Now that is seriously a question that can most certainly raise some valid arguments on both the yes and no side of the fence. The next question in my head is “What can I do to supplement my homestead financially?” Yes I like that question much better.

When I made the decision to start homesteading it was to provide healthy produce and eggs for my family while also feeding my body and feeding my spirit with time spent in the garden, outside breathing fresh air and being grateful for the skills I learn while playing in the dirt and talking to our chickens who by the way are fantastic listeners. I don’t feel anyone should just drop everything start homesteading and expect to be able to do only that and everything else that goes on in life. When you still have bills to pay and kids to raise and you are connected to the power grid you will still have bills to pay. If you rent you have bills to pay, if you own you have bills to pay. There are medical bills for those mishaps, which I tend to have pretty regularly. Then if you are raising kids, it’s computers, school, sports, field trips. The list goes on and on and ON. We have raised 3 that are now adults. WOW WAIT that number is now 4! The middle boy just turned 18. I’m not going to count him though. He is still in high school so he is still being paid for at least partially. We then have two who still have a number of years to go. It feels like we have been raising kids for one thousand years. I know, I know, one day I will miss it but right now every day feels like we work 10 different jobs for much less than we are worth. All to pay the bills. I can’t imagine how that would be done if all I did was homestead.

So that is where the question comes from. We can’t quit our jobs, we have bills to pay. Our skill set with farming isn’t in a place where we could make a living at this point on a homestead. Also the area we are currently in isn’t suited for it in my eyes. One day though maybe. But for now is there something I can do on or from our homestead that can supplement it? Sure there is and there is more than one way to do it. The obvious practice is selling vegetables of course and a lot of backyard farmers do it. Some have bigger gardens than others and sell at a variety of local farmers markets int he area so there is still some competition. So what in addition to vegetables can we sell?

I am lucky in that I can craft. I am homesteading and I have a reason for homesteading. Health, wellness, to lessen our carbon footprint, provide knowledge for future generations and to live a good, wholesome and happy life. What I do to supplement our homestead should, in my mind, reflect that so yes we will sell a portion of the vegetables we grow. I’ve also asked people what other things they would be looking for an to my surprise the biggest answer was a canned good. I’ve decided to keep that a secret for now to see if it takes off or not but there are a few other things I make and I have a few more ideas tumbling around in my head. I crochet dish clothes, wash clothes, make-up rounds and rounds that can be reused for removing nail polish. They are nothing fancy as I like utilitarian crafts and they help lessen or eliminate plastic and single use products. I also make a variety of different bags from animal feel bags. Bags for lunches, grocery shopping whatever use you can come up with. Another Item I make are felted wool mason jar cozies with silicone drink lids. Local shops sometimes offer a small discount if you use your own cup/mug and others that don’t but are happy to serve you in your own cup reducing waste.

Is there something you make and sell or something you do to supplement your homesteads coffers? I’d love to hear about it.