What is your money maker?

I used to bake things to sell at the Farmers Market.

I looked at the cost of the ingredients and I doubled the cost to come up with the price. I once figured that I was earning minimum wage for my baking, unless I burned something. And, that did not include the time that I spent at the market selling things.

Sweet rolls were the most profitable: they are just bread dough rolled out, drizzled with butter, and sprinkled generously with brown sugar and cinnamon. Turn out of the pan hot or the good stuff will stick and be lost!

I had better luck reducing our costs: Chinese food is very homestead-friendly! Rice and soy sauce does not cost much. Stir-fry whatever garden vegetables are growing, and add a little of whatever meat was on sale that week. Serve over rice.

I have a printing press in the basement.

Only difference is, I don't loan or sell my paper to the US Treasury at outrageous cost and rates, thus I am not charging the taxpayers a crippling interest.

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“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Barry Goldwater.
III

Pastured Pigs and Sustainable Forestry. These pay the bills, keep us busy and out of trouble. We're in the process of building our own butcher shop which will help since 64% of our income last year went to paying the butcher. Almost there.

Cheers,

-Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Sugar Mountain Farm | All Natural Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids in the mountains of Vermont

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

35 miles each way to a desk job! We've never really made much off of anything produced on the homestead as most of it was for our own consumption, but I've always tried to run the numbers on things to see how they would look if they were scaled up to the point where they could support us financially. Labor and capital are always the two limiting factors, either I run out of time, or I run out money with most ideas before they can be scaled up enough. It is a bit aggressive, but I want a $25 an hour return on labor and a 10% annual return on invested captial, I don't always get there but that is what I aim for. Butchering my own stock gets me there ($50 processing fee for a lamb vs 2 hours to do it myself, almost no capital needed), firewood for my stove is there too (1 cord takes around 6 hours, wood is $150 a cord around here $150/6=$25) but both of these examples are difficult to scale and keep the same return (butchering for hire would require permits, mobile equipment ect), (firewood would require more equipment , steady source of timber, plus wear and tear on my body). My point in all this is to do math and make sure you aren't working for just a few bucks an hour, or even worse, losing money!

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http://www.lindsayfarmonsilvercreek.blogspot.com/

Can you hook up with a laundry/dry cleaner for repairing customer's clothing? Many folks who take clothing to the cleaners can't or don't have time to repair their rips, tears, and missing buttons. You would have to work to a fast schedule, though.

geo

8 years of college combined, with multiple Masters degrees = running a business and DH working 40-60 hours per week outside the home, also income properties. Thats what pays the bills

Selling eggs and meat rabbits to break even on feed costs. We "profit" by having healthy meat and eggs to eat. Next year I will be selling some grass fed pork or beef to break even on what we raise to eat.

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"For if you start dancing on tables, fanning yourself, feeling sleepy when you pick up a book... making love whenever you feel like it, then you know. The south has got you.”

We have diversifed a bunch to bring in some income: Sell eggs, sell pastured-raised chickens & turkeys (USDA processed), bake bread for farmer's market, sell veggies/herbs/garlic at the farmer's market, sell goat's milk soap/lotion/herbal body products online and at markets, and we teach a lot of classes on our farm for others that want to learn to do the things we do. The classes/workshops are the most profitable.

hooking.

hm...rugs or something I hope?

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There is a time and a place for decaf coffee.
Never, and in the trash.
Are you an AZ farmer too? Arizona Backyard Farmers on facebook

Everything I do costs money when compared to grocery store prices. It is cheap therapy for the office bound tied to a computer screen all day though. I don't really like to keep an animal that doesn't do something for me anyways, so my goats eat all the poison ivy and briars, and my chickens keep the tick population down and give me eggs and meat. Its usually a wash at best

"Everything I do costs money when compared to grocery store prices."

I hear people say that but I find it to be just the opposite. I can produce my own fuel and food far cheaper than I can buy it and the quality of the food is far better. Plus I get a workout. People spend good money on gyms and exercise equipment when they could be farming instead.

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

At this time of the year people will pay ridiculous prices for cookie trays at the grocer. And the product is not all that good, either.

If you are clean, organized, have the physical stamina, and a creative flair (for taste, decorating, and packaging) cookie baking might earn you some money.

The best customer base are professional working women such as teachers, nurses, office staff...they are busy and seldom have time to bake for themselves and are willing to pay a little more for something special.

I'm thinking about trying my hand at selling veggie seedlings at the farmers market this spring. Heck, I usually give tons away......so I'll plant a few more and sell them....will see what happens. If that goes well, than maybe I'll add Jams/jellies, then maybe bread......we'll just take one thing at a time, as the season goes

I make money selling pasture raised chickens. I butcher them. I also did turkeys this year & they were a hit.

Finding ways to save money is easier than finding ways to make it.

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I can't believe I deleted it!

My home place money makers over the years have been bait/compost worms , wormcast , produce , greenhouse seedling and potted houseplant nursery, watermelon and pumpkin sales , luffa gourds and timber depending on the market viability at the time.

Then my other investments began providing sufficient return and I found a couple affordable tracts of land to invest in as pasture lease until I have to use them as a residence location when where I am currently living gets totally gentrified by the wealthy folks in our area wanting 25 room mansions on 40 acre manicured tracts and prefer not seeing my old farmhouse and 2 acres of worm feed weeds, compost piles and raised beds and pay me to move so they can raze the place for the road access of their two lane driveway for 2 or 3 times what I have in it.

One of the folks on the next road over from me got $87,000 for their 1200 sq foot 50 year old house and acre lot they bought for $33,000 in 1997 and the buyers had it razed and the driveway gravel down within two days

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"I didn't have time to slay the dragon. It's on my To Do list!"

Forerunner...I knew I could count on you to make me giggle!
Big Dave -socks $25 per pair. I normally use a superwash merino for socks. Pm me if you want to order!
there are lots of good ideas here.
25years or so ago I baked and sold bread. I can do that again. I can work on computers.
I think if DH and I each did a little here and there we might make it.
It is weird, I have never had trouble getting job before. Had three interviews this last week. Zero call backs.

Realisticly I don't think we will be able to bring in $20 an hour or anything like that. We paid off the truck with the IRA and have cut expenses to the bone. If we can pay the electric and phone and keep things going I will be happy.

Now to figure out how to put some of this into action.....
Love all the input and ideas!

You say you can work on computers - put an ad up in the closest urban/suburban area. Offer to install internet, set up computers for those that go "duh" when looking at all the wires.

My kid (age 15-18) made over a 1,000 a month during the summer doing just that. He charged 25. an hour to set up, load software, connect to internet, etc. Gave short tutorials to those that were not computer savvy (there are a lot of older people who just never had the opportunity to work with computers!). He stayed busier than a one armed paper hanger.

He also removed viruses, reloaded software, did minor web page programming, etc. When he wasn't doing that, he was cutting grass for those same folks..he kept his prices lower than what commercial "big" lawn services and usually had 3-5 yards a week to do. He canvassed neighborhoods close to home (to keep gas prices low) and put up fliers, went door to door in some neighborhoods and left fliers. He did grass cutting, edging, weeding of flower beds, hedge trimming and minor tree trimming (broken branches, cut away from power lines, etc.).

He earned enough to help pay his way through college and bought his own car (the first one I bought, the second one he bought).

Just a thought - most folks think everyone "just knows" how computers work..but the majority of folks can't get past the "on" button and really do appreciate having "on call" help.

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Be yourself - no one can tell you that you're doing it wrong!

The only person I have ever know who supported his family 100% with farming (and didn't own 20,000 acres of range land to do it with) lived next to a wealthy area with lots of rich yuppies with lots of money to spend of "special" food.

He had 5 acres of top quality soil with a 365 day a year growing season. It was 1/2 in organic veggies and 1/2 in flowers. Every weekend, the family was down at the farmers market selling veggies and dried flower arrangements that his wife made. The wife was a genuine artist and the flower arrangements were something really special, not just bouquets of flowers.

He also hand made gardening equipment for specialized tasks. Since it was his own invention and not available anywhere else, those sold well.

I don't know, but I better come up with something!~

right now, its my artwork and doing picture framing and matting. I quit my job before thanksgiving, they tried to get me back but with no changes, raises, etc. just a "you'll learn to live with it" no, no I don't think so.

I also may work with colts. selling my goat's milk soap. selling a few other products too. I am nervous quitting my job will end up kicking me in the backside, but geesh, they were really being horrible and I know it was only going to get worse.

What about mucking out stalls for local horse trainers? A friend of mine is mucking out dog kennels for a dog shelter. She has a Masters in Ed and substitute teaches but is not above shoveling "poo." She also painted our house this summer for extra income. I have started a small CSA (20 shares), sale meat birds, eggs, pasture raised pigs and beef.