By Yolan
Working remotely in the country This question is quite common and very valid.

I know of several people personally who would like to relocate to the country but have stopped short of making the actual move, partially because of this question. How does a person sustain themselves while living in the middle of nowhere? Even though remote work has ramped up in recent years, there are still a lot of employers that don't offer that as an option to their employees. And there are some vocations that can't be done remotely.

So what can one do? We all have bills to pay and need to put food on the table. I can assure you that I don't have all the answers, but I will try to give some practical suggestions.

I'm going to list them in 3 sections. The first will be for those needing money now. The second will be for those who are looking for a steady income stream over time. And the third will be for those who have some breathing room and can invest time and resources into solutions that will take longer to develop.

Let's get to it:

I Need Money Now!

  1. Sell old jewelry
    At the time of the writing of this article (September 2024), gold is at all-time highs. This is good and bad. Good for those who own gold, but a bad sign that the currency is losing value. Basic economics here, the value of gold does not change so if we have to use more dollars to get the same amount of gold, that means the dollar is worth less and less. So, if you own anything made out of precious metals that you don't have a need for (ie. class rings, necklaces, earrings, etc) sell it! You can't eat your class ring (or at least I would not recommend it). This will help you to get quick cash now.
  2. Sell old anything
    I remember some years back being in a really tight financial bind and needing funds pretty badly. I had some old Veggie Tales videos (yes I used to watch Veggie Tales as an adult lol) that I posted to Craigslist. Lo and behold, I found a buyer! I met her in a Costco parking lot (be sure when making personal sales like this to meet the individual in a well-travelled public place), and sold her the DVDs. If you have just one-off stuff like this to sell, go for it, just be cautious.
  3. Have a garage sale
    If you have a lot of old stuff to sell, a garage sale is the way to go. Its no secret that inflation is getting out of control (despite what certain entities would like us to believe). If you doubt this, pop into your local grocery store and you'll become a believer. Who isn't looking for a deal these days? Go through your garage or wherever you store your extra stuff and down-size! Sell it and get a little extra change in your pocket as well as a lot of extra space on your homestead.
  4. Sell plants from your garden
    Do you have a garden? I sure hope so! If you do and you've planted more than you need, dig up some of those extra veggies, transplant them to pots, and head down to your local community shindig and sell them. We have something out here where anyone can go and freely setup a table to sell stuff. A lot of people want to garden but don't want to start from seed. These folks will willingly buy your plants if they're reasonably priced and healthy.
  5. This is surprisingly easy to do. It only takes a little over a week from the time you plant, to harvest the microgreens. You can take these as well down to your local community spot or farmers market and sell them. They can be kind of pricey in the store so if you can sell them more reasonably, you could do well. They are also extremely healthy which is appealing to more and more people nowadays.

    Here's a good beginners video from Donny Greens on how to get started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFPf54eCuB4
  6. Flip thrift store merchandise
    I heard of a guy who buys used items from thrift stores at low prices and then resells them for a profit. You can try this as well and sell them through Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, etc.

I Need Steady Work over the long run

  1. Shane Hummus Added 02/10/25
    Shane Hummus has over one million subscribers on Youtube and posts new videos several times a week highlighting legitimate, well-paying, remote jobs that don't require a college degree or even previous experience. If you're looking for work, you should probably considering subscribing to his channel.
  2. Eventhough this has been around for a while, I just learned about it relatively recently. Only remote, work from home jobs are posted here and they are all legitimate from my understanding. New jobs are posted on a steady basis, if not daily. I'd recommend checking it out and bookmarking the site.
  3. Delilah Bell has a Youtube channel where literally, Monday - Friday, she posts legitimate remote work job openings that are available now. I would highly recommend subscribing to her channel so that you can be notified whenever she posts a new listing.
  4. Some friends from church (Ernie and family) shared with us what they did when they first moved to the country. They both left good jobs to relocate their family away from the city (smart move). They signed up with an organization called VIP Teachers to provide online tutoring. To do this you would of course need a computer and a decent internet connection along with a webcam and microphone. Here is the link for more information ... please note that this is a referral link for our friend Ernie so if you sign up and get accepted, it will help him and his family.
  5. A couple of my cousins have been working for a company called LiveOps for some years now. Again you would need a computer, with a decent internet connection. You choose your own schedule and you also can choose which jobs you want to take.
  6. I really like reddit ... you can find subreddits on just about anything. If you're looking for remote work, the RemoteJobs subreddit is a good place to checkout. If you create a reddit account you can get notifications whenever something new is posted there. The good thing about this subreddit is that all the jobs posted there are ones that are for at least a 6 month term. So if you're looking for something a bit more steady than seasonal or short-term temp jobs, give it a browse.
  7. Upwork.com is a website for people seeking side work, generally small projects. I have used this site myself although its been some years since I've done it. You most likely won't get rich from it but it could potentially help to generate an additional income stream.
  8. Fiverr.com is a lot like Upwork. I have used this site as well but again, its been some years. Last I remember, you can make some decent change here if you build up a good work history and get good ratings and reviews. I believe that its free to sign-up.
  9. Have you ever considered becoming a voice over artist? This is a person who basically reads scripts for commercials, manuals, audio books, etc. Bear in mind that AI is definitely moving into this space but there is still work out there for actual real people. Some companies do prefer a real person for this.

    A good website to check out is Voices.com. You can create a profile for yourself with voice samples and apply for jobs there. I believe that its free to sign up. All you really need is a good microphone and a coat closet or a quiet room to use as a sound booth. Many smartphones have very good microphones in them already so that may suffice. You may want to learn how to use audio editing tools though. There are free ones online. One that I recommend and have used extensively is called Audacity.
  10. Use your truck or trailer to haul stuff for people for a fee
    Do you own a truck and / or trailer? If so, post an ad in your community paper that you will haul stuff to the dump for a set fee. I met a guy who did this. Him and his little boy put their truck and trailer to work and were earning an income. Everyone that lives in the country doesn't own a truck but generally many people need stuff hauled to the dump at some point or another.
  11. Use your tools or equipment to clear land for a fee
    Do you own a chainsaw, sawzall, backhoe, or any kind of clearing equipment? If so, again, put an ad in your local paper that you will clear land for a fee. There are a lot of new country land owners who are fresh from the city and have absolutely no clearing equipment at all. They will likely need someone who can do that for them at a reasonable price.
  12. Try dog-sitting
    One thing that a lot of people have in the country are dogs. They're almost a necessity as they not only provide companionship but also, security. The downside though is that if you have to go out of town, its hard to find someone to watch your pet. Back to your community paper ... post an ad there offering your services as a dog-sitter. People are very protective of their pets so you'll need to build up a good reputation to keep a steady clientele.
  13. Try house-sitting
    Finding someone to watch your home when you live in the city is probably not that hard (finding someone you trust is a different story though). But when you live in the middle of nowhere, that changes. If you can prove yourself to be an honest and trust-worthy person, this could work for you. Keep in mind though that house-sitting in the country could probably also entail looking after one or more animals. Run an ad in your local paper and see if there is any interest for such services.
  14. Clean houses
    Again, post an ad in your community paper and give this a try. Or you can directly call businesses and see if they need any cleaning work done. It might be better to go after businesses than residential. I have friends that run their own cleaning business and companies are much more reliable in paying on time than regular individuals. Churches are good places to call and check as well.

I need to generate an income but have got time to develop an idea

  1. We have one that we are selling our t-shirts through as well as other items. Find a niche that works for you and give it a try. You can sell pet clothing (people spend a lot of money on their pets). Printables. Homemade soaps. Essential oils. The possibilities are endless. With Etsy you pay a small fee per listing (I think its something like 20 cents) and a small transaction fee for each sale you make. So it doesn't break the bank at all to give it a try.
  2. The way this works is you basically upload designs for t-shirts and they will appear on Amazon's website and in their search. When a shirt sells, Amazon pays you. They handle the fulfillment, returns, etc. You really don't do much but collect the proceeds of your sales. Granted, Amazon takes the lion's share of the profits but its a good passive income stream that doesn't cost you any money. We're currently selling our Garden Assassin T-shirts through there. Bear in mind that everyone doesn't get accepted. It's worth applying though.
  3. Become a social media influencer
    This definitely takes time. You have to decide what space you want to specialize in. Health is a good one. Gardening is another. Do some research and find out what works for you. Make sure its something that you have at least some interest in as that will make it far more enjoyable. Once you have reached a certain number of followers or subscribers, you will be approached by people or companies who will pay you to promote their stuff. I personally know a couple of people who were able to leave their full-time employment and sustain themselves from their 'influencer' income.
  4. Launch a blog
    You might be wondering how an income can be generated from doing this. Well basically it comes down to affiliate links and sales. Below I've included a section from our Disclaimer and Privacy Policy page:

    What's an affiliate link?
    In plain terms, this is basically a link to a product on a supplier's website (like for example, Amazon). When a person clicks on the link and makes a purchase, we would recieve a small commission from that purchase.
    Does clicking an affiliate link affect the price of things?
    No it doesn't. All that happens is that the vendor gives us a small commission for driving a customer to their website.
    So then, why should I care?
    In the past, people have abused affiliate links to the point where it became necessary to require affiliates to give a heads up to site visitors when such links are being used.
    What's the benefit?
    Well nothing changes on your end. There is a small monetary benefit for us which helps us to offset our costs and generate a small income to help us function. Every little bit helps, so clicking the link and making a purchase definitely helps us out and we greatly appreciate it.

    Hopefully that clarifies things a bit. As stated elswhere on our site, we follow Will Prowse on YouTube. He specializes in solar and we've learned a lot from him. He posts affiliate links with his youtube videos and makes upwards of $30k per month! Wow. I'll assure you, we're not making anything like that. At least, not unless we're dreaming. We haven't made 35 cents on this blog to be honest. We're just starting out though.

    Now starting a blog does require a bit more technical know-how than the other options. The reasons for us launching this one are two-fold. One, its a great way to keep family and friends updated on the crazy stuff that we're doing out here. And two, we hope that it will become an income stream. Not just through the affiliate links but also with our t-shirts. If you have time and are resourceful and a decent writer, you may want to try starting your own blog.

The Impact of AI

There was a time when AI was fodder for some sort of science fiction movie. Those days are long gone. AI must be taken into consideration as it's increasingly obvious that it's eliminating a mounting number of jobs on a regular basis. For example, I would have added transcription work as an option above but I decided not to because I know that AI is now being used on an increasing basis for this. Even the voice work option that I listed will likely be removed at some point as AI takes it over. We will have to pray much and think outside of the box more. These are different times and thus call for different means of sustaining a viable livelihood.

One Last Thing

Now before I go, there is something that I want to point out about these lists. If you'll notice, the vast majority of what I've suggested involves buying and selling either goods or services. Commerce. Capitalism. I'm emphasizing that because capitalism has been demonized lately as if it is something inherently evil. The free-market is how folks have been sustaining themselves for millenia. The erroneous and deeply flawed belief that some benevolent government entity will or even should take care of us, needs to be tossed out of the window or we will be in for a very rude awakening. The best bet for each of us aside from prayer and drawing close to our Heavenly Father, is to become as self-sufficient as possible and pull together as neighbors and communities to help each other. Just my two cents ...

I will try to make this a growing list and update it as I learn of new things. Please do share your ideas or what you have done or are doing, in the comments below. I really, really hope that this information has been helpful to you! It's an awful feeling to not be able to sustain yourself or meet your basic needs or those of your family. Please do post a comment if you find success with anything listed here or share whatever helpful information you can with the community. I'm sure that someone will appreciate it.

God's blessings to you!