What is your money maker?

Hubby works more than full time at his job. I took it upon myself to make some money at the ranch. We have about 400 apple trees, that are 100 years old. When we have apples, we open for you-pick. On a good year, that covers the cost of insurance and taxes. On a bad year,we lose our crop and make nothing from that.

This year I got an iPad so that we could accept credit card payments when we open for you-pick. We use a MiFi wireless hotspot for internet at the ranch. I had that with me, and got a free GoPayment card reader through Intuit. We have our Website through Intuet's Homestead | Make a FREE Website - Create a Website in Mins - Build Your Own Website Today. We made more money by accepting credit cards than we needed to pay for the iPad.

People who were only going to buy a small amount if apples sometimes decided to increase the amount they bought, and some who weren't going to buy any, decided to get some, because they could use their credit card.

I registered the ranch with the Inland Empire Film Comission. We don't make much from that, but Warner's Bros has been out three times to do sound recordings of gunfire, which is later dubbed into movies and video games. Not too many places as quiet as our ranch, only about 80 miles from Los Angeles! We have also had a couple of short movies filed at the ranch, and a music video.

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In reading the responses, user a common theme. Someone needs a job.

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I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam.

Popeye

Hmm... well now you know someone else because our family makes our living completely from our farm. We all work on the farm and don't have any outside jobs. The farm pays the bills and enough more to let us expand and do some interesting projects like building our own USDA Meat Processing Facility (aka slaughterhouse, butcher shop smokehouse).

One secret is don't hire outsiders. Employees are less efficient and cost a lot of money, money that could stay in your pocket. All too often I see people hiring lots of employees and not being able to pay themselves. I know several couples where one or both of them have outside jobs so they can hire employees to work their farm. Seems backwards to me.

On the other hand, I know lots of folks that make their entire family's living from their small farm so it can be done. Virtually all of them do all their own work, no out-of-family employees.

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

Our farm is a money pit at the moment BUT we hope to bring in more by making everything run more smoothly. We have income from eggs and apple juice and sheep. Next year we hope to do chicks, turkeys and willow for fuel. If we can streamline everything we do, we might actually save some time and make a profit but easier said than done!

Bookkeeping.

Running my own business out of my home allowed me to do the homesteady things I wanted to do. I could increase my clients or cut back as we needed. Tax season was always really busy but it did not cut too deeply into the spring time work. The best thing was being able to fit what I needed to do for income earning work around what I needed/wanted to do for the family and the stead.

And this was a solid and continuous income. Makes planning for the future a lot easier.

This is so true. Also when you saving (diy stuff) your saving both the taxes paid making and spending said money. This is a great gain.

Oh, yes.

I do Swagbucks for $25 a month. There is a thread running on Work-at-home business here: Swagbucks for Amazon gift cards or extra money! Round III

If I try for more than $25 a month it takes too long and that interferes with me living frugally, so I don't. Cookng frugally and doing your own repairs is way more effective than earning pennies by looking at ads!

What makes Swagbucks work for me is that I do sit down during the day, and while I am watching TV I can also be doing searches, playing computer games, and looking at ads. Preferably with the sound off, so that I can hear the TV!

Oh, yes. Speaking of SAVING money, today I intend to try Dim Sum. That is a Chinese treat of little dumplings that you dip in dipping sauce and each dumpling is a bite.

Now, I am SUPPOSED to make it with ground raw pork and I don't have any. But, I do have a leftover piece of pork from last night. This might mean that the Dim Sum will be dry, but then there will be the dipping sauce. There are different recipies for dipping sauce but I see some that use ingredients that I have. So, with a little labor and that leftover pork there will be a fancy side dish to go with dinner tonight.

The point of the above is that every culture has food that can be made with very little money, and there are endless recipes on the internet. Look at what you have and do somthing delicious with it, and everybody will feel just a little bit better! America has black eyed peas and cornbread, Mexico has Spanish Rice which makes a meal if you add a little hamburger, China has fried rice, and so forth. The way to fix it frugally is to see what you have and then decide what you can do with it.

This recession bites us all: My oldest WANTED! to move out last summer but she had been looking for work for over a year without much success. Well, she got one 2 weeks ago, and knock on wood she still has it after the Christmas rush is over! Jobs are hard to find, and that is all part of living in a recession! Recessions bite: I hate recessions. This is not my first one.

At any rate, look around your place and see what it has to eat in it. Check the recipes and see if there is anything cool you can fix: what I had was flour, eggs, onions, leftover pork, and spices and therefore I am making Dim Sum. I have no idea yet what the main course will be, I will have to look in the cupboards and think! Perhaps something with a can or two of of chicken........ I can make a stir fry of chicken, onion, and cabbage.....

I agree with Terri. I average $50 a month with Swagbucks and I try to spend as little time as possible on it. They now have Paypal gift cards at an excellent rate so you can easily make enough with it to pay for your internet connection and a couple other small things.
Two people per household can have an account so it would not be unreasonable to make $75 or more a month from the two accounts...until you can get something more lucrative going.

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Budget Friendly Kindle Downloads for Homesteaders: Pam's Pride Recommendations

SWAGBUCKS! YTD earnings: $210 in Amazon gift cards! 2012: $600 2011: $449

Do you have commercial mowers that you use to maintain your property? If so you may try picking up a few grass cutting accounts to make some $$$.

For me, I do auto restoration as a hobby; either for others, or my own cars that I buy, resto &flip. Even in a bad economy, folks with antique cars and customs seem to have no issue paying whatever I tell them it will cost. I do good work at apparently reasonable fees.
I may take a year or more to do 1 completely while moving a few smaller jobs at the same time.
Also, a protable welder is also an occassional cash cow.
And, as mentioned before, save every place you can.

Matt

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And another one. We have been farming full time since 2006 - tested the market for a couple of years first. We aren't a legacy farm and we don't have 20,000 acres - just 6. We do live in a wealthy area, but that means our mortgage payments and cost of living are higher too. Like Highlands, we do all the work ourselves.

Some very good ideas! I have a holly that needs pruning and we have alot of cedars. I have made wreaths before using silk flowers. Either I could make wreaths or swags with the holly and/or cedar. Thanks!

I agree, many of my "projects" compliment one another. The goats were first as I had to have the milk. Rabbits and pigeons eat the same feed. (oats) Chickens make use of any leftovers. Manure and bedding makes compost out of other waste products (weeds, leaves, etc) for the gardens. Some "projects" are multi purpose, goats give milk, fiber and meat. Chickens give eggs and meat. Greenhouse gives fish and extends the garden season to year around, hoops extend the season and protect some crops from freezing and keeps the bugs off so I don't need sprays. In the end it all makes for cheap eats....James

I've had my artwork as a source of extra income since the 70s ... used to do art/dog/livestock shows for years, can't do that now but am gradually learning to deal with art marketing on the Internet. So far all I've got up is a blog Old Grey Mare Studio but I think my next two projects are getting some things up on one of the print-on-demand art sites and an FB page, then a website.

Not reliable or significant, but pays for itself and a few small luxuries ... plus I enjoy doing it as well.

Kaitlin - would you please expand on "Willow for fuel". Do you mean you're using common willow trees for firewood? We have several very large willows we've just cleared and are wondering what to do with them. Thanks.

I'm a retired Hooker.

OP- Any chance of a greenhouse? Added on the south wall of a bldg.
Combined with a chicken coop you have extended season vegs for eat/sale , eggs and chickens.
Incubate chicks for sale (dozen eggs sells for what,, 1 chick sells for what).
Raise bait worms, low investment, they eat garbage, good extra food for chickens fish.
Raise fish, tilipia, catfish, perch, bait fish also (fish is expensive,, live fish even more).
Money makers are a buisness model that works great and pays well. Hopefully you can do the things that you like to do.
jim

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More interesting ideas!
No mowers, ours are all ca-put. We didn't mow this last year, just moved the animals around and let them 'mow'.

Common Tater - someone needs a job, however finding one hasn't been happening. What really rips me is driving 40, 50 miles for a job interview (on limited gas money) and then not landing the job. That has happened more than once for DH and I both.

I have been pondering,,,and I give away too much! One lady I have been doing mending for free. I have done this for a year! Another young man, computer repairs free. Have been doing those forever...today I told him I charge $25 to replace that part.

I need to charge for what I do. I am too much a push over.

I am going to look into swagbucks. I do mypoints and that gets a Lowe's of Home Depot $50 card every now and then. It helps. We can buy chainsaw blades for DH's big chainsaw that way.

Saving money is hard sometimes. LOL! Because, I am a true tightwad. I pinch pennies very well. I am always looking for ways to save, and very seldom find one that I don't already do.

I like the worms and fish idea I hate fish, hate eating them blah But, I am willing to sell those buggers! haha!

Had a tree fall through the barn roof the other day, so we will have to do what we can to find repair money.

Keep the ideas coming!
It is encouraging to see that folks make money on the homestead. I think we just need to find our niche and get with it!

Mamajohnson - I need vinyl tiles laid in my kitchen/dining area. Is this something your dh could do or you help him maybe. It requires you be able to stay on your knees so I have to hire it done. It would mean moving furniture, cleaning present floor, there is a leveling product, and cutting thick 18" vinyl tiles, laying them on diagonal.

Call me. I want my front porch taken down too, preserving any good materials. And I need a security screen door set on garage side.

Jackie

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formerly known as HaloHead
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"... And what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Micah 6:8

I will give you a call for sure. You know I would help you any time!

Food stamps, welfare and unemployment to tide you over.

What makes money varies so much place to place. Are you good at cleaning? People are living longer and people past a certain age need help with regular cleaning. As our eyes age we don't see the dust, don't realize something is spilled on the counter, don't realize the milk is past fresh. If you like to clean, go to a senior apartment and put up a paper on their bulletin board. One day a week you could do six apartments. I would state the going rate, but offer a $5 or $10 discount. Call a maid service and ask what one hour of cleaning costs with one cleaner. You can charge seniors less, do 45 minutes, because they live in smaller places and don't have kids. Another thought is to offer a laundry service to the same people. This is the sort of job you can arrange to do on one day, or fit it in with your kids' school schedule. It would be year round. And, you could sell them fresh eggs (they grew up on fresh eggs) and produce in season.

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Nothing is as strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength - St. Francis de Sales