Let’s say you’ve recently been coerced out of your job because of new company policies you’re not willing to comply with. Let’s also say that finding a job right now is impossible. It’s not that the positions aren’t out there; it’s just that every other company out there has recently instituted the same policy you are trying to escape. You’re now looking for a way to earn cash.
Sure, bartering for what you need is always an option, but you can’t barter for your mortgage. You can’t barter for your kid’s tuition. Bartering doesn’t pay your credit card bill.
What you need is cold, hard cash, and now, you’re seeking a way to provide that for your family without being placed at the mercy of tyrannical company policies.
What is one to do?
While this is by no means an inclusive list, here are some of my thoughts on what one could do to help with their family’s cash flow through modern-day America…
Leather work
I think that one of the key ways in which one can provide income for their family during such a time is to possess the ability to produce something that people want. Consider the large number of new first-time gun owners throughout America. Those people are going to need holsters. If you can be the guy churning out high-quality gear, you’re going to be able to make cash.
Consider that a purse is not only an item that will be carried about on a daily basis – gradually wearing out – but a high-quality purse is something a woman is more than happy to splurge on as well.
This is the thing about selling a product you’ve produced: your market is everywhere. You can make these items from the comfort of your home and then sell them to the entire world.
Lathe work
There’s a larger upfront expense to get started here, but somebody who knows their way around a lathe can make bowls, cups, candlesticks, Christmas ornaments, pens, tool handles, and more. I don’t see this being as profitable of a venture as some of the other items on this list, but if this is something you excel in, why not look at opening an Etsy shop and selling items through there?
Independent contractor
As an independent contractor, you truly are your own boss. And the cool thing about this is that there are a host of jobs you can make cash in as an independent contractor. Consider gas fireplaces. There are technicians out there who service these as independent contractors, and they’re in high demand.
Consider HVAC units. Those need repairs regularly. Can you clean? There are all kinds of houses out there that need extra help.
There are so many options here that it proves to be greatly encouraging once you begin to look into what’s out there. Other jobs under this umbrella would be tile installer, drywall hanger, chimney sweep, insulation sprayer, handyman, welder, brick mason, landscaping, and more.
(For more information on living in the brave new world, check out our free QUICKSTART Guide on starving the beast.)
Farming
I don’t mean full-size farming here (though that too is an option). I mean, can you find ways to drastically improve your food production around your place and then sell the produce? A relative of mine bought a packet of squash seed one summer, planted a host of them, and then sold bushels of squash to a nearby roadside fruit stand.
This was how he paid for his wedding ring. He sold squash throughout the summer, earning hundreds of dollars in the process.
That’s what I’m referring to here. Are there ways you can grow microgreens, lettuce, spinach, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, or some other form of produce at your place in mass amounts that people will be willing to pay for?
Become a guide
Do you enjoy fishing? Do you have a boat? Want to earn cash with it? Have you considered setting up your own guide business on the side? Perhaps you won’t be able to make a full-time income with this right off the bat, but this is an option that can create some very lucrative weekends for you.
In my experience, the best way to get into this is to begin regularly visiting the fishing stores in your area making friends with the owners. They are going to be where your customer base comes from.
Build furniture
Have plenty of tools and the know-how to make good-looking furniture? Why not turn to that? And stick with furniture here, not wall art. I don’t think the money is consistent with DIY wall art.
Instead, focus on quality furniture that you’ve tinkered with enough to make it look like it wasn’t done by a guy farting around with some 2x4s. Farmhouse-style furniture is in vogue right now, so this may be something to look into.
Consider cheaper furniture for college students in your area as well who want something a bit fancier than IKEA.
Arborist positions
I think you’d be hard-pressed to find an arborist who would force his employees to undergo medical procedures. Sure, it could happen; I just don’t think it would be as prevalent as the CEO of a factory.
The arborists I’ve seen earn cash like nobody’s business, they’re constantly in demand, and my understanding is that they’re always looking for more men. Something to think about…
Homemade lumberyard
I’m not sure what the exact title of these guys should be, but I’m referring to the guys who can make their own boards. An at-home lumber mill is relatively inexpensive, and you can make some very nice boards with it.
If you can get your hands on some poplar, cherry, oak, or other hardwoods, you can sell those wood slabs for a pretty penny too. You are going to have to have the space and time to dry your boards before you sell them (unless the customer is ok with unseasoned wood), but this is an option.
Move
Are there other states out there that don’t have the same policies in place as yours? Can voting with your feet make a difference here? I know this isn’t ideal – your family has roots in place already – but if nothing else seems to be an option, you really like the field you work in, and you want to remain in that field, moving to a state which allows you to do so may be your only option here.
Trapping and selling skins
Not a super lucrative option here, but something to think about. If you do a lot of hunting or trapping already, why not put a bit more money into your trap line and up your fur output? There’s still a market for furs, and you can help to pay off some bills this way – particularly if you can get friends’ permission to trap on their properties as well.
This is largely seasonal, though, so you’re not bound to be able to do this more than part-time.
Opening a fishing pond
I think this is somewhat hit or miss as an option. I know guys who have opened man-made trout-stocked fishing ponds and done fantastic. Granddads bring their grandsons there every day to make memories. I also know of other guys who’ve opened ponds and haven’t seen as fantastic of results.
Both still make money, but location does matter here. Either way, though, guys who like to fish get addicted, and this is a good way to make money selling well-fed, caught fish (no catch and release!) by the pound.
Trucking
You’ll have to get your CDL to do this, but you can start your own trucking company as well. I’ve had relatives do this too. You get your paperwork in order, buy a trailer, and start hauling new cars, dry goods, or whatever else throughout your state for people.
From my understanding, there’s much less of a headache if you stick to doing runs in your own state. You’ll need a truck with good hauling capability already to do this (and not necessarily a semi either), but this is a way to maintain your freedom as you earn cash.
There are alternatives to earn cash outside of an 8-5 day job.
I’m not really sure why my country is letting itself rot from the inside out, but it’s happening. Good people are losing their jobs as a result, and I hate watching this happen. For those who currently find themselves in a financially difficult situation, I hope that the above words have provided some encouragement.
It’s not entirely hopeless, there are other options out there, but they most certainly do take work.
What are your thoughts, though? Are there other alternative routes to earn cash here you think would work? Are there issues you foresee with any of my recommendations I didn’t cover? Let us know in the comments below.
About Aden
Aden Tate is a regular contributor to TheOrganicPrepper.com and TheFrugalite.com. Aden runs a micro-farm where he raises dairy goats, a pig, honeybees, meat chickens, laying chickens, tomatoes, mushrooms, and greens. Aden has two published books, The Faithful Prepper and Zombie Choices. You can find his podcast The Last American on Preppers’ Broadcasting Network.
“You’ll have to get your CDL to do this, but you can start your own trucking company as well. ”
You need more than just a CDL if you’re going to do this right. I drove a semi for about a year. You really don’t know what you’re doing until you’ve driven for a while. Trip planning (route, weather issues, avoiding traffic, not going under low clearances where you’re likely to destroy either a bridge or the trailer, etc.), acquiring loads, hiring lumpers (people who load/unload your trailer unless you’re built like a linebacker yourself), handling breakdowns, etc. All that knowledge only comes with experience, so you’re better off driving for a company for a year or two first. Oh, and did I mention that you need to either know yourself or hire someone who can do the office work? Things like, oh, say, bookkeeping, initiating and maintaining contact with companies who will actually give you loads to haul, handling insurance, etc. There’s a lot more to it than just driving, that’s the easy part (as long as you can read low clearance signs).
Amen to that. And don’t forget about the truck itself. Think anyone has a running example up to inspection standards just sitting around waiting to be driven? Also, maintenance costs, fuel, insurance, license/tags…on and on. It’s EXPENSIVE to run a truck, not to mention buying one in safe operating condition. Trailers? 10 to 50 grand, used. The truck itself will run anywhere from 20-140 grand USED. If someone is newly out of a job and has a spare 200k laying around, I’d say they’re doing ok already.
How about tutoring children? I used to homeschool mine and I learned a thing or two about low cost educational strategies. The thing is though, not every parent is gifted or interested in every subject. I’m not sure yet if I’ll go ahead and do this, but as I watch many parents struggling with the state of the government schools, I’ve wondered if I could pick up one of the curricula I used to use and provide tutoring. I was thinking about, perhaps, investing in a subject that I am credentialed in so that I have credibility. I have an idea that parents might appreciate working with me as they would have the oversight, themselves, of what I was doing. Even a modest charge, if paid by several people would probably pay me more than my current corporate job on an hourly basis.
This is a really nice list and gives a lot of food for thought – and hopefully action. I’m glad you didn’t include selling online as an option. I was doing very well at that. But it all dried up last year when we got a new president. Maybe liquidating your own extra stuff would still be fine, but trying to make a business of it is not working any more. Thanks for so many good articles .
My comment is yes, yes, yes! We are retired and trying to build a house with a basement in the mountains of north GA. Both of us have some skills in building, gardening and homesteading and we are able to do some work ourselves, but at age 73, we do not have the strength and stamina to do all of this ourselves. We have found it very, very, very difficult to find licensed contractors. I am a retired teacher and found teaching before 2001 quite fulfilling, but I would not encourage any young lady to go into teaching today – too much stress!!! Although I grew up in a family of builders, in 1967, no one suggested to me that I might be able to learn how to survey or be a building inspector. Both would be occupations that women could do while raising a family. After I was divorced, and retired, and before I remarried, I took care of the elderly in my home or went to their homes. There are all kinds of day care for children available, but eldercare is almost non existent. I also learned how to train dogs to be companion dogs for the elderly.
If you already are homesteading or well acquainted with livestock there are a few options.
-Incubating eggs and selling chicks or offering it as a service to those who want to hatch their own eggs without the hassle
– raising quail and selling the birds or eggs. Quail can even be raised in a garage in an HOA situation
– working with a dairy and bottle raising their replacement heifers
– if you have space, raising your own meat. I work with friends and family members to raise beef, pork, and chicken. They pay me a monthly fee, I raised the animals because I have the space and knowledge, and they pay for their portion of butcher fees at the end.
None of these ideas are huge money makers, but sometimes it’s just a few things that will add up to keeping you afloat.
Most of these jobs will not supply as much income as most mid level corporate job or specialty trained jobs, such as nurses. It will also require several months or more of training before you can actually make much money in them.
Most people in this situation right now are also way over their heads in bills. So expect a lot of pain and a much reduced income on the other end.
Most of the jobs listed above require you to basically be your own boss and not everyone is comfortable in doing that.
Another option is in looking out of state for employment. Companies tend to locate in states that fit their basic Ideologies. Blue companies tend to locate in Blue states, Red companies in Red States.
So relocation might be the perfect option.
However downsizing your life or revamping your lifestyle is not always a “bad” thing in the long run. You may gain financial stability and a new lifestyle that is more relaxed and less burdensome.
I retired at the end of last year, partially because of the threat of vax mandate pressure on my company. Social Security is starting to come in, which keeps the finances upright, but boredom and lack of work have got me more interested in contracting projects in the neighborhood. I’ve worked a couple days a week with my neighbor down the road on a variety of construction, demolition and rehabs. It’s interesting work, gets me outside and exercising (moving 75lb sheets of OSB is better than kettlebells any day), and helps balance the cost of his labor when he’s working on projects at my place. I’m learning by doing and contributing to the community, which should pay dividends in the long run, SHTF or not.
I have a friend who was a skilled custom carpenter/contractor for years. He had a few injuries that slowed him down, but he kept at it, selecting jobs that he could do well, and has a good reputation for excellent work. As he has aged, he has begun consulting with friends and neighbors advising them on how to do the jobs themselves, or giving them plans that they can find someone else to do, and if necessary checking in to be sure they are getting the jobs done right. He assures me that he and his family are comfortable and confident they can manage whatever is up the road.
Most of the suggested income earning work so far precedes the shift to a partly digital economy, but would be easily recognizeable in a 1950s economy. There are all kinds of digital or technological work that take some learning and time to acquire — but that are often portable … meaning such work could often be done in other states, done as nomads on the road (think modern gypsies), or even from other countries (should such a move like that be necessary).
Most of my ancestors who came to this country were fleeing wars, trashed economies, or flat-out tyranny. Are we the first generation in history to be denied that historic option if it should be needed?
[Historical note: Europeans were the people who gave the gypsies that name after spending some generations living in EGYPt on their way from Southern Asia.]
We are seeing government intervention wreck medical care by causing skyrocketing costs, mandating disability or death causing procedures, and making open war on safe proven methods that work. FDA, for example, just coerced the US Post Office into confiscating and destroying any ivermectin or HCQ that was ordered from overseas pharmacies … while relatives have recently had to sneak such medicines into US hospitals to save their loved ones’ lives because those hospitals are now forbidding such Covid remedies.
There are even reports of selectively extra-deadly Covid vaccines being shipped to the more conservative (aka “red”) states in what looks like directed genocidal bio-warfare.
At the same time, mandatory vaccines that cause autism in children or sterility in adulthood pose the threat of a country losing its fitness as a place to raise future generations. There is even a threat in some regions to use Child Protective Services to steal children away from their parents who refuse to comply with government demands.
So while remembering how gypsies got that name as the result of fleeing their ancient homelands, what name do you suppose might eventually be given to disgusted but prepper minded Americans who might be forced to become this generation’s fleeing “gypsies” who hopefully could bring alone portable income generating skills for this rapidly evolving digital age?
–Lewis
It’s always about money. HCQ and IVM (safe, proven AND cheap) make no money for pharma. Did you know that in the 1950s Prof. Carroll Quigley could see ahead toward today and wrote a book, “Tragedy and Hope”. Part of a long sentence “to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole.” Prof. Quigley once taught Bill Clinton. Did you know that corporate America is owned by Blackrock and Vanguard. They invest in each other and pharmaceuticals?? They are in control.
Big pharma makes countries sign a contract with all the “benefits” go to pharma and all the risk to the country. Even if a cure is found, it will not be allowed–you signed a contract. If there is a lawsuit–guess who pays for the big pharmas attorney?? If the country refuses, the presidents mysteriously disappear, like the pres. of Haity and 2 more in Africa.
COVID is just the beginning of getting us trained to obey. I’m grandma age, but I feel sorry for the kids. They will not have a good future unless we have a divine miracle. Folks, get your stuff in order. Love your family, friends, neighbors. EVERY day is Special–make it count!! No Regrets.
I should add what my hubby has been doing to add to the “multiple streams of income.” He fixes stuff: small items, wood pieces, etc. He does some for an antique dealer. Seems not many people are even handy enough to turn a screw driver these days. He loves puttering in the shop, so this fit nicely into his life. He stays away from anything electrical because of possible liability. I have helped him with anything more “female” like when fabric needs a little sewing or just sprucing up.
A subject near and dear to my heart since having to retire on disability due to a chronic debilitating disease. That $1300/month doesn’t go very far. So I do a little welding/machining on the side, some home repair work, leather work, and give music lessons.
It helps, one problem I have is not knowing day to day how I’m going to do. This is more of an issue with tasks that require physical labor, and its gotten worse. With the current state of the economy, that work is coming in less and less, as people scramble to get by.
All one can do, is keep plugging away at life.
This may not be creative or very exciting, but delivery services are doing very nicely these days. Lots of subcontracting for overwhelmed companies. May be only short term but it’ll take care of some bills while transitioning. One of our kiddos is supplementing their income this way with 2 hours a day pulling in a couple 100 bucks. Sometimes more.
I recently published a small book entitled “Prepper’s Guide to Wealth.” It contains a section on barter and, within barter, sections on barter GOODS and barter SKILLS. Here’s the section on skills. Maybe it will help.
. . . making soap; home canning of vegetables and meat; gardening (knowing how to grow vegetables); growing onion sets or seed potatoes; auto & tractor repair; knowing how to file income tax returns; house painting; carpentry; dog training; hatching chicks; milking cows by hand; sheep shearing; cutting hay with a grass scythe; saving open-pollinated vegetable seeds; foraging for wild food; skinning and cleaning fish and game; grinding flour (by hand or powered with a treadmill); sewing (by hand or with an electric machine or with a treadle machine); darning socks; knitting (by hand and/or with a machine); cutting firewood; making barrel stoves; building Russian fireplaces; capturing energy (generators, windmills, solar panels, treadmills); eyeglass repair; building a privy; ammo reloading; riding shotgun or being a bodyguard; preparing houses to withstand attack; providing taxi service or trucking service; piloting (flying); driving (a car, tractor, horse); bike repair (pedal bikes, electric bikes, motor bikes, motorcycles, scooters); sending messages via shortwave radio; tutoring “new math”; teaching 3R’s to children; teaching music; teaching dance; teaching drawing; advising on statistics; saw sharpening, setting-up and administering a barter club; barbering; babysitting; welding; locksmithing; small engine repair; building root cellars, barns, chicken coops; repairing electronics; shoe repair.
https://www.amazon.com/Preppers-Guide-Wealth-Crypto-Gold-Barter-Understanding/dp/0997022841/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1644109044&sr=1-1
Ron, I looked up your book on Amazon and found mention of your video on how to convert a gas lantern to kerosene. I discovered that the URL cited on Amazon is currently missing. So I searched on YouTube and found it plus related info. See below
Converting a Gas Lantern to Kerosene
per this 11:12 minute video, from Ron Brown on 9 Nov 2012:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifpvKE-2Uxk
Plus gear lists and source links in the Description.
Plus suggested related YT videos.
Plus 240 comments.
–Lewis
Lewis, thank you so much for your interest. But we’ve drifted quite a ways off-topic here, eh? (I suspect the missing URL you’re referring to was for a book I published on CD. Readers loved the content but hated the CD format. CD’s were dead and dying.)
But perhaps the lighting-and-lantern theme is not off-topic after all. Lighting-and-lanterns can indeed relate to saleable skills. You could make and sell candles, for example. Or fix lanterns that customers brought in for repair. Or buy used lanterns, repair them, and sell them on eBay.
Tip on the eBay thing. Never sell “as is.” Always sell as “working.” And show a picture of your lamp or lantern in operation (glowing brightly). It bumps up the price.
Thanks again for your time and interest.
Great Article, Aden. With regard to farming, I would add working on a farm as a farm hand. Most of the dairy operations in this area cannot find and keep good employees (this is Eastern Ontario, Canaada). Pay is higher than minimum wage. Many of these farms are within easy driving distance of the nearest city of population 120,000, so you could live in an urban area, if you like, and work rurally (most folks do the opposite commute, but there you go).
So far, I have heard of no mandates on the local farms. All will train people with NO farming experience. You need to be ready to work hard, shovel manure, and show up for your shifts. But LITERALLY you can write your own ticket with this work and you will never be out of work a day of your life as long as you can manage it. I’m a 52 year old woman working in dairy. My supervisor is a 60 year old woman. Dairy production is an essential service, here, too, so there were no work interruptions during lockdowns.
If you’re interested, look in your local want ads and online job advertisements like Indeed. Otherwise, just drive out of your own city into the rural area and find a dairy operation. Stop by and ask if they’re looking for workers. If that farm isn’t, chances are he or she knows who’s hiring in the area. Wishing everyone the best of luck!
“Have Welder – Will Travel” sounds like an idea. You could do this locally or cover a certain distance. A welder and pickup truck or van would make things very portable for you.