Thanks for the tip, John! That does sounds like a pretty good deal --- once you take out postage, the printing looks like it was only about 11 or 12 cents per page.

Not many people are aware of the USPS newsletter service. If you put your newsletter into PDF format you can upload it to their site (https://click2mail.com/by-product/booklets/booklet-8-5-x-11#&slider1=2) - they'll print it and mail it with the database of customers you upload.

It's currently $2.35 for a black and white, 16-page booklet (including postage and printing).

It's a very quick and easy process - and relatively inexpensive too. I used to sell an Internet marketing newsletter and that's how we handled it ($97 per month for 32 pages).

Sorry to be so slow to respond --- I don't get many non-spam comments over here, so I only check the comment moderation about once a week.

You're very welcome to snag the copyright language, format, etc --- I know that I stole (and slightly edited) the copyright language from some book or other. No need to credit me (although I certainly don't mind. ) I think that wording is fairly similar from book to book.

After playing around with ebooks on Amazon for a bit less than a year, I highly recommend them as a way of bringing in some spare change, especially if you already have a website to drive their initial sales. You might want to check out this site's blog since I've been giving tips once or twice a month as I notice how things work or don't. Probably the most important points are the importance of reviews, of getting several sales immediately to drive you up in the rankings, and of choosing categories wisely. Good luck!

Hi Anna and Mark,

My husband and I have been fans since buying our first DIY chicken waterer kit a year or two ago, we now own four. We've been building our own urban homestead and I started sharing our misadventures on a website (as a way to engage my son in home school writing assignments) in May of 2010, http://www.germainesolutions.com. This past August, I took the leap and started a service oriented edible landscape biz which is still pretty slow. Although the website draws between 300 and 500 visitors a month, it hasn't translated into much business yet. On the other hand, the money saving website we started last year is drawing nearly 2,000 unique visitors a month.

I tried unsuccessfully to use an online resource to produce an e-newsletter for my clients when I discovered and purchased your microbusiness e-book and one of your monthly e-newsletters. Not only was the content of the microbusiness e-book and Volume 6 of your Weekend Homesteader e-newsletter valuable in helping improve our homestead operations and define our financial independence goals but I also loved the simplicity with which they were written.

I have a similar nonprofit background and produced monthly brochures for 3 1/2 years. Between the two sites I have enough content to create a series of newsletters and e-books that can be downloaded for a nominal fee. While I have no intention of duplicating your content, I wanted to know if it's okay to replicate the copyright language and overall format of your Weekend Homesteader e-newsletter (and somehow credit you both with giving us the idea). Having some form of income would be great while we use your tips to develop a unique product that we could sell.

Thanks again, first for our chicken waterers and now for helping us edge our way out of the rat race. Ready to fend for ourselves in 2012!

Jalen --- I'm glad I could provide a bit of perspective. It is quite possible to live on very little (which means working very few hours), but only if you're willing to accept the sacrifices that come with it. I think that most mainstream Americans would rather work 40 hours per week than do without their plasma screen TVs, but I would far rather have the time than the toys!

You know this has really got me thinking. I have always hated the thought of working a 9-5 everyday, hating having to wake up every morning to a job i have no interest in. And I've been told its necessary in order to support one's self. But you seem to say if someone lives frugally it is possible to live with very little. I'm only 17 years old, i don't know much about taxes, living expenses, but this goes against everything they teach us now a days. I've been brainwashed into thinking i have to work a 45 hour week each week come home tired everyday hating my life haha. Its really depressing to think about it. Its already sucky enough with school. But somehow you have managed it with your business and self sufficient living. Maybe one day I may be able to pursue my own dreams.

Jalen

I appreciate you saying that, John. I sometimes wonder if I'm the only one who finds graphs intriguing. I'll be sure to post a followup at the end of the year, if not before.

I need to write a post about formatting ebooks too --- thanks for the reminder!

Anna, I for one would love to see how the graphs progress. You don't need to publish monthly updates (unless it's really easy), but let us have another peek at your profits in, say, 3 to 6 months. Any tips on what tools to use (or avoid) in putting together and publishing an ebook would also make interesting reading. Thanks for the blog and good luck with the homesteading!

A lot of urban dwellers are currently working to change laws like that, which is probably your best bet. If you get your neighbors on board and look up the cities that allow more chickens in town, you might have enough information to get the city council to consider a change.

I had chickens growing up, (somehow I managed to persuade my parents into a small farm), 5 horses, chickens, ducks etc. Now I'm all grown up and want some chickens. I called the local town hall and they said zoning laws state 1 acre per 2-3 chickens! Granted I am not exactly in a rural area but it certainly isn't citified either. My husband and I own roughly .75 of an acre. Any suggestions?