For so many homesteaders, part of the dream of homesteading is making a living off of your property. When your way of life also becomes your income, it’s a great feeling and often leads to a much-improved quality of life.
But for lots of us, we’ve got to take a winding road to get there… Maybe our production numbers aren’t there, maybe we don’t know exactly how to start. Maybe our work is seasonal and you find yourself a little short on cash in the off-season.
Whatever the reason, you need a side hustle. But that doesn’t mean going back to work for the man. Below you’ll find a list of the top homesteading side hustles that can easily net you an extra $500 or more every month. Let’s get right into it; we’ve all got bills to pay!
#1. Seasoned, Split Firewood
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If you’ve got plenty of muscle or a splitting machine and lots of timber on your land, you’ll find that people will pay handsomely for seasoned, split firewood in most parts of the country.
Depending on the species of wood and the time of year, a small bundle of firewood could sell for between $7.50 and $20. You wouldn’t have to sell too many of those to make 500 bucks or a lot more!
If you have the room and the wherewithal, whole cords of firewood can go for $300 plus, meaning your high-consumption customers can keep you rolling in dough.
#2. Leatherworking
Most homesteaders have an appreciation for things that last, and things that are made in the old ways. If you know how to work leather and can produce useful, lasting leather goods, you’ll rarely want for work or money.
Leather goods like tack, harnesses, saddles, holsters, slings, mats, tool belts, and more can all command quite a premium from discerning buyers. And you don’t even have to tan your own leather because you can order it directly for your various projects.
The price of leather goods varies dramatically depending on the skill of the worker and the quality of the leather, but saddles can sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars, the same for intricate harnesses.
Smaller items like holsters and mats might sell for as little as $50 or as much as a couple of hundred dollars.
#3. Farm Tours
You’re laughing now, but you won’t be laughing when you see how much money you can make off of this side hustle!
More people than ever are interested in learning where their food comes from, what the day-to-day life of a farmer is like, and maybe getting an up-close and personal look at such a life for their own consideration.
If you have a nice, clean, and inviting property, there’s no reason why you can’t sell tours… This is especially viable if you have lots of cute and charismatic animals like horses, sheep, or cows.
Be sure to reach out to elementary and middle schools, too, because they are always looking for field trips.
Scheduling a couple of tours a month, you’d only need to get about 25 people to attend in total if you sell tickets for $20. This can easily put $500 bucks in your pocket reliably.
#4. Building Chicken Coops and Doghouses
Bespoke chicken coops and doghouses are all the rage right now, and if you understand framing and basic construction techniques, you already know that these are simple structures to build.
You wouldn’t think that if you saw the prices of kits and pre-built models online from retailers!
A fancy, finished chicken coop can sell for many hundreds of dollars, and well over $1,000. Doghouses are right behind them. If you are ready, willing, and able to fabricate to suit and customize with the client’s choice of colors and trim, you can make a mint.
Don’t forget that you can pre-cut kits and ship them to people far away!
#5. Riding Lessons / Animal Experiences
Another great option for folks who own livestock, riding lessons with horses or up-close and personal animal experiences where people can interact with the animals they usually only see online can be huge money makers.
The sky really is the limit depending on where you live and what sorts of customer bases you can tap.
But there are a few things to consider with this approach. For starters, you need to worry about biosecurity.
Anyone who comes onto your property can potentially bring germs with them that can make your animals sick, maybe even devastate them. Also, insurance isn’t a bad idea. Animals are always potentially dangerous and unpredictable.
If you’re willing to take these risks, though, a few consistent clients for riding lessons can make you hundreds or thousands of dollars a month for a year or longer.
#6. Farm-to-Table Produce
One of the easiest and most reliable sources of income for homesteaders…
The populace at large is finally waking up to the fact that industrial food concerns frankly do not give a damn about their health, as evidenced by the increasing number of chemicals and other contaminants in our food chain.
Naturally, concerned folks want to get closer to their food and really know that it is as safe and wholesome as possible.
Selling your produce and animal products directly to the customer, at a roadside stand, farmers market, or any other venue can be highly lucrative.
Even a single acre dedicated to food production can keep hundreds of people fed when using intensive methodology – and that means tons of potential purchasers.
But again, make sure you do your homework and check all relevant local and state regulations. You don’t want to run afoul of Uncle Sam!
#7. Canned Jams, Jellies, Preserves, Honey, Etc.
Another food-based side hustle that’s a great way to make money seasonally or all year long. All sorts of fruits like blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, apples, and more can be turned into sweet and delicious jams, jellies, and preserves. You can do the same thing with a few vegetables like tomatoes or even peppers!
Once you get people craving your home-canned condiments, they’ll keep coming back, and it’s easy to quadruple your investment on your produce.
Another worthwhile product is honey. Honey is more difficult to get initially because you’ve got to learn how to raise and keep bees, and keep them healthy and productive, but the results and the profits can be quite sweet!
Artisanal preserves and honey can sell anywhere between $5 and $10 a jar, potentially even more!
#8. Wedding Venue
I know several homesteaders that have genuinely beautiful, picturesque properties. Old but characterful and well-cared-for barns, beautiful pastures, and scenic vistas that are truly fit for capturing on a postcard.
It might sound strange to some of us, but lots of couples want to get married in such a place.
And it makes a certain amount of sense, aside from the aesthetic appeal: large properties have plenty of room for parking, banquets, and other festivities that are a benefit to wedding planners everywhere.
You’ll have to be a self-starter if you want to turn your property into an actual wedding venue: you’ll have to advertise and get the word out, and your property must live up to the hype. You don’t want offensive odors, sights, or sounds to ruin the occasion!
But word of mouth can generate substantial client interest, and that can turn into a small fortune: wedding venues rent for no less than several hundred dollars, and the nicest can rent for many thousands!
#9. Homesteading Lessons
If you didn’t grow up living this life, think back to when you got started. Aren’t there times when you wished for someone to teach you and show you the ropes?
Chances are you are like most homesteaders and you just sort of figured it out as you went along, but there is an increasing market for lessons and instruction in this category.
People want to be taught by someone that they like and trust to start living the life that you already do.
If you have a great way with people, can simplify challenging concepts, and you are patient, giving lessons is a great way to monetize your time. It could be caring for animals, gardening, canning, off-grid power, or anything else that’s already a factor of your life.
We take it for granted now because it’s effortless, but this stuff is nerve-racking for beginners. You might charge anywhere from $20 to $50 an hour for instruction. You wouldn’t need too many pupils or too many sessions a month to easily clear 500 bucks.
#10. Farm Sitting Services
One of my favorite homesteading-specific side hustles is farm sitting. What’s a farm sitter? You know what a babysitter is? It’s the same thing, but for farms!
Since you’ve been homesteading, you’ve probably felt that gravitational pull that keeps you at your property, especially if you have animals. All of our animals, and often our crops, depend upon us entirely for survival.
Accordingly, this makes it all but impossible to get away with our families for any extended length of time. It puts a major cramp on vacation plans, but also business affairs and other life events that pop up.
But because you have the skill and the know-how, you can take care of chores like feeding and grooming animals, administering medicine, or other tasks like looking after fences and performing needed inspections for cleanups.
Advertising in your local paper, at livestock and feed stores, and at 4H events, competitions, and related exhibitions can make you a name to know when folks need skilled labor to cover for them.
Farm sitters often charge a flat fee per visit, anywhere from $20 to $50 dollars, and sometimes a la carte fees for various tasks.
Tim is a farm boy with vast experience on homesteads, and with survival and prepping. He lives a self-reliant lifestyle along with his aging mother in a quiet and very conservative little town in Ohio. He teaches folks about security, prepping and self-sufficiency not just through his witty writing, but also in person.
Find out more about Tim and the rest of the crew here.