How to Homestead and Make Money

Learn how to homestead and make money with our comprehensive guide. Discover the essential skills, tools, and strategies to turn your homestead into a profitable venture. From growing your own food to raising livestock, we’ll show you how to create a sustainable and profitable homestead lifestyle.

Are you looking for simple ways to make your homestead profitable?  Have you ever thought about using your homestead to make money? Here are some simple tips to make your homestead profitable.  It is a great way to to grow your homestead, start a new project or just put money in the bank. 

People homestead for a variety of reasons.  Some enjoy the lifestyle, some want to be self sufficient, some for work and some people like me stumble into.  There are also many different types of  homesteads as well.  Some are in suburban backyards, some are on acreage and others are part of a bigger farm.  No matter what type of homestead or reason you homestead there are simple ways to make a little or a lot of money while homesteading. 

12 Simple Tips to Make Your Homestead Profitable

Make big projects pay for themselves

One way to make money is to make your projects work for themselves.  Sometimes making money is about not spending it.  See if you can make your big projects work for you and helping to save thus not spend and building your money.

When deciding what to do on your homestead make a list of projects then find which ones will pay for themselves. Placing these projects at the top of your to-do list is a great way to lower the cost of your homestead allowing you to pull a profit faster.

One example for me is ducks.  I wanted to increase my duck flock, the truth is I love ducks.  But this meant increasing their coop, space and more.  So I decided that I would sell my eggs.  Another big project was barn solar.  Although this would be costing me money down the road I was not going to have to replace the electric wire in the barn to add where I needed it.  This is an example of the project saving me money in the long run. 

Sell off extra supplies

We all use so much stuff both in and out of the house and homestead.  Yes, we need to keep some for future projects and just in cases but we all have stuff we know we just are not going to use again.  

Make all that stuff work for you.  If you have more than you need you can sell off your extra supplies. There is a wide range of things you can sell and/or barter. 

Do not limit yourself. This can range from extra milk from livestock to seeing extra firewood after you have enough to get you through the winter chopped and ready. What you may see as junk someone else may see as a treasure… you know what they say!

Look for areas where you have an excess even after preserving what you need for the winter to find small areas you can start to sell to turn a profit.

There are many places to list these items and local Facebook groups are often the best.  Your local facebook groups will become a great resource.   

Teach others homestead skills

The skills you learn and use on the homestead are valuable and there is a market for learning how to do these things.  You need to also think outside of the Homesteading box.  There are other people like backyard gardeners and home cooks who may like to learn your skills. 

You can earn money on your homestead by offering classes and spending your time teaching others how to do everything from gardening to caring for animals all from your homestead while you do the work. This can be done through digital classes or through inviting people to your homestead or at a community location.  Think about the classes on your Homestead where you can show them how to do everything hands-on, so valuable.  

There are also many on-line platforms where you can do live classes and digital classes so it is easy for you and the channels take a fee, but also you are part of a bigger network.  Teachable, Udemy and Skillshare are just a few options.  I have found Jill at the Whispering Willow Farm is a great example of on-line classes.

Spend the winter working on sellable products

No matter what you say winter is not a slower season but we all do have a bit more hours before and after daylight to get more done.  Over the winter you are likely to find yourself with less stuff you can do on the homestead and more time indoors. This is a great time to spend working on products that you can sell from your farm stand or at the farmer’s market in the warmer months.

Many homesteaders use this time to work on sewing projects, making soaps and body care products and refinishing curbside finds to sell for a profit.  But remember this is also a time to make money by making these products for your storage as well to use year around.  It is a great time for seed saving and dividing to see.  My friend Stacy at 5R Farm is a great example of this.

Raise profitable livestock

Raising livestock can be quite a profitable income stream from your homestead that allows you to provide food for your family while allowing you to sell your abundance as well. There are several great profitable livestock options.

Chickens are a popular option for profitable livestock because their eggs are much better quality than the factory farm eggs found at the grocery store. Selling off your excess eggs can help your chickens begin to pay for themselves and help to provide funding for your homestead.  Also think about duck or quail eggs as they are more profitable in some areas. 

Milk cows and goats are a great income source for areas where raw milk has a market. Raw milk has many amazing benefits and sells for a premium well over the value of milk at the local grocery store and a single cow can produce enough for your homestead and several other families.

Foul-like turkeys sell for a big profit around the holidays. An organically raised turkey will sell for up to and sometimes over $100 each making them a great livestock option for making a profit.

Whether you raise for meat or product like egg or milk it is easy to find buyers in your local community through Facebook and other communities. I also list mine on my website in our shop and on our Facebook Shop. 

Sell animal fibers

Animal fibers from fur to feathers go for a great price and can be a wonderful way to get a bit of a boost to your homestead income if you do not have uses for these items on your own. If you have sheep or other fiber-based livestock you can use these animals for even more of a profit. My friend Janet at Timber Creek Farm is a great resource for this.

Set up a farm stand

Whether you are setting up a farm stand at the head of your property or setting up a booth at the local farmers market, having a place to sell extra produce and things you make on your homestead is a great way to earn extra money. Many homesteads set up farm stands that run on the honor system to earn a bit of extra money without having to man it and have very good luck with people staying honest and paying for the things they take.

We donate our produce and also allow as a benefit for guests staying in one of our Lodge Houses.  If you would like to donate your goods you can also take a tax credit often for the donation- consult your CPA for your options and availability. 

Sell seedlings

Many gardeners do not have a lot of luck when it comes to starting seeds for themselves. If you are good at nursing tiny little seeds into thriving plants you can produce more seedlings than you need for your own garden and sell the overflow.

These locally grown seedlings are much better for the environment than ones that are shipped around the country and sprayed with harmful chemicals to prevent the spread of invasive insects.  You can both take orders ahead of time or sell what you want once you are ready.  Do what you are comfortable with. 

Set up a you-pick farm

If you have a large enough space to put in a large orchard or large patches of perennial foods you can start an easy-to-maintain-you-pick farm. These are popular activities for families and the ability to go out into a field and pick your own berries, apples, or citrus at a discount over the grocery store is very appealing. There are other options that take more work like green beans, tomatoes, and sunflowers that all bring in large crowds that are willing to do all of the harvesting and pay you for the privilege to do so.

Here are some other options I will dive into in a future article as well as they are all good as well but bigger to discuss. 

• Offer a farm stay 
• Website 
• Site rentals for photographers or other professionals
• Having your Homestead work for you is good for so many reasons.