How to Make Money from Home & Your Backyard

If you are anything like us, you've struggled to make ends meet from time to time. Or perhaps you want to teach your children that hard work pays off.  

Making money from home and your own backyard is always a rewarding pursuit.  The great part about this is that you can work from home.  

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So many people have done this and been successful.  Whether you want to make working from home a full time gig or your just saving for a fun family adventure or to pay of some debt, whatever your reasoning, finding ways to make money from home is worthwhile.

Making money from home is a great way to follow your family goals and dreams.  Perhaps you don't want to have to work for someone else anymore.  Maybe you are hoping to open your own business.  Start with our list today and you can begin your own little business from home and start on the path towards your dream.

I won't sugar coat it.  Making money in general is not an easy task.  Think of working from home just like you would any other full or part time employment.  You'll have to put in the hours and the effort to reap the benefits.  

For example, if you want to have your own chicken farm where you can sell eggs to neighbors and friends, you'll first need healthy chickens.  Start up costs will add up and it will take some time before your chickens will lay enough eggs to make it lucrative.  But it will happen.  Plus, you'll also have enough eggs to feed your own family. 

Another example would be a U-Pick garden, grove or patch.  You'll have costs associated with planting and it's going to take months of tilling, weeding, and pruning before you can even start inviting people to come pick.  But the fruits of your labor will pay off in the end when you have amazing fruits and squash for people to come pick and pay.

Our advice, read through the list and write down the things you and your family could do TODAY.  If you already have a garden, it's much easier to start planning a simple produce stand.  If you already sew or knit, you can simple decide what types of items to start selling.  Start with what you already have and grow your business from there.

Make Money in the Kitchen

The kitchen is probably my favorite room in the house.  (Yep, even more than my craft room.)  There are so many ways you can make money from your kitchen.  Plus, kitchens are seasonal, which means from season to season you can make money doing different things.  Not a baker?  Why not learn.  Craftsy has a ton of great inexpensive courses to get you started.

Bake breads and rolls

• Bake cookies
• Make and sell syrup
• Make candies and treats (especially during the holidays)
• Make Cheese
• Make Jams and Jellies
• Sell birthday cakes
• Start a homemade dinner route and deliver dinners to people

Make Money From the Barn

There are so many possibilities when it comes to making money from your barn.  Think of all the animals you could eventually raise and sell.  What animals provide eggs and milk and which can be sold for meat?  What animals can you sell for fur of or wool?  Endless possibilities.  But animals do cost money!  So remember that as you make your list.

• Become a beekeeper and sell your honey
• Board animals 
• Hatch & Sell Baby Chicks, Geese or Ducks
• Raise cattle and sell
• Raise Meat Chickens (Check out this post on How to Start with Backyard Chickens)
• Sell cow or goat milk
• Sell fiber and yarn from sheep, goats, llamas or rabbits
• Sell your chicken eggs

Make Money in the Craft Room

You don't have to be super crafty to make money from your craft supplies.  Think about what items you need and use everyday.  Other people need and use those too.  

Why not learn to create soaps and scrubs from natural products and even using the milk from your own goats?  What about beautiful jewelry from leathers, rocks, stones and gems.  Have a lot of evergreens?  

Think about making wreaths and garlands for home decor especially around the holidays.  If you are looking to learn any of these skills, try the inexpensive courses on Craftsy.  They've got everything from watercolor paint, to gardening to making jewelry. 

• Create jewelry
• Knit or crochet projects
• Make candles
• Make soaps
• Make Sugar Scrubs
• Make wreaths or garland from flowers, pine cones, vines and branches
• Paint watercolors to sell
• Sell wood crafts (especially during holiday seasons)
• Sew patterns and sell handmade items

Make Money From the Garden

People are always looking for fresh delicious produce.  Especially now with the focus on none GMO, organic living.  Why not grow produce that people will be lining up to purchase and even pick themselves.  

Whether you have a small garden or 10 acres, you can grow produce that you'll love and any excess can be sold to others who will enjoy and love it too.  But don't stop at produce, people are always in need of trees, flowers and compost.  

Think outside the box.  One great way to know what people will buy is to visit your local farmers market.  See what they are selling and what people are interested in buying.

• Grow feed for horses or cattle
• Grow pumpkins and gourds for holiday display or crafting
• Grow starter plants and sell them during planting season
• Plant a corn maze
• Plant and dry flowers for decor
• Plant, harvest and dry herbs
• Make and sell compost
• Sell Christmas Trees
• Sell cut flowers
• Sell seeds or seed bombs
• U-pick berry farm/sell berries
• U-Pick Corn
• U-Pick Fruit Trees like apples, pears and peaches
• U-Pick Pumpkin Patch

Make Money Working with Others

You don't have to do it alone!  Why not share your skills and work with other people to create your dreams.  You don't have to stay home 100% to make your dreams of working from home possible.  Think about how you can share, teach and inspire others.  That is when you'll start being successful.

• Have a produce stand
• Join your local farmers market
• Lease out unused acreage for small acreage farming
• Teach classes on planting, sewing or cooking

Make Money On the Computer

Yes, it does sound a little silly.  And yes, people do make money from home everyday right from their own computer.  But how?  What is your talent?  

Perhaps you need to create your own local website so people know you have a U-Pick patch.  Maybe you can create amazing watercolor paintings, open an Etsy shop.  Or write your own ebook on raising chickens and sell it to those who want to learn.  

Making money online can be a lucrative business for you and your family.

• Create an Etsy shop
• Sell digital products (like patterns, guides or ebooks)
• Take beautiful backyard photos and sell
• Start a website or blog

Now that you've written down your ideas of what to sell from your home, start selling.  But how you might say?

Start with friends and family.  Post on social media or email people.  You might even join a few Buy/Sell/Trade groups on Facebook in your area.  See if anyone might be interested.  You could also try sites like Craigslist and see what people respond.  

Remember for most people, success won't happen overnight.  You have to work, get your name out there and have great customer service.  But if you do these things, you'll have great customers for life.  And they'll share with those they know.