One thing that preppers are really good at is learning new skills for survival. But how many of us have ever tried earning an income from our knowledge? Forget about YouuTube, Patreon, and all those other internet headaches. Adding a home based business can supplement, and in some cases replace your pay check.
Selling Products
Experienced preppers produce goods. Growing produce, canning food, knitting warm mittens and scarves…these are just a few skills that could be put to work earning you cash. Over the years I’ve seen preppers open up online stores to sell soaps and salves, natural pet flea powder, and a lot of other homemade products.
Online stores are getting easier to set up with the tools provided by hosting providers. Once set up, it’s a matter of filling orders and collecting cash. They do cost a bit of money though, but it takes money to make money. We’re not talking about a huge investment here, your domain (website address) and hosting package (a place to run your website from) will cost you under $200 per year.
For those intimidated or inexperienced by the technology, local flea markets, farmers markets, church bazaars and the like are a good choice. Of course the time investment is greater, but the advantage is greater flexibility in what you can offer for wares. As an example, homemade jams or pickles are a great option for tabletop sales, but may not fair well being shipped out by mail or courier. These venues are often open on weekends and you can rent space for $5.00 to $20.00 on average for the day. A lot of communities have a Christmas Village set up in town for the holidays where you can rent a stall.
Selling Services
Offering services allows for customized sales. Blacksmithing is a great example. Many home blacksmiths offer standard fare such as coat hooks or candle holders, but will take orders for almost anything that can be forged from metal. Many also expand into knifesmithing.
A tree removal service is another popular choice for a prepper home business. This give the additional benefit of having a supply of firewood on hand for your own use or for selling. Combine this service with a small sawmill and you can also sell rough cut boards or larger beams that have become popular home decor items.
Teaching Others
Your skills are most likely transferable to others. Take advantage of this by offering classes or seminars either to groups or individuals. I’ve seen preppers open up archery ranges and offer lessons, range time and other fun events like archery tag. One prepper I know even opened up a very successful day camp for kids where he teaches basic bushcrafting and survival!
It doesn’t matter if you don’t create that home business that earns you millions, you can supplement your income and at least help pay for a few preps while becoming more self reliant.