How to make enough money to keep you self-sufficient.

So you've embraced permaculture, sustainable living, off-grid life, modern homesteading or whatever label you want to put on it. You long for the simplicity and self-reliance this life can bring. You dream of gardening, natural houses, solar power and strong likeminded communities. You believe what you are doing will help create a better tomorrow because you know how it has changed you for the better. You've planned it all out, you've read anything you can get your hands on to help you learn more and you've saved all you can to begin this life. There's only one problem. How to make enough money to be able to sustain this life?

Sure one option is just to keep working at your mundane, never going anywhere, non-fulfillment job but there's so much life and work you miss out on at your dream home. I mean why work to achieve this to only spend all your time off in your cubical. Many do this. They try and make some semblance of a sustainable life but keep working their normal job to pay for it and all the other amenities they haven't given up. If this is your plan let me warn you it's not usually a successful one. It will wear you down trying to work to keep up two lifestyles. This may be ok for a short time but in the long run many can't keep it up and end up reinserting themselves back into the matrix. 

Another option is to live so primitive that well, you just don't need money. All that you need to live off of is found in the wild. While this is possible it is not the life for most and usually isn't what most dream of, at least not in a practical sense. Sure I've read stories of people living without money in some kind of a hobbit hole but most of those stories are single people or maybe two adults. So what is your option if you have a family? 

As I've mentioned many times before sustainable living is a lifestyle not just growing some food. To fully enjoy this life your whole operation should be endeavoring to sustain itself. Even in this modern world this is attainable but not without a little effort. As you are learning how to create this oasis in a physical sense also start adjusting your life to learn to live off of less. This is the first step. If you are trying to earn enough money on your mini farm to sustain the same size of budget as you had in your previous life then, well, you are going to be working your self to death. 

This is not sustainable. If you have not already done so, try to cut back on your wants and needs. This is good advice whether or not you are embracing permaculture. This is the trap too many buy into. Going into debt that they can't get out of and working themselves the rest of their lives to pay it off and ending up with nothing to show for it. Once you have simplified your life you will probably still need some income and for most of you, your end goal will be to come up with this without selling your soul to the corporate office. I don't claim to have all the answers and there are too many ideas on how to earn an income on your own to list here but I will try to show a few things that I have seen work. 

Earning a living off of your land:

This may be the dream that many have but in reality it's not a turn key operation. There's work to make it a success and it takes time before you start seeing the benefits of the hard labor but this can be a reality for many. Most think you need several acres of land to make this work but depending on the land and the location you can produce an income on a city lot. Learn to really utilize the space you have. Food production is a possibility and it doesn't take as much as space as most think. An average 1/2-1 acre plot of land should be able to produce at least $600 a month of income during the growing season and much more is possible. Of course that is a very conservative number. I've seen much much higher. Take care of your land, feed it and become an expert of producing what you plant. We are so conditioned to having lawn and decorative space that it's become a foreign idea to utilize all your space for production. I've seen as little as 1/10th of an acre produce 6,000 lbs of food a year.  Several vegetable plots, fruit trees, herbs, eggs or goats milk are just a few things a small farm can produce enough of to sell the left overs. Set up produce stands, attend farmers markets and even talk to local restaurants about selling your goods to them. Depending on your circumstances worm beds and mushrooms might also be an option if you have a basement or cellar. Learn to make things like jams and jellies to sell in the off season. Raise starter plants in the early season. Honey, milk and eggs require animals (or bees) so depending on your area that might not be an option or you may have an ethical problem with using them but if that is not the case there is a very high demand for clean, grass fed free range food. There are many ways to turn your permaculture endeavors into a small income that can keep you out of the office. Learn what is in demand. Use what you produce to sell or barter with others. This isn't just a hobby, it has become your life. 

Arts and crafts:

There are many things to be made with the materials you may have or raise on you little oasis or maybe you are blessed with a natural artistic ability to turn some of what you make into an income to keep you sustainable. Bees wax for candles, sheep wool, art work and an endless variety of crafts can make a big impact. Turn what you love doing into something that can also help pay a bill. With the ease of selling these items on the internet and the increasing demand for simple homemade items honing this talent can be another way to keep you from the need of a "regular" job. Maybe you make your own washing detergent or toothpaste or have an eye for turning old barn wood into works of art. Look on popular sites like Pinterest or Etsy for inspiration. I know several people that have been able to quit their jobs and focus on their homestead by selling the small items they make around the farm. Think of the hours you put into a job and how much more productive you could be if you had all that time to devote to securing your own sustainability. What could you do if all those efforts were focused on bettering your family and not the owners of some company? 

Small Business:

Another way to earn your income is by starting your own small home based business not specifically related to your homestead. A small business may keep you away from the family farm but if it's small and manageable it should be able to help bring in the funds needed and yet not take too much of your time. There are many ideas out there but be careful of the get rich schemes. If it sounds too good to be true, I'm sure it is. Don't fall for the "get paid to sit at home and "like" posts on Facebook" type of scams. My grandfather always said anything worth having is worth working for, so don't get caught up in some easy way to make big money or you might find yourself a little disappointed. Lawn or garden services are always good starter businesses. Handyman, office or home cleaning, pet, child or elderly services are also good options. If you have some knowledge in these areas I would definitely consider them as a source of income. Blogging is also way to earn a little money. It does take some dedication and time to build to the point that you have a steady amount of income coming in. You need to be writing 4-6 articles a week and a minimum of a 1,000 hits a day to start drawing a paycheck but it is definitely possible. Maybe making videos of what you do around the farm and building traffic on YouTube can be an option for you. There are also many other options from real estate field services to antiquing to home medical transcriptionist. Home based business is a growing market. This is a 427 billion dollar annual market with 70% being successful within the first two years and 44% of those are started with less than $5,000. So even though not all home based businesses are a success finding one that fits you is a great way to bring an income in and keep you from feeling forced to leave your family homestead. 

One thing to remember, that too many forget, is that most likely it will not just be one thing that keeps you financially afloat. Unlike a traditional job where you might only have one and it is enough to provide your needs, your income on the farm most likely will be several small things that brings in the money. A combination of living frugal, growing and making many necessities, bartering and two or three home based incomes would most likely become the norm. Living sustainably is much like the circle of life. It takes work in many different areas to make it a success. For many, the need of money is something that brings great distain and in many ways I agree. But it is needed so be creative in finding ways to make it and ways to not need it. Part of the enjoyment of your permaculture oasis is that empowering feeling of accomplishment and the best way to feel that accomplishment is to take control of your means and destiny by being self-reliant.   

For more information on any of these suggested incomes or help with ideas please feel free to contact me. I would be more than happy to help you in becoming self-sustainable.