Plan for self sufficient into amazing retirement plan?

[KeeperAtTheHomestead]

I can't see everything you uploaded because I have a cell phone and it's not cooperative at the moment! Have you looked into legal requirements in your state?I've always wanted to do something like what you're thinking but in my state I would need to truck my pigs to a USDA butcher to sell by the package, would need a food handlers license and to have my freezers inspected on occasion, all precooked foods would need to be cooked in a certified commercial kitchen... except jams and jellies (I think, haven't looked recently ). And dairy products have a whole long dramatic bunch of rules.

Not trying to be a downer, just thinking about logistics!

Ugh, please!! Don't get me started on babysitter big brother
But, that's exactly why I won't sell anything but veggies/eggs/live animals (when I get to that point). Regulations kill the little guys.
Tyrannical!

 

[baymule]

Learn to weld, weld together all manner of scrap metal, call it art and sell for a big price.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Yep, bay, that's one of my DH's ideas! He is a great welder, I think he'd make a fortune!

 

[Carla D]

Learn to weld, weld together all manner of scrap metal, call it art and sell for a big price.

That is a definite possibility. My husband could use his welding skills to do some repairs for people.

 

[Carla D]

We go all the way back to Livingston (3 hour drive) for Rudy's honey. We are loyal customers. We haven't found anything up here to beat it.

http://www.rudyshoney.com/

WOW! And very fair and competitive prices as well. I may have to order some and give it a try. We go through a lot of honey here. For coughs, help my daughter swallow a pill, eating off a spoon, baking,or on toast. Bees are one thing we need to seriously think about doing when we get a place of our own.

 

[sumi]

That is a definite possibility. My husband could use his welding skills to do some repairs for people.

A friend of mine in South Africa learned to weld and started a business doing all manner of welding work for people in the small town we lived in. Due to the high crime rates down there, people want burglar bars, etc, so he got a lot of business doing those, but also gates, palisade style fencing, etc. Within a year or so he told me he's making a small fortune and can barely keep up with the work he's getting. Once word got out he even got offered work from the next, bigger town, 35 miles away.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I love Bee's ideas for repurposing, especially materials from Habitat, because the money you spend there goes to getting folks into their own homes. That coat rack she made for $3 would easily sell for
$15 - 25 on an internet site. I'd work up a Web site, instead of planning on all of your sales being local.

 

[sumi]

First of, let me say I love your ideas! I have done some farming for profits when I lived in South Africa, only on a small scale. With 3 (human) mouths to feed and bills to pay, coupled with the ridiculous costs of absolutely everything in S.A. and losses to theft, we didn't make enough to keep us afloat, but we did o.k. I kept a lot of chickens and sold eggs, I raised and butchered pigs and sold meat, I grew vegetables for home use and some for animal feed. It's a wonderful way to earn money, if you can balance out the cost of feed, etc and income generated. For me it was as much a hobby as a business, as I kept things to a small scale. I had at most about 100 chickens and 8 pigs at a time.

 

[sumi]

Did you think about keeping bees? They take little space and will pollinate any fruit trees you have you on the property. Honey is so useful around the house, stores forever without going bad and can be sold too.

 

[Carla D]

Did you think about keeping bees? They take little space and will pollinate any fruit trees you have you on the property. Honey is so useful around the house, stores forever without going bad and can be sold too.

I have thought about bees. They do come into play down the road as an optional thing to do. I’m going to post my plan and see if I can get anymore amazing input from people in here.