Homesteading on a budget can be difficult when you are trying to rush and get your homestead to the end result you have in mind. While Craigslist is no secret it can be a great tool for your toolbox when you are attempting to build your homestead on a small budget and can help make your dreams become a reality. We have had great success using Craigslist here at Forever and Always Homestead and know it can help you too.
How Can Craigslist Help Your Homesteading Adventure?
One of our the daily routines is to check the Craigslist free section. We are constantly looking for free pallets and other building supplies we need for the many projects around the homestead. If you don’t already know you will learn quickly there is always something that needs to be built or repaired on a homestead. Over the time we have been watching Craigslist we have seen many items being offered for free or at great prices. Some items we routinely see on Craigslist for free is pallets (the DIYers best-friend), scrap building materials, animals (such as chickens, rabbits, and goats), plants, and animal housing. We even saw a free trailer once and you know it went very quickly. It seems if you wait long enough you will most likely find whatever you need for free from Craigslist. After a quick check today in the Raleigh, NC area there are a number of free roosters, free firewood, a free dog crate (great when you need to transport some animals), free wood chips and mulch for your garden beds, and a free dog house. As you can see in one days quick search there are many things available. Even if you don’t make it a daily routine I would highly recommend periodically checking it at the minimum.
Our great Craigslist Finds
We have found some great finds not to include all the pallets we have got. Our most recent find was 14 laying hens for $40. It was a mixed flock of some beautiful birds and for $40 we could not pass it up. A little while back we found approximately 300 ft of welded wire fencing and 50 plus t-posts for free. The only catch for the fencing was we had to take it down. It took less than two hours and I had 300 ft of fencing and the t-posts loaded in the back of my truck. While you do not find big scores everyday when you do it makes looking for a few minutes everyday well worth it.
Other Ways We Use Craigslist
We use Craigslist for more than just finding new things for our homestead. We also use it to sell used items as well as help advertise our hatchery and our homestead. When homesteading you will want to eliminate as much waste as possible. One way to do this is to sell things that are no longer need and you can not find other uses for. Remember ever dollar matters.
As your homestead begins to grow you will most likely and hopefully begin producing more than you need and are able to sell or barter with your surplus goods. Whether you place an ad for a small farm stand you have set up, post chickens you have raised in the farm and garden section or the goat milk soap you have began to make it will help people find you and grow your customer network.
We would love to hear about your big scores and other ways you or your homestead uses Craigslist so please tell us about it in the comment section below.
