose interest in something (at least for a while). *So, if I can make soap until I can't stand it any longer, then switch to quilting...then harvest the honey, I do a lot better than I would just choosing one thing and doing it all the time.

Also, if you have all your income from one specific thing, and that goes soft for some reason, it's a lot harder to recover. It makes me think about how farmers used to be when they made or grew everything on site...versus now, when someone might grow thousands of acres of just one crop.

Besides, life is too short, and I wanna do it all!!

-Cat

[txanne63]

Middle son and I are maaking bird houses--Spring is just around the corner--and he is advertishing building dog houses for dog owners on site---custom to the dogs requirements.

I am doing the painting----martin houses are a big seller here---they eat mosquitos like you wouldnt believe.

I also think we'll do plywood cut-outs for Easter yard decorations.

Alot of this sort of thing is very seasonal.

FRANK----pray for your speedy recovery from the surgergy---may take therapy for awhile.

annie

[Chris_T_Haslam]

I really like this thread! This is why I sign up to forums like this! Trolling gets very boring!

Some of these ideas are great! I've been self-employed doing stuff like this all my life.

One thing I haven't done very much is picking up cans. I know a dude who makes about 200 bucks a week getting cans out of trash cans going to and from work everyday. Paid for his house this way after 15 years!

My mom and my wondeful woman of 17 years Rita make about 1000.00 a year just growing gourds. The thing about gourds are their worth 1-5 bucks off the vine. The price goes up after they are dried out. You know it just depends on how they look. The best way to dry gourds is to just pile them up outside.

My new log furniture business is going alot better than I ever dreamed of! I made a thread about it on here. I really thought somebody else might want to try it?
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-11/1114405/9999.jpg
CLick here for big version http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-11/1114405/9999.jpg
I took that picture about 10 minutes ago. There is a bed in the back of my jeep that took me 4 hours yesterday to build. I'm leaving out know to delv. and collect the money.

[henryblowery]

Thanks to whomever talked about making wooden pens. I've got 3 stores I can think of off the top of my head that will probably let me set up a display.
The pens I saw on Ebay were going for around $25, so I will be happy if I can make $5-$10 profit.
Gray

[preliator]

Gray,
if you turn pens you could also consider small jewlery boxes/ snuff boxes. there was a site i had a while back i have to take a look for it but it was of the tv show american woodworker i belive. they showed some pretty interesting designs that would fetch a pretty penny....
I have seen hand turned pens in some of the gift shops here in NYC fetch a price of anywere from 25-300 bucks depending on type and workmanship.
if ya got a lathe it will generate money.....

Annie,
bird houses and dog houses are a great idea, i have build a few of them myself (dog houses for customers) with lighting and heat as well as water lines for auto-feed watering bowls. I have also built a few nice rabbit hutches for them as well. i think you remember the cedar shake one i built, something similar to that...

its easy to make a few bucks if you have the time and the know-how. there are so many things one can do to generate money.

zoo has a pretty profitable craft business during the crafters fair season, we have done a few things like candles and such. but birdhouses and slate decora (hand stenciled and painted vermont roof slates) have always been a good seller...

alot of great ideas here
anthony

[rassd71]

On the topic of bird and dog houses another one here are bat boxes and owl boxes. I'll be putting up at least two owl boxes on the property this spring. Just to keep the roddents down. I'm hoping it will help keep the snakes away from the house!

My brother sells his for between $20-50 depending on the wood. He also does pen/pencil sets and is now getting into the letter openers and magnifying glasses. Hallmark Gold crown type stores are a great outlet.

[txanne63]

Pre,

Yes,I remember the Rabbit hutch--- ;DI offered to rent it--looked a fine place to live!

The plastic dog houses you buy at wally world,etc are expensive and offer no room for a pooch to straighten out----Thats the part we liked----we can build to the animals reguirements---you know how people are about Fido.

Ray[son] is going to put electrical hookups for light ,warmth and on some he thought we could
build one for our local dog shelter for free--it would be good advertisement.
People adopt from this shelter and may want one--besides its a good deed and we are animal lovers.

Pre you sent me lots of downloads remember?
Lots of ideas on them----

I have the truck for delivery and there are lots of trade days we can go too---we also have a trailer--could ahul lots of doggie houses to the trades days and deliver them if needed.

annie

[Dixie]

What about "cat houses"? Cats are important, too, Stuffy the cat tells me. We cut a hole in the roof of our dog houses and stick an electric light bulb in a metal fixture thingy (what do you call it) so the dog will be protected from the bare bulb and the metal fixture thingy also amplifies the heat from the bulb. It keeps the dog house warm enough. You could do the same thing for a cat house and also put some carpeting in both the dog and cat houses. Have been doing this for many years, and so far it's worked very well. The roof really needs to be a bit higher so the dog won't bump the bulb setup out of whack. Remove it all in the summer, of course, which is easy to do.

[txanne63]

Good idea Dixie---and some shelves--dont cats like to perch on things?

We priced some of those wire racks that cover the lt.bulbs--89cents a piece--

and cats like smaller doors correct---thanks Ill pass this on to my son---[carpet too!-they have to sharpen them claws]

annie

[rassd71]

cat scratch posts/climbing posts are good too. My uncle made them as christmas gifts one year. His buddy was laying carpet and gave him the cardboard tubes and remnants. So it was a piece of plywood and contact cement and he was in business. Go to petsmart or petco and price those things. For not a lot of investment, if you know someone who lays carpet, you'd be set.

[txanne63]

Rassd71,

Good idea. Our dump here has a seperate place for left over or scrap lumber.

Went Monday and you wouldnt believe the scrap plywood.
Enough to build bird houses--and we do have a plan for bat houses,but hadnt thought about them.They eat their weight in [quitors also]

Thanks for the scratching post idea----
Winston[S-Freeman] use to sell kitty houses and scratching post--made a good living at it. I believe he sold to pet stores also.

Free is a good price for materials! :D

annie

[rassd71]

FREE is a VERY good price for materials!

[gwynyvyr]

Oh...for any folks near the ocean or other good-sized body of water...

Driftwood, driftwood, driftwood! I had a friend that paid her way through college with driftwood! And a little effort...
Both her parents and both sets of grandparents lived on the east coast within an hour of the beach...so she spent holidays and breaks going from loving relative to loving relative in her big ol' beatup pick-up truck...always planned on a 3 day visit...one of the days she would spend at whatever ocean front area was closest, gathering driftwood.

Sometimes she would even rent a trailer to haul it back she had so much!
She would work on the wood in her spare time, cleaning it up, making coat racks, candle holders, picture/mirror frames, anything she could think of. Sold MASSIVE amounts of the stuff to other college kids with bigger budgets for their dorm rooms, presents for their moms and dads before Christmas. Sold to her professors, etc., too.
Got a couple of stores nearby to carry her stuff as well.
Also collected beach glass and nice shells, made jewelry and stuff from them.

She never took out a single college loan. Not only got her degree debt free, she left school with about 8K in her bank account.

Oh yeah...she is a damn fine college professor these days...teaches ECONOMICS.... ;D

[MNMOM]

Bat houses are big up here, they do a good job on the Minnesota state bird ( mosquitoes).

[A_Big_Finger]

There is specialty work than be gotten on internet websites, bulletin boards, forums, etc.

Doing troubleshooting.

[catinhat]

Troubleshooting? I'm curious to know more about what this opportunity is, specifically.

There was a special on PBS a while back, a woman who sells on Ebay...and she goes through all these different things right on Ebay, Yahoo and Google that help you know what the most searched words/items are, and what might sell well. The google one was zeitgeist, I think. I can't remember the others. Seems like a good tool if you're still trying to figure out what to sell....like with the drop ship stuff or something.

-Cat

[hshess]

Troubleshooting is the process you use when trying to fix a problem. You ask yourself questions about the problem until you have "shot the trouble", and fixed the problem.
Herb

[catinhat]

Smiles....I knew what troubleshooting is, in general...wasn't sure if 'big finger' was talking about something that you'd have to be a computer tech to do, or what. My bad.

-Cat

[JeffColorado]

Driftwood - Odd thing here is there are piles of driftwood on the beaches here, and I mean big piles of it, and you can't take nor burn any of it. Suppose to protect the beaches from erosion or maybe the spotted owl lives in it or something.

[catinhat]

It's okay...you can take it - just say 'whoo. whoo' a lot, and wait til after dark.... ;)

[henryblowery]

I've given up the pen idea....I decided I'd rather be a luthier ;D Before I mess up $400-500 worth of materials for a guitar I decided I would practice on a dulcimer. Just started yesterday....I'll post pictures when it's done.

Gray

[henryblowery]

I already broke one of the sides ::) . Oh well, I just need to learn from my mistake....after all that's why I'm doing the dulcimer in the first place.

Gray

[rassd71]

Good luck. Intruments are an art in and of them selves. And acoustic are far more sensitive. It's something that you do for the love it though, not the money.

Keep us posted. Maybe in a new thread. What types of wood are you using? What types of tools and tooling?

So, what are other ways of making money on the homestead?

[matthewgoss]

Over on the building thread we have been talking about Star Plates and the little huts, greenhouses and gazebos you can build with them. If you can't find the thread on the building board just do a google for Star Plates and you can see pics of them. You could build them really inexpensively and sell them...if you have a flat bed you could deliver them pre-built, but they are easy enough to assemble on site too, and it supposed to only take a couple of hours...

heshrugged

[rassd71]

Here's the link to the star plates...

http://www.strombergschickens.com/starplate_building_system/starplate_index.htm

There's a guy around here who builds kids play houses and sheds and it went from being a hobby to replacing his career and became a full time business.

[henryblowery]

"It's something that you do for the love it though, not the money."

I disagree...I DO enjoy making them but I wouldn't do it if I didn't make money. I've got my sites on a $6000 milling machine and if I didn't make money making instruments I would find something ells to do.

Gray

[catinhat]

I think it's a balance of the two, Gray. I can make good money doing some things in town, that I also love, but then someone else is raising my daughter. Luckily, I love doing some things here - making soap, jewelry and metalwork, some small-scale farming type stuff (pray we don't get hail!), etc. etc. I won't make as much money, but I will have a great time, and most importantly, I am with her.

I have also had some jobs that made money, but I was miserable. Once you get one of those, the whole thing makes more sense. Working out in the world, I've happily taken pay cuts to do something I loved, work with nicer people, in a better location, or all three.

Best of all, if there is a $6000 milling machine, you just know that someone, somewhere has one they barely used that they'll sell ya for $3000....or $1500....or $275. You never know, but keep your eyes open!!

-Cat

[oldnndway]

"I won't make as much money, but I will have a great time, and most importantly, I am with her. "

...and a lot of times , if you consider the cost of clothes (fit for town work) and childcare and gas and food and etc. you may just be making as much or more

[catinhat]

Very true - because I'm also baking all our bread, home to garden and can (though I did garden and can all along, this year I will be more dedicated, I think). The coolest thing is that I've made some really incredible friends of late - people who have made the same choices as far as family are concerned.

(Zoonana is one of them ;D )

-Cat

[rassd71]

Now this isn't a bump just for the sake of bumping this...


I've actually come up with a couple more small money makers that I'm working.

The first is specialty Candy and Chocolates. The price for either candy or chocolate with themed shapes is a premium product. And while it's specific to niche markets, for a small business, the small production and high profit make it a good one. The same moulds and similiar techniques could be used to do specialty soaps and may be the next step in the process.

Also I am getting involved in doing low volume specialty embroidered items. For small groups and charities. Not huge volumes, but with the right software, converting the images at home, I can save money on each order.

Another friend is back in the business of doing rubber moulded lures. He did this back in the 80's and has started back up.

[Terri]

Rassd, doesn't am embroidery machine cost an arm and a leg?

[txanne63]

Rassd71,

This thread is truely what we're about---it should be made a stickie before we lose it.

This is a very serious conversation---and I have enjoyed it and have gotten some good info and feed back from it.

A continuance of what we're about isnt a bump---its about survival----Big difference,huh?

annie

[oldnndway]

I spent a few hours Saturday as a volunteer in our High School Band Boosters booth at the annual spring festival arts and crafts fair here in "small town, east Texas" where I live.

These kinds of fairs are held in just about every town in the country at various times of the year.

Ours was poorly attended this year due to weather.
Still a good crowd but the courthouse square wasn't packed as it usually is.

Anyway, the couple in the booth next to me were selling costume jewelry.
I don't know where they got it but he did say that she only goes to fairs like this a couple of times a year.
He also told me that she cleared $600.00 at this fair last year...in one day.

A booth at a place where you have that many people milling around with a few bucks in there pockets can be a good way to make a few extra dollars.

You do have to think of something to make (or buy and re-sell) but thats not that hard to do.

Look around and see if there is not some kind of street fair or festival with an arts and crafts sales area ... I'll bet there is.

Now go out there and make some money !

[matthewgoss]

Homemade chocolates and fudge can be a good money maker...there is a gas station around here in a town of about 250 people that has a rack of the stuff with some homemade jams and such too..

And jewelry can be a good moneymaker too...I was at a craft fair last year and this guy had a good gimmick going...he sold lots of different types of jewelry, but he had this really nice looking 3 carat diamond cut green gemstone that caught my friend's eye...when she pointed it out to him he opened the glass display case and said "You mean this pink stone here?" as he pulled it out...she was just interrupting him to tell him it was the wrong one when he brought it out and by golly it was PINK!!! *I don't remember what kind it was, but if you hold it under flourescent light it is one color, under an incandescent bulb it is another color, and it changes to another color again when under natural sunlight...it goes from green to pink to purple...it dazzled her and she bought the ring...$50...a total impulse buy...I bet he sells a lot of them that way.

And it seems to me that this thread ended up on general because there wasn't another board for it...kinda odd because the way people make their money is a very big part of their life...maybe we don't need a stickie...maybe we need a board on how to make money on the homestead...probably with a strict "no spam/advertising" rule...

heshrugged

[catinhat]

It might have been flourite....I'll have to find my blacklight and get out some crystals, play, and see what's what.

I agree - a board for 'The pleasure of business' or something like that would be hella cool.

Cat

[txanne63]

Hesh,

I agree---but alot of good stuff could be lost ---

My daughter makes some wonderful pralines and brownies.

She has a small market for them---keeps her and the kids in gas money---she also has a Mary Kay cosmetics
deal---she has a young crowd for that market. Does pretty good with it. Mothers day and Valentines day--Lady type holidays---she takes baskets she has made up---to her husbands job---sells the stuffing out of those pretty little baskets---its already done and the guys love it--whala--instant shopping. Hand and nail care sells the best.
She also breds and sells weiner dogs--She has a long haired dapple she does good with.

I think she got it from me!!!!!! ;D

I was thinking that the ladies that made candles and soaps---or even little baskets of herbs,etc. would be a big seller?? Buy the size baskets you want to deal with--from garage sales,spray paint them----she uses paper she finds on sale for the bottom ---

annie

annie

[rassd71]

Rassd, doesn't am embroidery machine cost an arm and a leg?


Yes, the machines are absurdley expensive. But there are quite a few online companies that have the equipment and will do small lots. And for hats for example, the cost is not bad. Less than $8 per with the embroidery. BUT the artwork is about $100 per image. So for a lot of 10 hats, now each hat is $18 plus shipping in cost. So, not a lot of profit. What I'm working on right now is to set up and learn the software to remove that expense. And increase the profit margin.

Right now I'm involved in a couple of small groups that would gladly pay $20-30 per hat. And with shipping at costs below $10, that's a decent profit. And providing a product to groups that normally wouldn't have considered it, or been able to really afford it.

I do know a woman that has a knitting machine and she's been making personalized baby blankets for a couple of years now, well 4 actually, she started with one as a gift for my eldest daughter and has been keeping her machine going nearly 24/7 since, all word of mouth.

[Amishway_Homestead]

You are right- this is a good subject... so here's my input!
about the Fairs -we did that for a number of years (like 15 years or more) before I retired from it and YES we made LOTS of money and got to travel and meet great friends (other venders) we still see some of them now and then. BUT - before you invest many hours and money selling what you think everybody wants... do your homework. Go out to some Fairs and Festivals to see what is selling and what is not. Are there 50 booths at the fair and 30 people are selling 'handmade jewelry'? Guess what you shouldn't be selling? But if you have something that is different go for it and hey most of the time you pick the days you want to work and where you want to go. WE could plan weekends for work and weekend to be off for when we planned to go somewhere we just didn't book anything for that weekend.
again Great topic !

[MNMOM]

Rassd, You must be talking about the Professional Embroidery machine. I have a Bernina sewing/embroidery machine and have done some small orders with it. The professional machine has the capacity to do the baseball caps. I've never priced the professional size embroidery machines, but you would have to do pretty high volume to make it pay. My Bernina will do just about any kind of embroidery there is, but for high volume the professional one would be best. I so enjoy the machine.

[Walking_Tall]

My wife and I have a couple of things that we do on the side for extra $$$. She does office cleaning for a doctor and brings in over $100 per week for about 4-5 hours of work. The doctor provides all supplies, so there are no expenses.

I do parking lot striping on the side, and it is a very profitable side business income. I have repeat customers (jobs done once or twice a year) from convenience stores, motels, grocery stores, a small college campus, and a shopping center (with another one in the works). I also do work for a couple of construction companies when needed.

Jerry

[matthewgoss]

Just had another idea to add to this thread...you can make money with a u-pick operation, so why not a u-dig operation? You propagate a bunch of plants and once they are rooted and growing, you sell them as u-dig...people dig their own plants instead of you spending the money and time to pot them up and sell them as you would in a regular nursery. You could sell them at deeply discounted prices this way and have virtually no overhead...all you'd have to do is grow the plants.

heshrugged

[okiefrmsapulpa]

My brother & I just rented out our other lot & use of our garage. The gentleman will even help around the house as we're both handicapped.

I use to make jewelry with silver/goldplated/semi-precious stones & sell them at craft shows. At some shows, I made $500 a day. Have been thinking of starting it up again.

[gwynyvyr]

You know...theres the seed of another idea Okie!
Build or buy some inexpensive buildings...some of the pre-fab ones aren't bad. Put down a concrete pad for each one first...rent them out as storage units...hmmmm...

And did we have renting out garden space for city folk on here yet? If you have the space...you till and plow it, rent the garden plots, they do the planting, weeding etc.

[HS]

So much talent here and so many great ideas. Really.

I got out today and chainsawed some gorse on a bright sunny day. This place is gonna get cleaned up before I start art projects. For those of you who don't know what gorse is, it looks like scotch broom and has thorns on it about 2 inches long. Seeds floated in from China. It is called firzy in Scotland. It is a nuisance. A guy down the road makes some coarse paper out of it.

I'd like to do little incense logs for the log cabin incense burners I will be making this year out of clay.
Mud into masterpieces was my motto when I turned out something like 200-300 individual pieces of pottery a month for several years. I'm thinking about getting back into a limited production schedule to make a few extra ducats.

Real inspirational, thanks guys.

love that artist and self-employed part of yourself
Honor Seed

[longshot]

can we get this stickied to the top of the forum? i would hate to have this lost in all of the political threads that seem to be crowding the gereral forum lately.


ls

[gwynyvyr]

I would love to see this *stickied* and have requested it also, longshot.

[guard]

I do internet machine work, and teach both shooting and karate. Along with the garden and locally raise animals that I butcher myself, hunting, fishing, etc, I get by just fine.

[bigjack]

I do internet machine work, and teach both shooting and karate. Along with the garden and locally raise animals that I butcher myself, hunting, fishing, etc, I get by just fine.

Could you go into more detail on the "machine work".
I was a machinist for 25 yrs and this sounds interesting.-Jack

[jnap31]

When I was 15 I picked wild Black berries in KY and sold 50 gallon at $5 a gallon other were selling $10 a gallon so I had no problem selling them and people were still calling my granpa 10 years later asking when I was going to be picking again. The forestry service bought 100lb of white oak acorns for 75 cents a lb to that year from me. Use to hunt Ginsing as well. Now when I get back from Kosovo I am concentrating full time on bees for honey and fruits and vegetables to sell at the farmers market. And of course all our homestead critters and raising my children up right.

[jimlad]

Been a while since i've been on , so hi from over here !

Don't know if this will work over in the US .

I used to follow the parking attendent while he was doing his rounds looking for cars with parking tickets that had expired . While my partner sat in his car next to the ticket machine.
When we spotted that the attendent had found a car without a valid ticket , i phoned my mate . He inturn bought a ticket .
When the parking attendent had issued the ticket to the car . I placed my cell number and an explanation that to avoid the fine the owner could purchase a valid ticket off my for half the price of the parking fine .
Made a packet doing this , as parking fines over here can be upwards of £50 about $90us.

all the best jimlad

[Haask]

Great thread! I've gotten into the habit of going around the area I live in after we've had a decent windstorm. There's always a few houses that have lost shingles in storms, and it's usually a matter of just ringing the bell or knocking on the door and pointing out the missing shingles to the homeowner. Replacing anything up to a bundle of shingles is about $25-50, and it only takes me 10 minutes to do ;D

[Vinland]

Dunno if this counts, but if you can weld....I purchased a simple $60 used lincoln stick welder and it is easily transported. I weld for $30 an hour as side income. I made a nice income last year off this machine alone, and of course, its cash or barter. It works even better if you live near a lake or marine as you can weld props, motor mounts, or anything as long as you have a machine that can do aluminum and know how to. Also welding near race tracks....those boys pay top dollar when a frame breaks and need it welded. Hope this helps or gives at least one person a new idea of making some $$

[lovethesticks]

[quote author=heshrugged link=board=Self-reliance;num=1148224901;start=60#68 date=03/20/06 at 21:29:33]Homemade chocolates and fudge can be a good money maker...there is a gas station around here in a town of about 250 people that has a rack of the stuff with some homemade jams and such too..

???Always wondered if you needed an inspected and licensed kitchen to sell home-made goods. I make seriously great jams and jellies, but am hesitant to try selling them. Chris

[wvpeach1963]

Naw no license needed, but in my neck of the woods that means don't get to cocky.

People sell home made goods in markets and along side the road all over here.

But get too big for your britch's and the goverment will decend like vultures,


Homemade chocolates and fudge can be a good money maker...there is a gas station around here in a town of about 250 people that has a rack of the stuff with some homemade jams and such too..

???Always wondered if you needed an inspected and licensed kitchen to *sell home-made goods. *I make seriously great jams and jellies, but am hesitant to try selling them. *Chris

[Hallo]

Dave Duffy has a great article about a business.
Look in the archives,
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/duffy86.html

A co-worker makes jewelry boxes by taking a block of wood, slicing a top off, then gouges a cavity out of the remaining block. He then finishes the whole thing with a dremel/sander , stains it, adds fancy hinges and a hasp type thingy and any decor/appliques etc. Sells 'em at a cabinet shop in town for 30.oo and up.

[DBackFan]

Always wondered if you needed an inspected and licensed kitchen to *sell home-made goods. *I make seriously great jams and jellies, but am hesitant to try selling them. *Chris

I can't believe someone actually told you here that an inspected kitchen was not needed! *:-/ *

If you are only selling to your neighbors etc you may get away with it but LEGALLY you need to contact your local health agency to determine specific requirements, including licensing, facility requirements, etc. In general, an individual may not use their home kitchen to prepare food to be sold or distributed. The processor must also provide proper labeling for the product, meaning the product label must bear the name of the product, a list of ingredients from most predominant ingredient to the least, the net weight of the product, and name and address of the manufacturer.

No we all know that people DO sell food items but just telling you to ask first to avoid problems. *Now selling fresh fruit, veggies etc is different because it was not cooked or processed in your kitchen. *Good luck to you!!


I LOVE THIS THREAD!!!! *Thank you to everyone who contributed!

[Terri]

In many places you are allowed to sell jams and jellies in the farmers markets, even if you do not have an inspected kitchen. The market master would know. Regulations are expressly relaxed for the farmers markets, in SOME cities but not in others!

[Uncle_Alvah]

I make a few bucks repairing guns.
For the most part, they just need detailed teardown cleaning, much more often than any actual "repairs", but I've got good sources for parts as well.
I invested in the best books of firearms diagrams and drawings I could find, money well spent.
Also, I do not "inventory" repair or cleaning work. One gun in, gets whatever it needs, then out the door. People like knowing their gun is getting your complete attention.

[Viking]

Also, I do not "inventory" repair or cleaning work. One gun in, gets whatever it needs, then out the door.

On what basis do you determine the total cost to the customer for the work which you have done?

[wvpeach1963]

You got that right Uncle alvah

Hubby had a barrell replaced recently, decided on the smith he wanted to use and gave him the gun.

Took well over six months to get the gun back, thought hubby was going to have a stroke there at the last, wanted his gun back now.

After he got the gun , back he asked for the old barrell and the guy has still not come up with it, so hubby is convinced he didn't change barrell's charged him a $150 for nothing and kept the gun six months.

That relationship is now down the tubes, and hubby is telling anybody that will listen not to take a gun to the guy. Quick individual attention , when working on guns is the best way to go, as gun owners want thier guns back. Wish we lived closer, you'd have a customer here.

[Uncle_Alvah]

Viking, in any catalog from Brownells there is a chart of average shop charges for various work that they put together annually via surveys of their customers. In most cases, I charge about 1/2 of whats listed. Depends on the person as well, retired folks, workmen, youngsters get a better price than Hummer drivers.

[Javelin]

a simple thought that I'm putting into use when I get my land is to hire out my truck and a trailer for job-site cleanup. (construction and remodel) also as a demolition guy (tear down old houses/barns. etc)

that way, I can scrounge building materials, sell barnwood to yuppies (BIG $$$) and get all the kindling and small wood I need...AND GET PAID FOR IT

anything I can't use or legally burn, I can take to the dump and should pay less to get rid of it than I get paid to take it, so I still profit and have all this free stuff

-Jack

[summerwine]

Today I heard of a retired man who makes extra money "transporting the Amish." Apparently in his area of western WI there is a large population of Amish who pay for rides to doctor appointments, shopping, even longer trips. What a great idea! Thought I would pass it on.
summer

[rassd71]

IF you live in a VERY traditional Jewish area, you can also work for jewish families on the holidays and special occassions doing tasks they are forbidden to do during those times. Such as turning off the lights, or running a bakery with levened bread.

On a side note, if you live in a small town, often the elderly also need rides to appointments and shopping, as well as simply and errand service.

[StephiLou]

Not just elderly....if you have a van, the disabled need transport too. Also, if you live fairly close to an airport, you could make an airport "taxi".

My FIL transports the Amish (and thier horses). He gets free fencing, harness work, buggy work, horse training/bording, FOOD :D, and plain old cash.

He just took a group (4 or 5 guys) with 5 horses out to Pennsylvania to sell horses. They paid for gas, meals, hotel, the flat tire they got on the trailor ( :P), and hourly wage. He made more on a 2 day trip than he does working a week at GM!

Steph

P.S. What about building garden beds? Has anybody hired out to build raised beds for people?

[Hallo]

The garden beds - good idea ! Also rototilling.

ALSO
A useful book titled:
BOOTSTRAPPING YOUR BUSINESS

by Greg Gianforte and Marcus Gibson

[idahowoodsman]

IF you live in a VERY traditional Jewish area, you can also work for jewish families on the holidays and special occassions doing tasks they are forbidden to do during those times. Such as turning off the lights, or running a bakery with levened bread.

On a side note, if you live in a small town, often the elderly also need rides to appointments and shopping, as well as simply and errand service.




It's called being a Shabbots Goy. In other words, a servant to the rich Jews who laugh at you and call you "dumb goyim" behind your back.

Yeah sounds like a great job.

[rassd71]

lol, yes it is, and I have been the shabbots goy for a few families that were friends over the years. Including taking over a bakery and deli during the holidays. For which I received all the profits during that time, which was a VERY nice amount to handle a business for a short term.
But to each their own.

[kyhillbilly]

just adding one of my ideas, i have owned a few buisnesses and the best way to go is one where you work out of your home or one where you work at thier place. for example i used to own a convience store and also owned an auto repair shop. the problem with both is that you have fixed cost such as rent, utilities etc if you make 100 grand that month or 5 bucks you still have to pay them cost. one of the better ideas i had was a mobile oil change service, to do this you need to be closer to a larger city or town. you can do this for companys or individuals i did it for some companys and car lots i made ok money off of it but where i made some real good money was off of a large car rental company. see to keep thier warryents they have to have thier oil changed regularly also i had the company supply the oil filters because they had to be a certain brand, and i supplied the oil-- i bought mine in 55 gal drums from a distribater, and i supplied the labor. i tried to make a 12 dollar profit per a car, i could to 5-8 cars in an hour so that broke down to 60-96 bucks an hour profit. i drain the oil into a drain pan and put it in 55 gal drums also and dropped it off at a petroleum recycler place for free. anyway one could also go to buisnesses and do them but i would make sure to have several lined up at one time. just an idea if anyone would like more info just pm me.oh by the way i averaged clearing about 850 a week .

[Basica_Guru]

I do several things that revolve around my camera and real estate. I do virtual tours of homes and business's for online advertising. I also take still's for the agent to use. I have just started doing single property websites. The market is very slow right now, so things have slowed down some. There are a ton of foreclosures so I do trash outs when the homes are bad and some tree trimming etc.
I also do some photography for hire. Mostly small jobs like senior pictures, some wedding etc. I am contemplating buying a scanner to do photo's to Cd's. When my daughter ran cross-country I was the "official" team photographer. It did not pay anything but, I have a printer that will print almost photo quality directly on Cd's. I made Cd's for everyone with a courtesy of banner on them . It generated a few calls.

[mikeo]

Howdy,

A friend of mine does vinyl cutting to make custom signs, T-shirt transfers, ball caps, coffee mugs. He has more business than he can handle.

I have thought about custom built solar space heaters. These are window units that fit in existing windows. Depending on materials,they can run from $10 (My current partly recycled project) on up just for materials!

[safety-man]

Wow! These are some really great ideas. My wife and I were just talking yesterday about ideas to help settle retirement income. I thought it might be fun to raise some chickens, sell eggs (don't know how many chickens you would have to have to make a business selling the actual chickens), I like the idea about goats, and soap. I've also thought about having a large enough garden to have fresh veggies for me and then maybe have a little veggie stand and sell it by the road. I've seen several peope doing that. There are so many ideas I know I won't have any problems when I finally do retire (which is hopefully a long way off anyway).

Keep up the awesome thread! ;D

[machinemaker]

Over the past decade I have had to support our homestead commuting into the city work for different manufacturing companies. I am always surprised at what get tossed from large corporations. I guess that I'm an industrial scrounger. When driving through old industrial areas I look for old equipment that has been hauled to the "bone yards" in the back of business'. I rebuild some of this, sell components, keep things that might come in handy and scrap the rest. In the process I have furnished my welding and machine shop from the proceeds of this recycling. I currently make custom machinery and machine components from my home shop. the current hourly rate for this type of work runs from $75-$150.00 per hour. It does not take too many hour a month to take care of things financially.

[Misha]

Hint : anyone remember the Foxfire Project..?
I am a huge believer in the fact that the consumer society has been squandering it's biggest resource :

Knowledge and experience!

How, you may ask..? *by practically eliminating the aged from our network.. I dare you to spend a day in a retirement home, speaking with all and everyone in residence and just for laughs, record the available interactive knowledge in a notebook..

If you can just imagine interviewing 300 residents - in their 70's and 80's.. the extent of knowledge that they are just itching to share.. and nobody wants to hear.
In American nursing homes, the stats are that 65% of residents NEVER receive a visitor!

For 1,000's of years the aged were revered as the most valuable people in the family.. their role was teaching .. mostly the granchildren - because the "able" were out hunting and gathering.. they taught with love - whether the children were Down's syndrome, or genius..

You want 8 ways to make a $1000..? Talk with the aged and listen to their life experience.. bet a dime to a dollar that you'll find more than you bargained for..

We should be ashamed of ourselves..

No, I'm in my early 50's - if that's what you're thinking.. ;)

[biff]

I've really enjoyed reading this thread. There is a guy in upstate NewYork that quit his job at an investment firm and stated raising herbs and selling them to high end restaurants in NYC and Westchester. He had about two and a half acres and a small green house. He got started by accident when he had a huge surplus his first year planting as a hobby, so he called some friends he new that had been to the Culinary Institute in Hydepark, and they bought every thing he had. The last time I talked to him he said he makes more now than he ever did in the corparate world.

[alma]

Thank you, Misha. You are so right.
The aged among us have a wealth of info that is ripe for mining like solid gold.
What a great idea to visit nursing homes to talk with the many old people with new ideas, as well as almost a centurey of ancient arts, many of which could make the difference on whether or not we survive some of the problems that may yet beset us.
I have not gone through all the ideas presented in these posts, but thank you all for sharing your ideas.
There used to always be many grandchildren to sit on our laps in our old age, while today we have few if any at all to talk to and teach the many things we know.
Children need to be exposed to the very old, like myself, often enough so our wrinkles and toothlessness, and peculiar ways etc. don't freak them out, so they are afraid and cannot learn from us.
That would be a great project, having church groups, girl scouts, etc. (and boys) to visit regularly to nursing homes with the express purpose of gleaning and infinite number of things from them to record for future times when that resource is no long available and lost forever.
There is gold in them thar hills.
Thanks for your post. It has been too long in coming.
We have needed this for a long, long time.
I hope it bears some fruit. love, alma

[homesteadingnky]

Thanks for the post! I thought I had an extensive list of ideas but you guys have given me so many more. I dream of being able to be completely debt free and make a living off our homestead. These ideas may help us do just that. The cool thing is that you can work most of them on the side and gradually make that transition. I'll check back over my list to see if I had anything not listed here but you guys have covered so much I doubt I do. AWESOME INFO!!

Homesteading Dad

[SpoonBread]

I've been kicking around a few ideas lately and I thought up this one. Don't know if you could make much of a profit at it but it seems to have potential.
I've noticed that a fair number of people who have gardens tend to get in over their head or are "blessed with a high bounty" but don't have the time or energy to get it all harvested and put up (canned/froze). So I was thinking that if you lived in an area where alot of people have gardens you could offer to can and/or freeze their veggies for a reasonable fee or maybe work out a good trade. Just a thought I had, now back to the drawing board.

[cheyenne]

We bought a 14 acre orchard 3 years ago. *Froze out of apples and peaches (crazy peaches) in 07, but we had 1/2 acre patch of asparagus and 1/2 acre rows of blackberries (Chesters (already established), and Triple Crowns (we planted first year we moved there) for backup.

Also have 2 greenhouses; tornado ATE l, but the other was full of 4 rows of Bush Early Girl Tomatoes we started from seed in mid-February under flourescent lights.

Now, of course we made nothing from the tree fruit, but we DID pull in $1800 from the asparagus (considered a bad year due to flooding and tin from Morton building jammed under a lot of the ground there), and $1600 from the pick your own blackberries (thornless!). *

From the tomatoes we pulled in $1500. *Not too bad; better than nothing. *I work nearby part time after Thanksgiving til end of March to help a bit, but am off the rest of the time to tend the home store/orchard.

Just a thought: once you plant those blackberries and asparagus...that's it. *Perennials...and nothing is easier to mess with than asparagus. *Takes a while for a bed to establish, but well worth it.

As for the post above mine, that is a very very good idea. I still have squash, had peppers up the yee haw, and after canning applesauce and applebutter and my husbands' beloved jalapenos and beets (yuk), I was all canned out. I cheated and froze the green beans as I have a ridiculous fear of my never used stainless steel pressure canner - yeah stupid I know - but hey, if someone wanted some of what I grew just to can it for me, I'd be jumping hoops!

Honestly think you have something there..

[cheyenne]

Nope you just need well drained soil. the asparagus you had might have just been wild and growing there. You surely don't want swampy land for it; and it has to be picked daily. The season here runs from about lst week of April to end of 1st wk. of June.

[cheyenne]

Yup pick it daily and when it gets going it's nothing for me to pick 300 lbs., especially when it turns warmer and has to be picked twice. *Needs refrigeration; we have an old walk-in cooler. *Just use 2 kitchen Glad bags doubled, pour about 2" of water in em, set em in those plastic milk carton boxes and clean the stuff, trim the bottoms even, weigh them to l lb., put stretchy - not tight - rubber bands around em and stick em in those bags. *They hold l dozen. *Folks come to my place to buy them; we market NOTHING off the property or to stores. *All is sold here. *Pretty slick; no transporation or gas $ for us to worry about.

It really - once established, and that takes a couple years - is a no-brainer.

It's a dependable crop, and we get at least one good solid freeze. No problem. Takes about 6-7 days for it to grow back and you're back in business again. When it's over in June, that's it. You just ignore it til next year.

[TheUnboundOne]

Dear Frank,

Howdy, Frank!

You wrote:

$1000 per day? week? month?

how about real work?

everything else is just wishy-washy make-believe hippi crap!


Say, Frank, as your "real work," do you do the voice of Cartman on the TV show South Park? I can just see Cartman saying that.

;D ;)

You also wrote:

my fallers make on an average $ 500/day, the pilers $250/day.
you charter my fishing boat for salmon? $ 700/day (800 this year)

now I know not everybody can work as a faller or own a charter boat or be contractor or outfitter or own a (new) office building in the upscaled part of town.

however, there is lots of work out there that pays well.


Very true. I've read that one can also hire out boats for tours, visiting local sites of note, or if you have a roomy boat, it could serve as a bed and breakfast on the lake. If you have a pretty enough boat, you could also take photographs and sell them to boating magazine or stock photo purchasers.

[TheUnboundOne]

Dear Forum Members,

I have to agree with others: This is a fantastic, brainstorming thread! I get manic just reading all the things that people can and have done to live, thrive and survive!

Myself, I have done handyman work for my landlord, everything from cleaning out, vacuuming, and mopping up empty units, to painting walls and ceilings, to hauling salvage and junk, to cutting grass and planting gardens. A great way to earn some of your room and board and if you get up a trap-line of landlords, you'll never be out of work!

I've also done independent contractor work as a sales rep, marketing rep, merchandiser, product demonstrator, business auditor, mystery shopper, and retail display re-setter for several companies. The only down-side to this was that in the time immediately after 9/11/01, some 40 percent of the companies that offer such work either downsized or went belly-up. Assignments dried up for my area and I had to do full-time retail work to keep my head above water. Nevertheless, I may try it all again, this time as a part-time side-line to supplement full-time work.

The Dremel Moto-Tool, a Dremel Flex-Shaft, and a collection of tool bits for it is a multitude of businesses all in one package.

With a Dremel Moto-Tool, you can buff and polish silver, do wood-carving and reliefs, remove rust from wrought metal, cut and rout, remove gunk from spark plugs, make a mini-lathe to make other tools and even other mini-lathes, sharpen knives, scissors, hedge-trimmers, and chainsaws, and hundreds of other money-making tasks. I have a bunch of Dremel goodies and I love them to death!

[TheUnboundOne]

Dear Idahowoodsman,

Howdy, Idahowoodsman!

You wrote:

It's called being a Shabbots Goy. In other words, a servant to the rich Jews who laugh at you and call you "dumb goyim" behind your back.

Yeah sounds like a great job.


To my way of thinking, a person I'm doing business with can call me anything they want as long they pay me well for it...and don't call me late for dinner. What's not to love about that?

;D

[TheUnboundOne]

Dear Forum Members,

Goodness, was it something I said?

;D

Let's keep this thread going! Does anyone do consulting for a living, especially on self-sufficiency, survivalism, or even home economics?

[oldman60]

Although I am new to all of this and haven't had a chance to check everything out this is the most valuable and inspirational thread I have come across.

I can do some things that I have read here but for me the value is that it has caused me to take a good look at my own tallents and interests.

At one time I taught people how to prepare nutritional, good tasting meatless meals because red meat was sky high. I did it as a volunteer but times are getting to the point where this skill and knowledge are going to be in demand again.

I decorated custom wedding and special occasion cakes that I created from interviewing the clients so they really fit the occasion and theme. It was a roaring success untill I got so busy I couldn't get a break. I didn't know when to say no in those days.

I have decorated peoples homes for Christmas.

I do desktop publishing projects on a vollunteer basis but could market that skill.

I built a web site for my daughter-in-law's cheesecake venture.

I guess my point is that everyone has something that is marketable. The trick is identifying the market and getting the word out. I've always been better at doing that for other people than for myself.

[crowweaver]

What a great thread ! There are so many reasons that a person might need to make money from home and homestead.

[dreams_in_color]

I did not read through all the posting but I have that as chickens have become such a backyard project you could make and sell chicken tractors. They are selling for over 500.00 each over the net. What about building locally and selling along with a couple of laying hens.

[Cil]

Giving lectures/classes/clinics in your chosen subject. I go to a hardcore outdoor/moutaineering store for their clinics and I've learned alot. I mean Karen aka Skamrock sure could give lessons on frugal grocery shopping.

[jan_in_georgia]

Hubby has a photography business that is slowly growing. Mostly senior photos, family photos, etc. We're trying to get some wedding business.

Nice thing about it is that he specializes in doing "on site" work, so we don't have overhead on a studio to worry about. Any "studio" work gets done in our living room!

[Clair_Schwan]

2 cents from a early retired entrepreneur:

First, think big. $1,000 really isn't anything. Why not set your sights on making $50,000 of more. Donald Trump said: "As long as you're thinking, you might as well think big." He's right. Add more zeros to whatever number you have in mind, and then find a way to reel them in.

Second, think about sequencing your work so you can start small and grow it larger. Wouldn't it be great if your part time work at home turned into something that required a full time effort? Especially if it doubled your current income and allowed you to operate from home.

Third, think globally. If you can, offer something that can be sold all over the world, especially something you can do on the Internet.

Fourth, use your strengths; your skills, knowledge and experience. Don't try new stuff unless you're willing to go to school on it.

Fifth, think laterally (diverse revenue streams) as well as vertically (larger revenue streams). If you are selling widgets, are there widgets for all price ranges and customer interests? Are there follow-on products that widget customers can also buy? And, can you sell a book about using widgets correctly? Can you offer training and consulting in widgetry? Would widget caps and T-shirts be popular? There is more to making bigger money than simply selling more widgets to more people.

Sixth, remember that flying a desk pays more than digging a ditch. It always has and it probably always will. Think information, management, advertising, consulting, planning, analysis, training and the like. That is where there are many opportunities and lots of money to be made, and the overhead for the entire operation is usually relatively small.

Seventh, collaborate with others. Take your ideas and meet with entrepreneurs in your area to see what they think. You might even find someone interested in partnering with you, or you might be able to identify a network of others that could support your business through advertising, offer a ready-made client base, etc.

Last, have a business plan. If you're serious about making money, you'll need to be serious about planning for it too.

One of my websites has a section on what to consider in a business plan. The business planning section isn't finished, but it is far enough along to give you a good idea about some of the core things to consider if you are serious about starting your own enterprise. (Again, the $1,000 just doesn't cut it for me, so I tend to think more along the lines of $100,000.)

If you are interested in looking at a business plan template, take a look at: http://www.sensible-small-business-ideas.com/business-plan-template.html

I've seen a lot of good ideas kicked around here. It seems like a little imagination added to all these ideas could create a few great ideas with serious income potential.

Good fortune to all in your quest for additional income.

Clair

[emptycupranch]

Last winter I boarded a horse - charged 2x the cost of feed, and put the profit into my own horse's feed bill. I was still charging half the local going board rate, helped the owner out by being affordable, and it took minimal extra time/effort on my part as the horse was penned with my own.

My husband teaches martial arts (kung fu, tai chi, etc), writes books and articles, produces instructional videos and is now travelling for seminars and workshops. It has taken many years to get this far but he is being paid to do what he absolutely loves! I upkeep his website and find advertising venues that cost next to nothing.

I also run an online equine marketing website, selling classified ads. All last year I also did consignment sales however the pay did not justify the time and effort involved so I've made some adjustments.

Buying low price horses, doing a bit of work and reselling has made some good dollars over the past few years. Though now the horse market has fallen and so it would be a risky venture now.

I've had alot of fun finding deals on saddles and making good profit reselling as well.

Lately I've been contacted quite regularly by people wanting to hire myself and my truck to haul hay, horses, firewood, etc. People are selling or parking their gas-guzzlers these days yet still need to use a truck once in awhile.

What about massage, reiki, reflexology, acupressure etc? I took courses in these and for awhile did very well ($50+/hr). Unfortunately I was injured in a car accident a few years ago and cannot use my hand too well anymore... but when people hear that I know holistic healing they beg me to work on them!

[seriessearcher]

Dumpster Diving

Search the web their are tons of sites dedicated to it.

My friend would hit the industrial areas and look at the warehouses to see what they threw away. It is faster for them to throw away tahn to deal with it. He would then sell it.

He found boxed furniture with minor dings. Tons of CAT 5 cable in long lengths he sold on eBay.

All kinds of stuff. He did it on his spare time and made spare cash.

You do need to be close to a large mall, shipping center, or something so more for the closer to urban area folks.

[adventure_ingles]

I have made banjos before- but i dont really know if anybody would buy them. Ive just been goving them away. They definitely look homemade though- not a professional job but theyre clean sturdy instruments and you can pick on em pretty good. I got a good deal more to learn- each one is a little improved once i stopped doing whatever was a pain the last one. Itd be nice to make some cash while doing it though.

[bear-in-wv]

Here is something that I am just STARTING to look into!

Income tax deduction.

If I raise a *LOT of veggies and donate them to the area food pantries, would I get a tax deduction? Less taxes paid is the same as more money in.

ANOTHER problem is that fresh food is not popular in food pantries, I only know of 2 that accept it and I do not know how much they can move for me. But, they might know of ANOTHER charity that would like veggies.

I would have to itemize, but I do. I do not know about the rest of it, I would have to ask the folks who do my taxes in January. THEN, I would have to speak to the food pantries.

i tried that a few years back, and they were nice and seemed happy to recieve them, then as we were walking out a heard a thud and turned to see that the produce i had just donated to help folks in need was now in a trash can..
needless to say I wont be doing that again.

bear

[bear-in-wv]

Dumpster Diving

Search the web their are tons of sites dedicated to it.

My friend would hit the industrial areas and look at the warehouses to see what they threw away. It is faster for them to throw away tahn to deal with it. He would then sell it.

He found boxed furniture with minor dings. Tons of CAT 5 cable in long lengths he sold on eBay.

All kinds of stuff. He did it on his spare time and made spare cash.

You do need to be close to a large mall, shipping center, or something so more for the closer to urban area folks.

just be sure and get permission first, even dumpster diving as some business and folks will treat it as theft if the see someione take it out.
youd be suprised how quickly that piece of junk to turns into a family treasure when they see someone wants it.

bear

[huckelberry]

frank aint too far off the mark,just kinda crude.....does anyone here make all yer income from a hobby farm.....huck

[Southerngirl]

Here's an idea for those of you on here that are more knowledgeable than others on homesteading.
More and more people are going to be buying land and don't have the faintest idea on how to get started, you could sell your wisdom by going to their land (nearby) and helping them set up a garden spot, spot for each animal they are wanting and coming back when they get the animals and showing them how to care for them properly.
Even those of you knowledgeable in solar power, ect. could make some serious money starting in these times by getting others started on their own piece of land :)
I know we come here to learn things for free, but there will be "those people" that just don't have the time for that or enough common sense to learn it themselves. Why not make money on your knowledge if you can????
Just a thought...
Southerngirl

[Anon001]

Here's an idea for those of you on here that are more knowledgeable than others on homesteading. *
More and more people are going to be buying land and don't have the faintest idea on how to get started, you could sell your wisdom by going to their land (nearby) and helping them set up a garden spot, spot for each animal they are wanting and coming back when they get the animals and showing them how to care for them properly. *
Even those of you knowledgeable in solar power, ect. could make some serious money starting in these times by getting others started on their own piece of land :)
I know we come here to learn things for free, but there will be "those people" that just don't have the time for that or enough common sense to learn it themselves. *Why not make money on your knowledge if you can????
Just a thought...
Southerngirl

Southerngirl, I'm for hire.... When do you want me to come down? LOL I'll get your solar started and your cattle pens, hog pens and chicken house started for you! LOL.....

,......oh... and we can negotiate my fees! LOL

[12vman]

I thought about doing a bed/breakfast thing here with the opportunity of seeing a set up real close. Like a weekend classroom type of thing. Anyone interested? ;)

[Anon001]

I thought about doing a bed/breakfast thing here with the opportunity of seeing a set up real close. Like a weekend classroom type of thing. Anyone interested? * ;)

That sounds like a great idea and you know that people already pay to experience that type of thing. Wish I had thought of it and had a place that was big enough for it.

[cwatson]

12VMan, that is a great idea. There are alot of people that would love to see it in action and experience it. It would give them (us) a chance to see what it would be really like to live on a self-relient homestead. A little marksmen training for newbies would be good too. It would make a complete weekend or maybe and extended weekend like Friday - Monday. DH has talked a couple of times about us visiting a working homestead. I have only seen one advertised and that was in another mag with similar philos.

[12vman]

I have plenty of room to place a few little cabins so each would have their own privacy. Wouldn't take a whole lot to put a panel or two on each one to supply some low level lighting, a small TV and some tunes. Even set some porta-pottys around to keep things legal.. * 8)

There's even some cool things to check out that's only a few miles away.. (within 30 mi.)

http://www.profootballhof.com/

http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/ne02/

http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/ne03/

http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/ne06/

http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/ne10/

Oh, Yea.. Lehman's Hardware is about 40 min. away.. * ;)

http://www.lehmans.com/