12 ways to save money on your homestead or smallholding. Here are some projects that I have done that have saved me a lot of money. Half of the effort is changing your mindset and resisting the urge to buy new out of convenience!
Share wormers and vaccines
Buy bulk wormers and vaccines and share amongst neighbors, you’re likely to be affected by the same internal parasites geographically. Same with vaccines- these are often sold in packages of 125 doses and only last 6 weeks in the fridge. If you only have a small flock or herd, this will be a waste. Be organized and arrange to share it with your neighbors for either payment or barter for their skills or time. Just check that it’s not illegal in your area to trade animal medicines, make sure that packaging is clearly labelled and not transferred out of the original bottle.
Barter
We love bartering with neighbors! Once, we had some old greenhouses that the neighbor wanted. I didn’t know what to do with them, they’d blown over in the wind and had damaged covers. Our neighbor really wanted them, so we managed to trade something we no longer wanted for all the winter feed we needed! Win-win! You might have some old drums, feed containers or equipment lying around that you don’t need. It could be just what a neighbor or friend is looking for!
Use what you have
It is all too tempting to go out and buy new timber for projects- but if you look around on your farm, you probably have enough lying around. Like most people, we inherited a lot of iron and timber when we bought our farm and have slowly made it our mission to use it all up. We built a mega-sturdy chicken coop to withstand the high winds we get here, from off-cuts from fencing timber.
I re-used some old gates for livestock, re-furbished some old stools and here’s the chicken coop that we made.
Growing your own food and storing it for winter
This is important as you will have a glut in summer and then nothing for the other three seasons! Spend time learning how to store different fruits, vegetables, grains and meats- invest in a good dehydrator, chest freezer and preserving bottles! I detail this more in this post. You can usually pick up preserving bottles at a local op-shop, or recycling station, or recycle your own glass jars with metal lids.
Make your own firewood and fire starters.
We are lucky enough to have inherited a lot of trees. And hedges. And trees that were probably supposed to be hedges but never got hedged. These ones in particular have large branches that hang out over roads and paths that need trimming= free firewood! Invest in a good chainsaw, sharpener and a course on how to safely use and maintain one. Local chainsaw shops, and some home improvement stores usually run “chainsaw” nights for free or low-cost. They even do ladies-only ones if you’d prefer, which can be great for building confidence.
I collect pine cones in summer and fall for ready-made fire-starters. I also invested in a kindling chopper for the kids to use. It is super safe and allows them to be helpful while making kindling! You could also store toilet paper rolls, or make small briquettes out of cardboard and newspaper. Here’s the instructions to the hand-press briquette maker I have used myself. I used short pieces of PVC pipe to shape the briquettes. I actually used it to make rabbit food, but that’s a story for another day. Another fire starter idea is drying and storing grasses and tree leaves like the cabbage-tree leaf. I have found this to be smoky though, so only use this method for outdoor fires.
Make your own food staples
We make our own baking (sweet treats), sorbet, crackers, bread, pasta, yoghurt, cordials, cooking sauces, dips, dressings, mayonnaise and stock. This is to use what we have growing in the garden, and not waste anything, but also to reduce plastic consumption. I’ll be honest- it doesn’t really save money when you factor in the time it takes to make each thing, but they taste way better!
The yoghurt and mayonnaise are the most cost effective and will actually save you money. You will save even more with a sheep or goat to milk, I just haven’t found one that tastes nice enough yet. I still have to buy tomato sauce and passata, because we haven’t yet had a big enough tomato crop to make our own and we can buy them for $2-3 or so. The best way to start incorporating this into your lifestyle is to get a few recipes that are versatile (i.e. can make a loaf, baguette and buns) and get familiar with them. Very soon it will become part of your day.
Make your own compost and save seeds
This is a biggie- potting mix and compost are bagged in plastic, made of god-knows-what, and cost a lot! If you are growing produce for your home then you will go through a lot of compost and seed-raising mix. There is a lot of info out there on mediums and mixes and ingredients such as wood chips, food scraps, vermicasts, and leaf litter. You can save a lot of money firstly by growing from seed, and also sourcing those seeds for free. You can save these yourself from previous harvests or swap with friends, neighbors or at a seed swap station. We have 3 big compost bins and use a fungal starter like a less damp bokashi system.
Make own clothes and bedding
I buy towels and bedding from op shops- think high quality Nana’s guest towels that sat at the back of the linen cupboard and were never used. Use your eyes and nose when shopping and don’t buy anything of low-quality. Our dog despises being left alone and told us this in no uncertain terms by ripping up our bedding. Our very expensive new bedding. She did this about five times, on different beds, on different days. She would go weeks without destroying it. But someone would leave their bedroom door open when we went out and then we’d find shredded linen. I was so over it! I vowed to never buy new linen again. In future I would buy second-hand or make it myself. If I can buy good quality cotton sheets for $2 instead of $200 why wouldn’t I?
I had spare wool that I washed and carded into batts, that I used to make duvets for the children. For the outer layer I used a simple calico fabric and it cost a fraction of a new one. I also love that they are now sleeping in something plastic-free and organic.
There are many free patterns on the internet and in op-shops so that I never have to buy new. I prefer to make my own clothes as I know where they’ve come from, they feel high-quality, and they last a long time. These days, cheap clothes are made cheap for a reason and don’t last. Not to mention you don’t know what conditions they were made in or what they’re even made of. I’m a beginner at sewing, but with the help of youtube videos I can teach myself.
Don’t waste money on self-care
Do you have a neighbor who is a hairdresser? Could you swap child-minding for a hair cut? Could you cut your own hair? Save money by not getting your nails done- it is bad for your health and lasts two seconds on a farm! You can sew your own organic cotton reusable face masks and make your own facial products- there are lots of recipes all over the internet. I will try these soon! I have been making my own soap and deodorant for years now and it is very easy and stress-free. To mix it up, I use home made, home grown calendula oil which is great for cleansing skin, and I can add rose oil or home grown saffron for a bit of color and scent.
Save power
There are plenty of ways to save power, and are easy to put into practice. I was horrified that my father in law who lives alone generated a $400 monthly power bill, and our family of five are lucky to get to $250 a month. I realized quickly when looking around his home that he leaves a lot of lights on, and leaves things like TVs and radios on at the wall when not in use. We turn everything off when not in use. You could also generate your own power with solar, hydro, wind, or biogas to be more self-sufficient. Encourage everyone to take 2 minute showers- use an hourglass so children know when their time is up.
Use a broody hen to hatch eggs- I learned this the hard way! We had eggs in the incubator at day 18 and had a 24 hour power cut. Unfortunately very common here with high winds. Fortunately I had a clucky wee chook and she took on 14 eggs like a champ! In fact, she was the happiest chook for the next two months!
Save on fuel
Walk, bike, and make necessary trips only in the car. I now have an electric car so I feel even better about the trips I make. I have always been pretty good at combining errands into one trip because we live rurally and any trip we make will take a whole afternoon. Heat your house with a super-efficient log burner and put on socks and a jersey. We are blessed to live in a highly-insulated passive house so it is warm even on a cold day and stays cool-ish on a hot day, so we reserve the log burner for the very cold nights and mornings when the socks and jerseys just aren’t enough.
Buy quality items that will last
I’m a big fan of cast iron cookware, if you look after them, they will last forever. I also like to buy proper wooden furniture-. I find great pieces at antique shops where you can haggle the price a bit. They just don’t make furniture like that these days. Or if they do, it costs thousands of dollars. I hate buying cheap mdf type furniture so we often make our own. We made our dining table and office desk out of reclaimed wood. I love wooden furniture for the sheer workmanship involved. I have this beautiful mid-century beech dresser for one of the kids that I was given by a family member. A quick sand and varnish and she looks great!
