If you’re relocating to the backwoods, you will very likely have to give some thought to generating some income, that is, making a living.
There are outside expenses that frequently present themselves and even the most self-sufficient homesteader requires some items which cannot be produced right there. To be able to buy, build, maintain, and keep our place in the country, most of us are required to seek outside “gainful employment.” If you fall into that category, don’t get discouraged. Simply make the most of where you are. It is no crime to work away from home to be able to keep your place in the country.
Living in the backwoods is the dream of countless people. But not only do you still need a way to support yourself and your family, you will find that in remote and rural areas jobs are often harder to come by and they usually pay less.
Some people have more than one pursuit that contributes to their income. Some couples pursue their work independently, others team up. Some have expanded upon something they already enjoy doing, while others have recognized the need for a product or service and used that to form the basis of a supplemental income. Basically, they created their own “second job.”
Crafts
some people make good money by making and selling Santas and other figures, dried wreaths, swags, and other crafts. Traveling to craft shows and set up in a “mini-mall” booth. Wholesaling to independent vendors can also be somewhat successful. If you decide to sell to retail shops and stores, plan to visit them during the off-season, because that’s when retail stores buy original craft items. word of mouth sales can be been productive to.
Sheep, hogs, steer
Rraising hogs and beef for sale for instance can be a moneymaker for you. If you raise a few hogs to butchering size—200 to 250 pounds—you can provide your own meat as well as find a market locally with folks who want meat that they know was raised close to home. Beef steers raised to about 800 to 1100 pounds will sell well. You should be able to easily sell halves or whole steers, especially if you can offer hauling to the custom slaughterhouse.
Garden produce, fruit, herbs
people have success in selling garden produce and plants during the spring and summer. In fact, the demand for these items is often more than a small greenhouse can provide. There is great potential here, for a lot of people want sturdy homegrown plants and will pay a bit more for them. Timing is important when producing garden and bedding plants. That is, plan so that you have prime and healthy plants ready when they are most wanted by the buyers. You can market them right from your home, or from local grocers or other retail outlets. Grow varieties that are popular locally.
Sell surplus strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples, cherries, peaches, and other home-raised berries and orchard fruit with a simple advertisement in your local newspaper, an ad tacked up at a local store, or just by word of mouth. Consider marketing these items at a farmer’s market to help get better prices. In a similar fashion, home-grown herbs, both fresh and dried, can be a moneymaker for you. Some folks are having good success marketing specialty herbs directly to restaurants. Others sell to supermarkets, food co-ops, and organic groceries.
Furniture
One of my neighbors is an accomplished furniture maker. While he does have a nice little building where he could work, it is not surprising to know that it is crammed to the rafters with lumber, old furniture pieces, supplies, and such. He builds each of his pieces right out in the yard. We have some of his work here in our home: a pie safe, a jelly cupboard and a small bench. He makes solid, functional furniture and also displays his work at the annual festival in town, selling out every year. If you are talented in this area, you will find no shortage of buyers for your work.
Photography
One new business that recently started up in town is a small photography studio. Portrait photography has a rather limited market in this area, but even in our small community, high school senior class photos alone could pretty well keep a photography studio in business. Photographing weddings are another good source of work. Christmas portraits are another big seller. Other special occasions and holidays keep this photographer plenty busy. This is an area where, once your reputation for good work has been established, you will be able to keep busy.
Design and print shop
Out in the countryside 10 miles from where I live, a family has a high-tech, state of the art printing shop. Not the ordinary shop where only simple business cards and stationery orders are filled, this business designs, lays out and prints booklets, brochures, pamphlets, and magazines. Another branch of the family just down the road fills similar orders for books—both hard and soft cover—and magazines. I got a tour of the place a while back and was amazed to find in the plain non-descript buildings, top-notch computers running the latest in publishing software. The printing is done on computer driven presses worth a quarter of a million dollars. Not only do both of these families fill local orders, but the religious books, magazines, and tracts they publish are mailed all around the world. A smaller scale version of such a business may fit your pocketbook
Wildcrafting
Out in the woods, there are folks who eke out a good deal of spending money by wildcrafting. The gathering of roots such as goldenseal, ginseng, mayapple, bloodroot, wild ginger, and other botanicals provides employment for a good many folks in rural areas where the plants are found. In addition, they can find a ready market for blackberries, raspberries, persimmons, mushrooms, and other wild foods. Even sassafras root and bark have a market.
Firewood
Similarly, a few fellows make pretty decent money by cutting firewood. Tops left from logging operations usually provide plenty in the way of cordwood. Some woodcutters obtain slabs and other leftovers from area sawmills. In this area woodcutters usually get $100-150/cord. With a good chainsaw and a sturdy pickup truck, you’ll be in business.
Rocks
Speaking of heavy work, there are a few stout fellows who are making some hard-earned money by harvesting stone. That’s right, plain old “crick rock.” They are simply picking rock from some streams, dry branches, and rocky hillsides and selling it for $30 to $40 a ton depending on the demand and the general shape of the stone. The rock may end up as veneer on a basement or house, as a hearth and chimney in a city-dweller’s “country” home, or as a plain old rock wall. Especially large stones, weighing several tons apiece, may end up in someone’s front yard as what we call a “status rock.”
Hunting/fishing guide
Don’t rule out the possibility for working as a hunting or fishing guide. In some states, guides are required for nonresidents hunting big game. Even in areas where they are not required, hunters are often willing to pay good money for the chance to bag game or catch a stringer of fish. Hunting and fishing guides are licensed in some states, so check with your state fish and wildlife agency for more information.
Odd jobs
Performing plain old day labor is an honest way to earn a dollar. There are more than a few people in my area who do just that. They hire out by the day to do general labor whether cutting brush, building fence, painting barns, mowing, rough carpentry, or just about anything else that needs done. They are normally paid at an hourly rate ranging from minimum wage to a dollar or two above that, although some jobs may pay more.
Wildland firefighter
During the summer months, I have used vacation time from my regular job and worked as a wildland firefighter. This adventuresome work has taken me to many fires in half a dozen states. Firefighting is not easy work. It is dirty, often dangerous, and physically demanding—a lot of “grunt” work. But it pays well. It is also satisfying, exciting, interesting, and offers an opportunity to see places you might not otherwise see. You will need to contact your local state or national forest office for more information in getting the necessary training and certification for this work.
Woodcarving
Obviously this is not something that all of us could pursue, but if you have a knack for carving, there is a demand for good work.
Welding
An older fellow in town has a good welding business based at his home. He is probably one of the best welders around. He does have a portable, truck-mounted welder with which he makes runs for farmers and others needing on-site repairs, but he does the majority of his work at his shop, adjacent to his home. Good welders are hard to find. In fact, this old boy could be retiring in a few years, and I don’t know of anyone planning to take his place.
Tax preparation
With the complexity of the tax laws, it is not surprising to learn that there is plenty of business in tax preparation. With some of the quality computer software available, this could be an area with promise for a home-based business.
Firearms
A friend of mine has a thriving gun shop located in a small building adjacent to his house. In addition to selling firearms, ammunition, and related equipment, he does some simple gunsmithing, i.e., minor repairs, fits scopes and accessories, and sights in firearms for customers. His location is out in the sticks off the beaten path, but he has a pretty steady line of customers including a lot of regulars.
Computer tech
It seems like every nook and cranny of the countryside has been affected by the computer age. Rural folks are jumping aboard the Internet and finding worlds opening up with the stroke of a key or two. Even in these rural areas, some enterprising and talented persons are making good money by selling and setting up computer systems.
Flowers
supply cut and dried flowers, plants, special occasion balloons, and similar items. You may want to consider growing fresh and dried flowers for sale. Flower shops and craftspeople use large but varying quantities of those materials in their work and will normally jump at the chance to get good locally grown stock that has not had to travel over hundreds of miles.
School bus driver
These routes are usually not a sole source of income for most of the drivers, but are used to supplement some other employment.
Bulldozer/backhoe
There are several fellows I know who keep busy with their bulldozing and backhoe services. It seems that someone is always wanting a pond constructed, a lane put in, a ditch cleaned out, or something along that line. A couple of them also have dump trucks and can haul gravel and fill dirt. Another has a small ditcher for laying water and electrical lines and putting in drain tiles and the like. The initial cost of equipment for these types of operations can be rather intimidating, but the returns are pretty good. Rates of $65 to $100 an hour are not uncommon for dozer operators.
Electrician
Painter
Office cleaning
Another local family makes good money doing office cleaning in area communities. This work is performed mostly after hours and not only do the husband and wife work at it, the teenage children also pitch in.
There are several ads in the pages of this magazine for the saw mills. It’s a sizable initial investment, but is a sound long-term investment in a job.
Lawn service
One friend, his wife, and teenage son spend nearly every summer evening mowing lawns. He has invested in a really nice commercial grade riding mower and some solid push mowers and weed whackers. All three family members work hard and make decent money.
This is another business where “word of mouth” will bring you all the work you want. “Dependable” is the reputation you need for success.
Tree trimming
Selling timber
The demand for good quality hardwood is high. Timber sales are not only a good forest management practice, but can provide a good sustained income for your property. Consult with your local state department of forestry to learn more about properly managing your woodlands for maximum value.
Christmas trees
Another form of tree farming is raising Christmas trees. Cut-your-own operations work well for many folks, especially when coupled with displays of other home-raised products and items. Consider spruces or pines adapted to your area.
There are outside expenses that frequently present themselves and even the most self-sufficient homesteader requires some items which cannot be produced right there. To be able to buy, build, maintain, and keep our place in the country, most of us are required to seek outside “gainful employment.” If you fall into that category, don’t get discouraged. Simply make the most of where you are. It is no crime to work away from home to be able to keep your place in the country.
Living in the backwoods is the dream of countless people. But not only do you still need a way to support yourself and your family, you will find that in remote and rural areas jobs are often harder to come by and they usually pay less.
Some people have more than one pursuit that contributes to their income. Some couples pursue their work independently, others team up. Some have expanded upon something they already enjoy doing, while others have recognized the need for a product or service and used that to form the basis of a supplemental income. Basically, they created their own “second job.”
Crafts
some people make good money by making and selling Santas and other figures, dried wreaths, swags, and other crafts. Traveling to craft shows and set up in a “mini-mall” booth. Wholesaling to independent vendors can also be somewhat successful. If you decide to sell to retail shops and stores, plan to visit them during the off-season, because that’s when retail stores buy original craft items. word of mouth sales can be been productive to.
Sheep, hogs, steer
Rraising hogs and beef for sale for instance can be a moneymaker for you. If you raise a few hogs to butchering size—200 to 250 pounds—you can provide your own meat as well as find a market locally with folks who want meat that they know was raised close to home. Beef steers raised to about 800 to 1100 pounds will sell well. You should be able to easily sell halves or whole steers, especially if you can offer hauling to the custom slaughterhouse.
Garden produce, fruit, herbs
people have success in selling garden produce and plants during the spring and summer. In fact, the demand for these items is often more than a small greenhouse can provide. There is great potential here, for a lot of people want sturdy homegrown plants and will pay a bit more for them. Timing is important when producing garden and bedding plants. That is, plan so that you have prime and healthy plants ready when they are most wanted by the buyers. You can market them right from your home, or from local grocers or other retail outlets. Grow varieties that are popular locally.
Sell surplus strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples, cherries, peaches, and other home-raised berries and orchard fruit with a simple advertisement in your local newspaper, an ad tacked up at a local store, or just by word of mouth. Consider marketing these items at a farmer’s market to help get better prices. In a similar fashion, home-grown herbs, both fresh and dried, can be a moneymaker for you. Some folks are having good success marketing specialty herbs directly to restaurants. Others sell to supermarkets, food co-ops, and organic groceries.
Furniture
One of my neighbors is an accomplished furniture maker. While he does have a nice little building where he could work, it is not surprising to know that it is crammed to the rafters with lumber, old furniture pieces, supplies, and such. He builds each of his pieces right out in the yard. We have some of his work here in our home: a pie safe, a jelly cupboard and a small bench. He makes solid, functional furniture and also displays his work at the annual festival in town, selling out every year. If you are talented in this area, you will find no shortage of buyers for your work.
Photography
One new business that recently started up in town is a small photography studio. Portrait photography has a rather limited market in this area, but even in our small community, high school senior class photos alone could pretty well keep a photography studio in business. Photographing weddings are another good source of work. Christmas portraits are another big seller. Other special occasions and holidays keep this photographer plenty busy. This is an area where, once your reputation for good work has been established, you will be able to keep busy.
Design and print shop
Out in the countryside 10 miles from where I live, a family has a high-tech, state of the art printing shop. Not the ordinary shop where only simple business cards and stationery orders are filled, this business designs, lays out and prints booklets, brochures, pamphlets, and magazines. Another branch of the family just down the road fills similar orders for books—both hard and soft cover—and magazines. I got a tour of the place a while back and was amazed to find in the plain non-descript buildings, top-notch computers running the latest in publishing software. The printing is done on computer driven presses worth a quarter of a million dollars. Not only do both of these families fill local orders, but the religious books, magazines, and tracts they publish are mailed all around the world. A smaller scale version of such a business may fit your pocketbook
Wildcrafting
Out in the woods, there are folks who eke out a good deal of spending money by wildcrafting. The gathering of roots such as goldenseal, ginseng, mayapple, bloodroot, wild ginger, and other botanicals provides employment for a good many folks in rural areas where the plants are found. In addition, they can find a ready market for blackberries, raspberries, persimmons, mushrooms, and other wild foods. Even sassafras root and bark have a market.
Firewood
Similarly, a few fellows make pretty decent money by cutting firewood. Tops left from logging operations usually provide plenty in the way of cordwood. Some woodcutters obtain slabs and other leftovers from area sawmills. In this area woodcutters usually get $100-150/cord. With a good chainsaw and a sturdy pickup truck, you’ll be in business.
Rocks
Speaking of heavy work, there are a few stout fellows who are making some hard-earned money by harvesting stone. That’s right, plain old “crick rock.” They are simply picking rock from some streams, dry branches, and rocky hillsides and selling it for $30 to $40 a ton depending on the demand and the general shape of the stone. The rock may end up as veneer on a basement or house, as a hearth and chimney in a city-dweller’s “country” home, or as a plain old rock wall. Especially large stones, weighing several tons apiece, may end up in someone’s front yard as what we call a “status rock.”
Hunting/fishing guide
Don’t rule out the possibility for working as a hunting or fishing guide. In some states, guides are required for nonresidents hunting big game. Even in areas where they are not required, hunters are often willing to pay good money for the chance to bag game or catch a stringer of fish. Hunting and fishing guides are licensed in some states, so check with your state fish and wildlife agency for more information.
Odd jobs
Performing plain old day labor is an honest way to earn a dollar. There are more than a few people in my area who do just that. They hire out by the day to do general labor whether cutting brush, building fence, painting barns, mowing, rough carpentry, or just about anything else that needs done. They are normally paid at an hourly rate ranging from minimum wage to a dollar or two above that, although some jobs may pay more.
Wildland firefighter
During the summer months, I have used vacation time from my regular job and worked as a wildland firefighter. This adventuresome work has taken me to many fires in half a dozen states. Firefighting is not easy work. It is dirty, often dangerous, and physically demanding—a lot of “grunt” work. But it pays well. It is also satisfying, exciting, interesting, and offers an opportunity to see places you might not otherwise see. You will need to contact your local state or national forest office for more information in getting the necessary training and certification for this work.
Woodcarving
Obviously this is not something that all of us could pursue, but if you have a knack for carving, there is a demand for good work.
Welding
An older fellow in town has a good welding business based at his home. He is probably one of the best welders around. He does have a portable, truck-mounted welder with which he makes runs for farmers and others needing on-site repairs, but he does the majority of his work at his shop, adjacent to his home. Good welders are hard to find. In fact, this old boy could be retiring in a few years, and I don’t know of anyone planning to take his place.
Tax preparation
With the complexity of the tax laws, it is not surprising to learn that there is plenty of business in tax preparation. With some of the quality computer software available, this could be an area with promise for a home-based business.
Firearms
A friend of mine has a thriving gun shop located in a small building adjacent to his house. In addition to selling firearms, ammunition, and related equipment, he does some simple gunsmithing, i.e., minor repairs, fits scopes and accessories, and sights in firearms for customers. His location is out in the sticks off the beaten path, but he has a pretty steady line of customers including a lot of regulars.
Computer tech
It seems like every nook and cranny of the countryside has been affected by the computer age. Rural folks are jumping aboard the Internet and finding worlds opening up with the stroke of a key or two. Even in these rural areas, some enterprising and talented persons are making good money by selling and setting up computer systems.
Flowers
supply cut and dried flowers, plants, special occasion balloons, and similar items. You may want to consider growing fresh and dried flowers for sale. Flower shops and craftspeople use large but varying quantities of those materials in their work and will normally jump at the chance to get good locally grown stock that has not had to travel over hundreds of miles.
School bus driver
These routes are usually not a sole source of income for most of the drivers, but are used to supplement some other employment.
Bulldozer/backhoe
There are several fellows I know who keep busy with their bulldozing and backhoe services. It seems that someone is always wanting a pond constructed, a lane put in, a ditch cleaned out, or something along that line. A couple of them also have dump trucks and can haul gravel and fill dirt. Another has a small ditcher for laying water and electrical lines and putting in drain tiles and the like. The initial cost of equipment for these types of operations can be rather intimidating, but the returns are pretty good. Rates of $65 to $100 an hour are not uncommon for dozer operators.
Electrician
Painter
Office cleaning
Another local family makes good money doing office cleaning in area communities. This work is performed mostly after hours and not only do the husband and wife work at it, the teenage children also pitch in.
There are several ads in the pages of this magazine for the saw mills. It’s a sizable initial investment, but is a sound long-term investment in a job.
Lawn service
One friend, his wife, and teenage son spend nearly every summer evening mowing lawns. He has invested in a really nice commercial grade riding mower and some solid push mowers and weed whackers. All three family members work hard and make decent money.
This is another business where “word of mouth” will bring you all the work you want. “Dependable” is the reputation you need for success.
Tree trimming
Selling timber
The demand for good quality hardwood is high. Timber sales are not only a good forest management practice, but can provide a good sustained income for your property. Consult with your local state department of forestry to learn more about properly managing your woodlands for maximum value.
Christmas trees
Another form of tree farming is raising Christmas trees. Cut-your-own operations work well for many folks, especially when coupled with displays of other home-raised products and items. Consider spruces or pines adapted to your area.