How to Make Money Without Ever Leaving Your Backyard

These two women learned you can make money from home in the most unique (and easy!) ways, with resources you already have.

“I earn up to $75 for each garden photo I take!”

“As an avid gardener, my yard is packed with plants, flowers and vegetables. I’m also passionate about photography and take photos of everything I grow in my garden, as well as animals, birds and even peacocks that come through my yard. When a friend told me about Shutterstock.com, a stock photography site where you can sell your photos, I decided to give it a try. “All I had to do was create a profile on the site and submit 10 photos, along with search keywords so people could find them. Shutterstock approved seven to be listed for sale. At first, I made a small amount of money, but when I hit thresholds like $500 and $3,000, I moved up a level and made more. I can also make more money when people purchase photos under different types of plans, such as when a client needs an image for mass production (reproduced more than 250,000 times). The pay varies, but I’ve made up to $75 per photo. The money I make is invested for my grandson’s education.

“I try to upload five to six images a week. It’s so exciting to see photos I’ve sold in books, magazines and online. I even once found one framed on the wall of a hotel I was staying at!”

“I make $600 a month selling goat-milk skin care!”

“In 2013, I left my job as a probation officer after suffering a back injury. We had turned our property into a farm/homestead, which includes goats whose milk we used as an alternative to cow’s milk. I had an abundance of the milk and started to freeze it. Goat’s milk contains lactic acid, vitamin A and other minerals, making it extremely soothing for dry skin and eczema, so I decided to make soap and lotion from the extra milk and sell it! “I researched how to make the products, then experimented until I landed on a recipe using the milk (store-bought goat’s milk, even in powdered form, works just as well), coconut oil and essential oils. Next, I set up a website (NewburyFarms.com) and hired vendors like Bulk Apothecary for the packaging. My first customers were family and friends, but the business grew when I started to sell to shops and use Facebook and Instagram to market it.

“The soap and hand cream retail for $7–$10, and I make up to $8,000 a year — money that goes back into the business and pays for extras like raised garden beds. Best of all, I have a flexible schedule so I can be home for my children and care for our environment and the animals that provide for us.”

This story originally appeared in our print magazine.