Lowes, Home Depot and Sears do it all the time for free, they then can sell you tools and materials.
great idea to make money on the homestead!
I have a great idea for some of you to make money on your homesteads! Some of you may have already thought of this or even done it but I haven't seen it mentioned here before.
One thing I was thinking about this mornign is I would LOVE to have somebody on a homestead or farm teach me about simple carpentry! If somebody would have a workshop like on a Saturday morning or even a series of workshops over a month's time, where women could come and learn basic carpentry skills, maybe build something simple like a really really simple small bookcase, small table or bread box, and learn the basics or measuring, sawing, etc. I think a lot of women would sign up....even "city" women, because most women would like to know how to do the basic stuff...
What I would really really love to learn is basic carpentry using HAND TOOLS only! or maybe rechargeable tools. I am afraid of circular saws and most all power tools (maybe it was because my dad was a very good carpenter all the time I was growing up and once got in a bad tangle with a table saw----500 stitches later and they saved his hand---and once cut the end of another finger off with a circular saw)....but I would love to learn carpentry the OLD TIME WAY....
Just thought this might give some of you some ideas about some kind of worships you could have....one for women....one for older kids....one for younger kids....
You could charge a fee plus have them pay for their own materials and it could mean a good bit for a Saturday morning's time. You could advertise on bulletin boards at grocery stores, building supply houses, hardware stores (and even a beauty shops for the ones for women!!!) and I bet you could get plenty of people eager to learn!!!!
One thing I was thinking about this mornign is I would LOVE to have somebody on a homestead or farm teach me about simple carpentry! If somebody would have a workshop like on a Saturday morning or even a series of workshops over a month's time, where women could come and learn basic carpentry skills, maybe build something simple like a really really simple small bookcase, small table or bread box, and learn the basics or measuring, sawing, etc. I think a lot of women would sign up....even "city" women, because most women would like to know how to do the basic stuff...
What I would really really love to learn is basic carpentry using HAND TOOLS only! or maybe rechargeable tools. I am afraid of circular saws and most all power tools (maybe it was because my dad was a very good carpenter all the time I was growing up and once got in a bad tangle with a table saw----500 stitches later and they saved his hand---and once cut the end of another finger off with a circular saw)....but I would love to learn carpentry the OLD TIME WAY....
Just thought this might give some of you some ideas about some kind of worships you could have....one for women....one for older kids....one for younger kids....
You could charge a fee plus have them pay for their own materials and it could mean a good bit for a Saturday morning's time. You could advertise on bulletin boards at grocery stores, building supply houses, hardware stores (and even a beauty shops for the ones for women!!!) and I bet you could get plenty of people eager to learn!!!!
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i don't know about lowes or sears, but i work at home depot and they also have children workshops everymonth, they are great, children have built, small tool box, planter, and bug house, we still have everything they have built and it is all in use, we use the bug house all the time, they catch exotic looking bugs and take them to show-n-tell.
Another income I would be interested in being a customer for is
Rent your own Tree.
Crazy ? NOPE.
As "Smart-Growth" initiatives slowly round up all people in cities, getting the experience and satisfaction of owning your own little piece of green, other than mold, will be renting a tree in someone's orchard. Keep tabs on this tree - landowners send out maybe a little newsletter. Owners (renters) Pay monthly rental fees and come and spray it(Orchard owners would supply tree spray and send letter reminding trees owners to come this weekend or that weekend to spray it) Pick the fruit thereof. Make pies. Educate children. etc.
Good idea for pre-schools (making aplesauce is popular) and indeed public schools, a grade could rent a tree - PTA could supply this rental fee every year for grade 1. It would depend on how you advertised this and to whom. Just a suggestion. I have an old article on this and will be glad to put it up here if anyone is interested. Sapphira
Don't worry and fret, faint-hearted, the chances have just begun, for the best jobs haven't been started, the best work hasn't been done. -Berton Braley
Rent your own Tree.
Crazy ? NOPE.
As "Smart-Growth" initiatives slowly round up all people in cities, getting the experience and satisfaction of owning your own little piece of green, other than mold, will be renting a tree in someone's orchard. Keep tabs on this tree - landowners send out maybe a little newsletter. Owners (renters) Pay monthly rental fees and come and spray it(Orchard owners would supply tree spray and send letter reminding trees owners to come this weekend or that weekend to spray it) Pick the fruit thereof. Make pies. Educate children. etc.
Good idea for pre-schools (making aplesauce is popular) and indeed public schools, a grade could rent a tree - PTA could supply this rental fee every year for grade 1. It would depend on how you advertised this and to whom. Just a suggestion. I have an old article on this and will be glad to put it up here if anyone is interested. Sapphira
Don't worry and fret, faint-hearted, the chances have just begun, for the best jobs haven't been started, the best work hasn't been done. -Berton Braley
If you lived close enough to a city you could have weekend classes where people bring their cars and you walk them through a tune up or oil change or just how to change that tire or maintain that car. With what mechanics are getting these days many folks who are ignorant of auto mechanics would gladly pay a few bucks to save many!
Also I would love to provide some space to hunters for camping and parking of rigs and horses etc. Down by our gate they would be only a few feet from some of the best hunting on fed/state lands in Montana. Am looking into the liability currently.
always good to determine where you are going before you leave on the journey~!
Also I would love to provide some space to hunters for camping and parking of rigs and horses etc. Down by our gate they would be only a few feet from some of the best hunting on fed/state lands in Montana. Am looking into the liability currently.
always good to determine where you are going before you leave on the journey~!
I have always want to learn to weld. If someone would give welding classes I would go.
Also, I think that canning classes are needed for those of us who have difficulty learning some things from a book.
Also, I think that canning classes are needed for those of us who have difficulty learning some things from a book.
don't think it's just women and kids who would be interested in this either. Heck I would be.
Another workshop on building foundations & another on building a roof/rafters would be nice also.
Another workshop on building foundations & another on building a roof/rafters would be nice also.
I know that Lowe's and places like that give similar classes for free; but the majority of folks would rather have a more "homey" type atmosphere to learn, where they would not be so intimidated to ask questions....would not be so afraid to make a mistake...or to ask a "dumb" question....
And there are a lot of folks who don't have access to the bigger stores like Lowe's and whatever....In the rural areas there are still places where the good old timey hardware store is about it....but there are lots of folks in the hills and hollows that would love some instructions....especially women....and especially those who didn't grow up on a farm...
Also I would LOVE to have a class with HAND TOOLS ONLY....
And there are a lot of folks who don't have access to the bigger stores like Lowe's and whatever....In the rural areas there are still places where the good old timey hardware store is about it....but there are lots of folks in the hills and hollows that would love some instructions....especially women....and especially those who didn't grow up on a farm...
Also I would LOVE to have a class with HAND TOOLS ONLY....
My local tech school offers welding and other classes to the general public. Heck, I took a masonry course there.
sapphira said:Another income I would be interested in being a customer for is
Rent your own Tree.
Crazy ? NOPE.
As "Smart-Growth" initiatives slowly round up all people in cities, getting the experience and satisfaction of owning your own little piece of green, other than mold, will be renting a tree in someone's orchard. Keep tabs on this tree - landowners send out maybe a little newsletter. Owners (renters) Pay monthly rental fees and come and spray it(Orchard owners would supply tree spray and send letter reminding trees owners to come this weekend or that weekend to spray it) Pick the fruit thereof. Make pies. Educate children. etc.
Good idea for pre-schools (making aplesauce is popular) and indeed public schools, a grade could rent a tree - PTA could supply this rental fee every year for grade 1. It would depend on how you advertised this and to whom. Just a suggestion. I have an old article on this and will be glad to put it up here if anyone is interested. Sapphira
Don't worry and fret, faint-hearted, the chances have just begun, for the best jobs haven't been started, the best work hasn't been done. -Berton Braley
Yes please put up the article sounds like a good idea! Thanks
I think you can take that one step futher--how about shearing sheep, care and milking of goats and cows, starting a worm farm, or pruning a home orchard??? How about canning, freezing, sewing, quilting??? Around here (even though we are in a rural area) most of these are a dying art!
I have been approach by several of my childrens friends who want me to teach a sewing class. I am always surprised when they say "YOU made that"!!
I would pay someone to let me help them learn to take the wool from "sheep to garment'.. I can already sew, weave and knit but I have no idea how to shear or process the wool... I would love to get goats, but don't know the first thing about trimming hoofs! Or making cheese and processing the milk! I would pay for lessons! I am having a hard time finding someone to show me the proper way to prune an apple tree-- I have read 100's of thing and still am afraid to do it wrong. I had a great teacher of the pruning of my Muscadine vines and they are more productive than any I have ever see..
I paid 35$ to take a beekeeping class
Why not pay someone to give me one on one classes in animal husbandry??
Even though I read every thing I can find on these --I and many others, that I know, learn better by hands on!
I have been approach by several of my childrens friends who want me to teach a sewing class. I am always surprised when they say "YOU made that"!!
I would pay someone to let me help them learn to take the wool from "sheep to garment'.. I can already sew, weave and knit but I have no idea how to shear or process the wool... I would love to get goats, but don't know the first thing about trimming hoofs! Or making cheese and processing the milk! I would pay for lessons! I am having a hard time finding someone to show me the proper way to prune an apple tree-- I have read 100's of thing and still am afraid to do it wrong. I had a great teacher of the pruning of my Muscadine vines and they are more productive than any I have ever see..
I paid 35$ to take a beekeeping class
Why not pay someone to give me one on one classes in animal husbandry??
Even though I read every thing I can find on these --I and many others, that I know, learn better by hands on!
Give classes on how to give classes. The marketing strategy is what it's all about not the lessons. It's like the How to get rich book, the answer is write the book and sell it.
i suppose there are many opportunities to have folks visit your homestead - to learn, to visit, to harvest - situations that might or might not lead to an income -
and, then, in the back of your mind the nasty picture of some sleazy lawyer shows up and you realize liability insurance is another formidable expense -
too bad times and people have changed -
and, then, in the back of your mind the nasty picture of some sleazy lawyer shows up and you realize liability insurance is another formidable expense -
too bad times and people have changed -
I feel like such a heel here, but... this idea is a major problem from a homestead point of view because you need to get insurance to do this. And your area may have zoning issues (like accessable bathrooms for example) that most homesteads can't meet.
One person slipping with a tool and injuring themselves and you can kiss your homestead goodbye.
One person slipping with a tool and injuring themselves and you can kiss your homestead goodbye.
Check out what your local community colleges offer--either through their regular day curriculum or through evening "continuing ed" classes. A few years ago, I took a year off from my regular job and enrolled in a 5-quarter program at my local community college in cabinetmaking. The program was one of three separate woodworking programs, the other two being carpentry (basically, housebuilding) and boat building. I thought that the teaching was fabulous, especially for the women, who generally came into it with a lot less experience and a great deal more trepidation. I have also taken evening classes through the continuing ed program at the same woodworking campus. Those have generally been an "open workshop" format after the first introductory class, so it provides an opportunity to keep a project going for those of us who lack the big tools. I have nothing but good things to say about the experience.
I see it now, "The Sawyer School of Fence Painting".
No really, I've always wanted to learn how to drive a tractor, bulldozer, backhoe, you know, the big fun stuff. Anyone have some land I can dig up and an old bulldozer?
No really, I've always wanted to learn how to drive a tractor, bulldozer, backhoe, you know, the big fun stuff. Anyone have some land I can dig up and an old bulldozer?
You've probably been to Homestead Hollow in Springville. Could you get in contact with the organizers and maybe become a "homesteader" for the weekend. You could put on a period dress and a bonnet. You could give goat milking demonstrations in the morning and help build a new barn in the afternoon. They don't use any power tools. When I was a kid and it was still fairly new, we were fairly involved. My mom's family would sit on the porch of the cabin and play bluegrass music. I helped Mr. Lovejoy skin off the bark of some pine saplings to use to build a little shed.BamaSuzy said:Also I would LOVE to have a class with HAND TOOLS ONLY....
It's become more a a craft fair than anything, but they still give some demonstrations. I was told last time I went that they're having a hard time finding people to continue demonstrating. It'd be a nice article for your paper too.
Here's another crazy idea.
If you live close to a large city, try freeway scavenging. Right now I live in Las Vegas. and there isn't a day goes buy without finding at least three shovels, variouse sizes of pipe, cut wood, buckets of paint, etc. etc. Pick them up and sell at your local swapmeet/flea market. Out here,you can get $5 to $10 per shovel, and usually that much for the buckets of paint. The pipe and wood is usually bundled or boxed and sold for a dollar or two a bundle
If you live close to a large city, try freeway scavenging. Right now I live in Las Vegas. and there isn't a day goes buy without finding at least three shovels, variouse sizes of pipe, cut wood, buckets of paint, etc. etc. Pick them up and sell at your local swapmeet/flea market. Out here,you can get $5 to $10 per shovel, and usually that much for the buckets of paint. The pipe and wood is usually bundled or boxed and sold for a dollar or two a bundle
If you know how to forage for wild foods I think you could give classes on that. Even over nighters eating only what you foraged with some fish or crawdads you caught.
The Rent-a-Tree article is by Bob Coffman and Roe Black. It appeared in Countryside Living, Autumn, 1974. I can send the copy of the article to anyone who wants it. I am afraid to type the article here. But there is a very good site for this and other farmn income at: http://www.fwco.com/agritour.html
VERY GOOD !
VERY GOOD !
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