eliminating bills - homesteading

[Beekissed]

I wouldn't count on zucchini as a cash crop unless no one can grow it where you live. It's about the easiest thing to grow in any garden, that's why there are so many jokes about giving away zucchini.

I'd definitely examine the market for anything you intend to grow to see if you have an actual market for it. Smallholdings only turn a profit if one is very hard working and savvy on what sells in their area and usually they have to have several streams of income/value added things like a farm store, greenhouse, agritourism, a niche market item or a skill that is needed but can't be found in the area.

One retired fella found that he could make $6K on an acre of land he had just by growing zinnias and marketing them to the local florists at $.50 per stem, which was cheaper than they could get them elsewhere. I'm guessing he lived near a large city with many florists for that to be a viable market, but one never really knows what will sell in any given area without doing some research and sometimes a person just falls into the info or the market by happenstance.

This fella is an example of just growing something from nothing by finding a specific market....

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Woo hoo! I hate paying interest!

 

[Wannabefree]

Me too, it eats at my brain to know how much I'm spending per day just in interest....my home is the big one, but it doesn't bother me AS much now that the rent covers it, but I still think how much I'm losing considering that could be profit instead of interest. I'm finance OCD I think.

 

[NH Homesteader]

The OP hasn't been on in quite a while. I wondered also!

My husband is not frugal, at all. I am also finance OCD. He gets so mad at me because I'm always trying to save a penny, lol. But I figure since he is the one making money, part of my financial contribution is to save money.

 

[Wannabefree]

I only buy that for my mother and stick up at $1.50 a jar for Kraft. I am an avid couponer and rebate seeker. I refuse to pay exhorbitant prices for over processed garbage "food" anyway, much less something I'll wipe my rear with and toss in the trash lol

 

[Wannabefree]

Sounds like something I'd do lol!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Welcome! Good advice from Baymule! We started raising meat birds (Cornish x) last year but found the market was saturated here so we are currently only raising them for ourselves. Everyone and their brother sells eggs around here also, but there's enough demand I can sell them for $3.50/dozen no problem.

We also raise goats for milk and pigs for meat. For ourselves currently.

Agree you should not feed goats table scraps. They need good quality hay, minerals and I feed grain, although arguably unnecessary. They are not cheap and you can't really get by with less than what they need.

My pigs love milk and eggs. We feed them table scraps but also grain and produce from the garden.

My husband works off the farm but also makes money butchering chickens for people. My plan, as I am a stay at home mom, is to make a little extra money selling goat milk soaps and lotions.

Solar is a good idea. I don't know much about it but it is one of our goals also.

 

[abigalerose]

Thanks for all the advice! I wasn't sure on the goats as I've only had one before and it was a long time ago (basically my grandpa cared for it), so I thought it best to just ask. I just want one or two Nigerian dwarf goats, so I'm sure the feed bill won't be astronomical. And yep, my coops got a dirt floor! I already throw corn in there but once I move I'll be doing more plus free ranging them on nice days. As for pigs I'm looking into American Guinea Hogs, I don't know a lot about pig breeds but they seem like a good one for me. Glad to hear I was right about the milk, becuase I know I'll have excess and I'd rather use it on the farm then try to sell it. Although I do plan on making goat milk soap at some point. If not to sell then at least for myself. I know about freezing the raw meat, I've been reading a lot about that, so far I love the idea. Selling eggs doesn't do me much good, unfortunately, it's so rural around here I usually end up giving them away to friends and family and still have some left over.
I think next year I'm gonna focus on a speciality item in my garden, so half my garden will be variety for me and half will be something I can sell. I'm thinking peppers but I'll have to see what the market is for them here. I love growing them though! I was also wondering, becuase I do really like sheep, do you think I could put any to good use on my homestead?
Also when you have a homestead and are selling some vegitables, soap, etc. how does taxes work? Lol. I know a lot of farmers will just evade them but that sounds kinda scary.
Please forgive my naive questions, im only 19 and I'm pretty new at all this.
On the plus side my parents own the farm (it was left to them and they don't like farming) and they're letting me live there for free, they're also willing to help with bills while I get started, and/or I do know where I can get a job if need be.
Oh, and how difficult is it to put up barbed wire fence?

 

[abigalerose]

Oops, I should've clarified! 1 or 2 females. Of course I'll have a male becuase no male = no babies = no milk lol. So total of 2 or 3 goats, really.
And the barbed wire is for a cow lol I've already got good secure fencing I can use for goats
lol yeah I know that's the general rule too! And I know a lot of people who only take cash and don't report it But I didn't know if paying taxes is going to take up all of my profit.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Ah sorry I forgot you said you had a cow! Will you let your goats stay together all the time? Some do, but it's generally recommended to keep the buck away from your does except when you want to breed. So, that means another goat (buck or a neutered male, called a wether) to be his buddy. So he's not lonely! They just add up on you! Haha

OK so for pigs, I have standard size pigs and I love them. But if I wasn't married or if my husband wasn't around to help me with the "big" things like relocating them, etc, I would do guinea hogs. They're smaller and I've heard they're quite friendly. There is a lot of fat on them, but you can use the lard in your goat milk soap! Yes! They're way easier to manage than these giant things I have! Plus they eat grass and you don't need to feed them as much.