Can you make money homesteading? Absolutely! There are lots of ways to create sustainable sources of income from your homestead if you want to. Some homesteaders simply enjoy the lifestyle and choose not to use it as a financial means. That’s great too.
Here at the Happiest Camper Homestead we generate multiple streams of income from home. You are contributing by reading this post, and you might not even realize it. We receive money every time you view an ad or click on one of the affiliate links and make a purchase. Businesses also support our blog and homestead by sponsoring content like this post, for example. Blogging is our most consistent homesteading money maker, and we love sharing our projects with you. The most we have made at one time came from breeding and selling Idaho Pasture Pigs. The piglets sold for $300-400 each. Unfortunately, our current property is not set up properly to continue raising a large number of pigs. We are taking a temporary hiatus from that venture and turning to chickens. Chickens generate income in a few different ways: Hatch and sell baby chicks; Sell adult chickens (preferably who are laying); or sell their eggs. There is nothing like the taste of a fresh egg from a free-ranging chicken! We also find chickens to be minimal effort and a lot of fun. In the Spring, we sell plant starts for gardening. I also throw in some handmade goods, like aprons, when I know we will be selling at a market.
To continue our series, I asked 22 homesteaders how they make money on their homestead. Some folks are so talented!
1. So far, we have made the most money on our homestead by selling eggs, both for eating and for hatching. A very close second would be selling vegetable seedlings in the spring. My blog is fairly new, but I’m hoping it moves up on the list very soon. The Reid Homestead
2. We have not begun making money off our homestead. Dad continues to work his full time job in the city 47 minutes away. A Table Full in the Woods
3. I don’t. It’s my hobby. Homesteading But Not
4. I am an Herbalist and own my own little apothecary making herbal products. My husband, outside of his day job, owns his own business making custom wood designs, from picture frames to furniture. We have a flock of chickens and when they start laying, we plan on selling eggs. Whispering Moon Homestead
5. We have made some money through the sale of livestock. But we have spent a lot more money than we have made on infrastructure for the animals. The Young Homestead
6. Hahahahaha…we’ve never made any money from it. We are hobby homesteaders. I’m pretty sure we’ve lost money if you consider everything we’ve put into fences and buildings for animals and so on, but the experience, knowledge, and knowing where our food is coming from is priceless. The House that Never Slumbers
7. My husband still works, so our main income is through his job. I still feel as though I need to make money, so the easiest way for me to do this is to declutter. It’s a win-win! I post my dust collecting items on my local buy and sell group on Facebook. Before selling anything, I do my homework of the items’ retail value and work out a fair price. I have sold a range of things from cleaning products I no longer use to collectible teacups, succulents, and bags of unopened cat litter that my fussy cats refused to use. I always try to aim for at least $100 a week doing this and have made up to $300 in a week. You would be surprised how much you can earn by decluttering. As they say, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. I also eventually intend on selling feed bags of alpaca manure, my preserves, and homemade soy melts. Dela Pond Homestead
8. I make the most money by teaching others how to homestead on my blog. There are so many young people longing to learn the self-sufficient life. To be less reliant on the stores and more on themselves. Little did I know all those years ago when we planted our very first tomato that someday I would help others do that very same thing. Simple Living Country Gal
9. I make salves, lotions, honey smudge sticks, reflexologist, YouTuber, blogger, author/writer, and I am also an antique dealer. These have been very helpful in bringing income into the home. Melinda Kunst
10. We haven’t gotten into much as far as monetization so far. We do sell eggs from our chickens, and we also raise grass-fed beef that we have sold. As For Me and My Homestead
11. Right now, the item I get the most profit from is making my jams and jellies. I pick all the fruits either from the garden or I pick them wild, which brings a bit more profit. I even have a carrot cake jam that I make from my carrots fresh from the garden! Minnesota Country Girl
12. I work online doing web design and marketing…but I’m focusing more and more on how to hep other people living or trying to live ‘the simple life’ start or grow a business. I’ve teamed up with some other online business women who live a rural life, and we’re setting up a membership to share our expertise. We want to help other homesteaders make more money with their business and provide a place for advice and community, to combat isolation and inspire. We’ve started creating a lot of blogs, videos, etc. to help people like us start blogs, understand SEO and marketing, and deal with balancing farm, life, kids, garden, etc. Our big farm project is setting up a carpentry workshop to sell hand turned wooden bowls, chopping boards, etc. I work a lot online to fiancé setting all this up, pay the bills, and buy materials for a ruin we’re renovating (gotta have a building project while we keep waiting for that planning permission!). The Farmish Collective and Getting the Good Life
13. I don’t use my homestead to make money. I mainly use homesteading to help with my menta illnesses. Pandora Acres
14. We don’t make a lot of money from our homestead right now but what we are able to do is SAVE a lot of money that we would be spending on produce throughout the summer and on eggs as well. We do sell some of our extra eggs and produce, and we expanded the gardens last season for a market garden and are thinking about starting a CSA next season! But for now, we pay for things we want to buy with our off-farm day jobs. (I’m a nurse practitioner in a critical care unit and husband is an electrician and soon-to-be home inspector.) Grit and Grace Homestead
15. This is a great question. We’re still getting our foundation built, and as of now we don’t make any money from our homestead. I do have plans, but I need an actual house first. Our motorhome is not equipped for the job. I’m planning a line of organic soaps, creams, balms, tinctures, and extracts. We’re getting sheep for wool, milk, and meat too. I’m not sure just yet which one will make more money. Rustic Traditions Homestead
16. For the first time since starting this adventure, I will be working from home. The book, speaking engagements, classes I teach throughout the year, our website, our holistic health through our EO business, and even egg sales has allowed me this opportunity to homestead full time. Granted, my husband still works 40 hours a week! A Farm Girl in the Making
17. I have to admit I’m not making a lot of money at the moment from my homestead, but I do have plans to make it work in the long run. I’m fairly crafty and have been dabbling in making my own aprons and market bags that I hope to sell. My husband luckily works full time at an amazing job which does give us some wiggle room, but I do want to contribute financially in the future. Eggs and sewn goods are the first items on the list, but I’m looking into the rules/laws behind selling meat as well. Hell or High Water Homestead
18. We are still in the process of building our homestead, so we aren’t making any money at this point. However, we are able to save money by growing our own food and canning/preserving fruits and vegetables. The Hayes Homestead
19. Home crafts and baked goods. Tammy Beasley
20. We are retired and have some physical limitations, so there are limits to what and how much we can do. We also make soaps, salves, and other natural items. We have bees that give us honey and wax we sell. We barter as much as possible. That’s the wonderful part of this life…the people you meet and share with. There are times when we can’t accomplish a chore, but there is always someone we can call on to help and when they need a hand, they call us. Though our closest neighbors are miles away, there is a greater sense of community than when our neighbors were in shouting distance (or closer). Misty Meadows Homestead
21. This is tricky. To be honest, at the moment, we don’t make money on our homestead. Not in a financial books sort of sense. Most of what we do breaks even right now, or pays for our portion. For example, raising three pigs, selling two and those profits to pay for all three pigs’ feed/water, as well as the butcher fee for our own pig. However, this doesn’t usually factor in very much for our time and work. But it makes sense for us to raise 3 pigs at once, instead of only one, as they thrive better in groups. So, for us, it is worth it in the end. We are also starting to sell goats which has made a small profit, and we sell eggs. I have also started making soap many of which include local goats milk and our own rendered pig fat. This is a new venture, so it hasn’t turned a profit yet. I’m hoping to hit up some local farmers markets this summer! Hatch End Homestead
22. My husband is still working a 9-5 to support us, but hopefully that will change soon. Homesteading Unrefined
I plan on ordering a few goodies on this list to support these homesteaders. Homemade anything is just better! Please check out the previous posts in this series on homesteaders: 22 Homesteading Bloggers Share Why They Choose to Homestead and What 23 Homesteaders Love Most About Homesteading.