8 Ways to Reduce the Cost of Your Hobby Farm

Reader Contribution by Alli Kelley
Published on February 22, 2016
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(1) Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Most things on your property can find a new life as something else, even if it’s just an old rusty rake that gets a new life as fall door decor. If you have a building that looks like it won’t be good for anything, reanalyze the situation. We ended up using part of an older barn for our chicken coop, which saved us a bundle in time and money. We did take down part of the building (after the wind started that job for us) but we saved almost all the wood. We are still using the wood from that building on other building projects!

(2) If it ain’t (completely) broke, don’t fix it. But really! If something could use a repair but is working the way it is, just wait. Make a list of everything that needs attention on your property (ours is HUGE!) and then prioritize the list. This will help you save money by fixing things that could wait and avoiding emergency repair situations. Some of the things may have to wait a few years, and that is just fine.

(3) Look before you buy. If you have an older property, chances are pretty good you are going to find some of the tools or equipment you need laying around. We found two harrowers buried behind a barn with bushes growing up through them. It was hard work to get them loose but it saved us around $1200! You may not find everything you need or exactly what you were looking for, but you will save money by using what’s already there. We have found everything from tools to animal feeders.

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