Stuff Your Retirement Account With Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme!

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Are you passionate about herbs? Ever thought about turning your love of herbs into a little side business to help you save more money in your retirement account? If your retirement account needs a little extra help to grow, cashing in on your love of herbs can help you to make and save more money!

I started down the herbal path years ago, when I surprised my husband by signing us up for a local introductory herb class. We both enjoyed being outside in the garden and the class sounded like something fun to do.

My husband and I liked to try new recipes, and we often experimented with herbs and spices. He had commented that our meals tasted so much more flavorful  and looked more vibrant when we used fresh herbs from our garden.

The class we took was a lot of fun as it included a little about the folklore and history of herbs, gardening tips, delicious recipes, and lots of great herbal treats to eat. We chopped fresh basil and made pesto right in class!

The classroom smelled amazing, and I was hooked!

Little did I know that my new hobby would open up some fun ways to make extra money and help me catch up my retirement account . . . . .

The herb teacher was a baby boomer who spoke of the “back to the land” movement, natural living, and growing and using herbs for improved health and wellness.

She was promoting an herbal apprenticeship program and I enrolled right away, with about 25 other students!

It was a fantastic experience.

We were an enthusiastic group of budding herbalists who came together every month to learn about herbs. Our time together was spent immersing ourselves in learning everything we could about growing, harvesting, storing and using herbs.

We drank an incredible amount of herb tea, and learned to make our own herbal extracts, balms, and more in our monthly herb classes. 

Since then, I’ve worked part-time at three different herb farms / herb shops. I wanted to earn extra money outside of my main gig as a social worker, but it was also fun work!

Over the years, I continued my herbal studies with other herbalists, took additional herb courses, and attended many workshops. After going through the herbal apprenticeship program, I enrolled in advanced herbal courses and herbal teacher training programs.

I’ve shared my love of herbs with others by writing an herbal newsletter, contributing to two herb books, selling herbal products, teaching herb classes and leading herb walks.

Could your herb garden help you make extra money for your retirement account? 

Wouldn’t it be great if the parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme growing in your herb garden could help you contribute to your retirement account? If you are behind in saving for retirement, like I was, you may be wondering if it is even possible to catch up. 

I’m here to tell you that it is possible! Even if you don’t start saving for retirement until you are in your 50s, you can still catch up. You will need to use some creative strategies to help you make and save more money. Like cashing in on your love of herbs or other hobbies!

Not only is it possible to catch up retirement savings after a late start, it’s been a lot of fun making extra money! I found a way to make money from my hobby and it’s helping me grow my retirement account! Which one of your hobbies could become a money maker?

Do you love growing and cooking with herbs? Are you making your own herbal soaps because you love creating your own fragrance blends? Did you start making homemade herbal catnip treats because you love cats?

Identify your herbal passion – turn it into an income stream to fund your retirement account.  

Find your niche.

There are many ways to make a little extra money with herbs. Fun to grow, herbs can turned into an income source, to help you add more cash to your retirement account. If you love gardening and everything else related to herbs, consider the following herbal money-making ideas:

Grow and sell herb plants at farmer’s markets. Basil can be easily grown in pots from seed. Put the extra cash from herb plant sales into your retirement account! 

Harvest and sell fresh-cut culinary herbs and edible flowers to local chefs.

Make and sell herbal edibles such as jams, jellies, syrups, vinegar, candy, dip mix, dried herbal seasonings, and dried herbal tea blends.

Create your own herbal recipes and self-publish an herbal cookbook.

Make and sell herbal swags or herbal wreaths.

Photograph herbs and sell the photos.

 Create and sell herbal photo cards.

Get paid to do herbal illustrations.

Write and sell herb articles to magazines.

Make and sell herbal crafts such as potpourri, herbal dream pillows, herbal candles, and other fragrant herbal decorative items.

Get a part-time job in a garden center, at an herb farm, or in an herb shop.

Teach herb classes.

Get paid to lead informative and fun herb walks.

Make and sell fragrant herbal soap and bath bombs.  Starting a small herbal soap business can be a fun, easy way to help you catch up your retirement savings.

Develop a line of herbal body care products, such as lotions, lip balms, foot baths, etc.

What if you are not a creator or a maker?

If you don’t want to make your own products, sell pre-made herbal products.

There are several direct sales companies that promote herbal products. Miessence is just one of many direct sales companies with herbal products. For example, Wild Tree distributes herb dips and spices.

I’ve successfully sold Miessence organic herbal skincare and body care products  since 2006. I no longer sell at home parties or events because the company has moved to an affiliate model. Now I earn passive income with Miessence sales that come through my blog. The extra money I’ve made with Miessence has helped me boost my retirement savings.

Define who you want to share your love of herbs with. 

Determine your customer base.

Determining your customer base also involves a little bit of self-assessment.

Are you an extrovert, who gets energy from interacting with lots of different people?

Or are you more of an introvert, who would prefer to sell culinary herbs from your garden to local restaurant chefs?

Know yourself, and know who you would like to reach.

Who is your ideal customer?

Do you want to reach people who like to garden, to help them learn to grow their own herbs?

Would you enjoy working with children, teaching herbal crafts?

Think you might get more excited photographing and writing about herbs – something that you can do on your own that could still inspire others?

Do some research if you need to learn more.

To become an herbalist, you need to learn about herbs. Get educated. I’ve taken many courses directly from talented herbalists both on and offline. Meeting with other students and an herb teacher in person is a practical way to learn about herbs. However, you can also go at your own pace with herbal courses that are completely online.

Your education in herbs can be self-taught, but by enrolling in an herb course, you will have even more fun completing projects and learning new skills. An herbal course provides a structure for your herbal education. 

Taking an herb class is a terrific way to get to know others who share your interests, too. Your classmates will become a resource – your first herbal network, who can support you if you decide to grow an herbal business.

There are excellent herbal training programs available online if you can’t find a program near you.

Obtaining additional herbal training can also help to set you apart as an expert.

Lay the legal groundwork.

If you’re going to start making money with herbs, you may need to get a business license.  Check with your city or state government.

Rent a commercial kitchen or get an inspection of your own kitchen if you plan to sell herbal food items.

Contact your State Board of Equalization, as you will need to collect and pay sales taxes if you sell non-food herbal products.

Consider purchasing liability insurance.

When it comes to recommending or dispensing herbal remedies, a few states allow acupuncturists and naturopathic doctors to do so within the scope of their licensed practices.

There is currently no state-level licensing for those who wish to practice as clinical herbalists.

For additional legal and regulatory information see the American Herbalists Guild.

Develop, create, or grow your product to fund your retirement account.

If you want to teach herb classes, you will have to write a course description, develop an outline for your class, produce handouts and hands-on activities for the students to do during class.

Interactive herb classes are always more popular, so I always tried to make sure to have small group activities in the classroom. It’s important for the students to touch, smell and taste the herbs for a better classroom experience. 

Local community colleges, park & recreation departments, herb farms, and garden centers are good places to consider teaching an herb class. Identify those places already offering classes and submit a proposal for the class you would like to teach.

The pay for teaching community herb classes can vary. You may be asked to set the price of your class, or it will be set for you. Expect to earn an hourly rate or a percentage of the class fees collected.

You can charge a separate fee to cover the cost of materials used by students in the class, just make sure they go home with something. It is nice to provide each student with a class handout, fresh herbs, and herbal product samples they made together in class. Make sure to have a flier with a list of other upcoming classes you will be teaching. 

Find an outlet to share your talents. 

Where will you do business?

Your local Farmer’s Market is the perfect spot to sell herb plants, wreaths, herbal crafts, soap, body care products, or herbal food items.

It involves some legwork – you’ll have to contact the market manager and fill out an application. Once approved, you’ll need to show up early each week to set up your booth.

Make your booth look inviting! Think about the signs and props you will need to draw people into your booth to talk about herbs and try your products.

Find out ahead of time if you need to bring your own tables, shade cover, or chair. Make sure you have a cashbox with change and a way to take electronic payments, such as Square or another credit card reader.

Update for COVID-19:

Many business owners found they needed to pivot during the global pandemic. If you’re trying to make money by teaching your hobby to others, you may need to take your expertise online.

You can still earn money from your herbal hobby to boost your retirement account.  Consider writing gift guides, selling your product on Etsy, or even holding online cooking classes.  

Let people know what you have to offer.

Grab some inexpensive business cards or make your own – maybe out of beautiful homemade herbal paper.

Volunteer to give free presentations at local garden clubs, women’s clubs, and other community events. Ask if you can bring along herbal plants or herbal items to sell.

Create a website and connect with others on social media. Participate in online forums and share some of your herbal knowledge.

Get started! You don’t have to spend a lot, but you do need to start.

And remember to put your profits into your retirement account. The point is to monetize your hobbies so that you can get paid doing something you love, and capture that extra money to boost your retirement savings!

Question: What hobbies or passions do you have that you could tap to earn a little extra money for your retirement account?