Join me for a group discussion with John Willis of Special Operations Equipment and Shawen Mills of Hack My Homestead about off grid living, solar, wwIII.
Each Tuesday, we welcome a different guest to tell their story, as well as take your questions live.
Featured Event: The Self Reliance Festival, SelfRelianceFestival.com
Sponsors:
Show Resources
Main content of the sho
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
Join me for a show on anything you ask, plus what has been on my mind of late including wwIII, reacting in fear, Is the homestead life easy, and what to do when your competitor says, “I’m Coming For You”.
Featured Event: June 9 Poultry Processing Class in the Holler: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/product/poultry-processing-workshop-ticket/
Sponsor 1: The Wealthsteading Podcast
Sponsor 2: AgoristTxAdvice.com
Livestream Schedule
LFTN YT: https://www.youtube.com/@lftn/streams
🎙️ Monday, 2:00pm, Nicole Unplugged
🎙️ Tuesday, 12:30pm, Tuesday Live with Shawn Mills and John Willis, Special Operations Equipment
🎙️ Wednesday, 2:00pm, Interview with John Davis
🎙️ Thursday, 7:00pm, SRF Live with Midwest Preparedness Project and Kentucky Sustainable Living
🎙️ Friday, 9:30am, Homestead Happenings with Tactical Redneck
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Weekly Shopping Report from Joe
Dollar Tree is no longer on our rounds because it is not the best way to get a dose of caffein for our shopping day.
We hit both Hobby Lobby (for Sonia) and Lowe's (for me). Although we did not go to Home Depot, a 2x4x8 there has gone up again, to $3.73.
Aldi was next. They did not have any lettuce, but other produce was available in normal amounts. They also only had half a case of canned cat food. Staple prices were: eggs: $2.05; whole milk: $2.86; heavy cream: $5.19; OJ: $3.29; butter: $3.69; bacon: $4.25; potatoes: $3.99; sugar: $3.09; flour: $2.35; and 80% lean ground beef: $4.09. Despite rumblings I'm reading about a cocoa shortage, the 70% chocolate I like was available, and still at the usual price of $1.99.
We're out of lettuce, so our last stop was Food City. They had some, although many of the heads were rather light, and some showed more rot than usual. I also grabbed a case of Friskies cans and a 22 lb. bag of the Meow Mix that our cats ask for by name.
A gallon of untainted regular gasoline remains at $3.599.
Frugality Tip from Margo
Make your own mixes and sauces. I have been making my own taco seasoning for years but today I made enchilada sauce.
Someone loves the ground pork enchiladas I make and wanted to make some, but did not have enchilada sauce in the pantry. So I went to Online (Pinterest) and looked up a recipe. Making it from scratch, you can adjust the seasoning to your own liking and what you have on hand. I used bone broth instead of vegetable stock; I used olive oil not grapeseed oil, I used more garlic and less Cinnamon than the recipe called for. Recipes are guidelines, they are not set in stone. Use what you like to eat and don't be afraid to substitute or omit ingredients.
I actually have enough to save half for next time. Next I will make homemade tortillas, I know Nicole says they are so easy to make, but one thing at a time.
Go make something you haven't made before.
Operation Independence
Main topic of the Show: Nicole Sauce Unplugged
Reacting in fear
wwIII
Is homesteading life easy?
Im coming for you
Membership Plug
Social reminder
Make it a great week!
Song:
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
Today we have a recorded interview with Dr. Eric Nager about proactively getting healthy, functional medicine and organizing your medical preps.
Show Resources
Find Dr. Nager: OptiHealth Institute
Make it a great week
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
Today, I am joined by Matt Williams to talk about Open Source Intelligence, getting better information and opting out of the fear-based news cycle while maintaining situational awareness.
Featured Event: SelfRelianceFestival.com/Webinar
Sponsor 1: EMP Shield, Coupon Code LFTN
Sponsor 2: DiscountMylarBags.com
Show Resources
https://www.knightsbridge.ltd/
https://www.twitter.com/kbr_intel
Global Hotspot Report and Briefing - $14.95 (email only 5 days a week)/$24.95 (with weekly 60-90m briefing call)
Coupon Code LFTN for a free month to try it out!!
Matt Williams is the head of intelligence operations for Knightsbridge Research, Ltd., an open-source intelligence (OSINT) company focused on global hotspots. He spent over a decade in Wall Street research and financial operations, later moving to an executive position at a midsized Texas firm. He's learned and applied these techniques in both personal and professional instances for over 20 years. Matt works from his ranch in North Texas raising cattle, gardening, and watching tornados from the front porch.
Make it a great week
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
Join me for a group discussion with John Willis of Special Operations Equipment and members of our community and beyond about building the life you choose, current events, building a durable life, community development, business, getting started, health and more.
Each Tuesday, we welcome a different guest to tell their story, as well as take your questions live.
et's talk about building freedom through following your butchering passion with the guys from Hand Hewn Farm. Both Doug and Andy will join us to talk shop and take your questions live!
Want to grab one of the 8 remaining spots in their class April 4 & 5 in Camden, tn? Here is the link: https://selfreliancefestival.com/product/pig-processing/
Connect with us:
OriginalSOEGear.com
NicoleSauce.com
@lamppostcollective on Instagram
Featured Event:
FREE WEBINAR! March 17-21 selfreliancefestival.com/webinar
Don't miss the Hand Hewn Farm Processing Workshop, April 4-5
Sponsors:
Show Resources
Main content of the sho
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
Join me for a group discussion with John Willis of Special Operations Equipment and members of our community and beyond about building the life you choose, current events, building a durable life, community development, business, getting started, health and more.
Each Tuesday, we welcome a different guest to tell their story, as well as take your questions live.
et's talk about building freedom through following your butchering passion with the guys from Hand Hewn Farm. Both Doug and Andy will join us to talk shop and take your questions live!
Want to grab one of the 8 remaining spots in their class April 4 & 5 in Camden, tn? Here is the link: https://selfreliancefestival.com/product/pig-processing/
Connect with us:
OriginalSOEGear.com
NicoleSauce.com
HandHewnFarm.com
Featured Event:
FREE WEBINAR! March 17-21 selfreliancefestival.com/webinar
Don't miss the Hand Hewn Farm Processing Workshop, April 4-5
Sponsors:
Show Resources
Main content of the sho
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
Join me for a group discussion with John Willis of Special Operations Equipment and members of our community and beyond about building the life you choose, current events, building a durable life, community development, business, getting started, health and more.
Each Tuesday, we welcome a different guest to tell their story, as well as take your questions live.
Featured Event: The Self Reliance Festival, SelfRelianceFestival.com
Sponsors:
Show Resources
Main content of the sho
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
Join me today for a dive into Matt Hundley's journey from deciding to opt out of the city, acquire a spot of land, and transforming it into an asset instead of a liability. We talk about the sacrifices he made to get this done, as well as personal growth he experienced along the way.
Sponsor 1: The Wealthsteading Podcast, InvestableWealth.com
Sponsor 2: EmpShield.com, Coupon code LFTN gets you $50 off
Connect with Matt, Get Your Trees, Etc!
www.TennesseeHomesteadDesign.com
https://www.facebook.com/centervillefarmtennessee
Main content of the show
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
Join me for a group discussion with John Willis of Special Operations Equipment and members of our community and beyond about building the life you choose, current events, building a durable life, community development, business, getting started, health and more.
Each Tuesday, we welcome a different guest to tell their story, as well as take your questions live.
Featured Event: The Self Reliance Festival, SelfRelianceFestival.com
Sponsors:
Show Resources
Main content of the show
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
People always ask me how to build community and today I will talk about the advent of our strong network and how that worked for me as an introvert.
Featured Event: The Freedom Cell Challenge FREE online event on building real community. https://livefree.academy/op/the-freedom-cells-challenge/?ref=183
Sponsor 1: Agorist Tax Advice: AgoristTaxAdvice.com./Webinar https://event.webinarjam.com/register/8/0y70ruk
Sponsor 2: HollerRoast.com
Livestream Schedule
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Weekly Shopping Report from Joe
First stop was Dollar Tree. They've finally gotten off their butts and restocked all the drink coolers. The food coolers are also in good shape. Although it's always hit or miss in there (e.g. no decongestant-only OTC meds), the health aisle is pretty full, if a little messy.
We skipped Home Depot on Saturday and went next to Aldi. The Masa that had been missing for the last two weeks was back in stock. We found everything we wanted. Staple prices were: eggs: $1.78 (-); whole milk: $2.93; heavy cream: $4.69; OJ: $3.29; butter: $3.69; bacon: $4.25; potatoes: $3.99; sugar: $3.09; flour: $2.29; and 80% lean ground beef: $3.59.
Home Depot: The store looked normal-busy to me. A 2x4x8 remains at $3.25.
I went to my regular Weigel's earlier in the week, and I think the untainted regular was still $3.639/gallon.
Frugality Tip
NONE
Operation Independence
Wood chips and garden prep - Spent $50 on seeds
Main topic of the Show: Building Community for the Intervert
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
Join me for a lively discussion with Julie Wentz about preserving your freedom to choose your health care.
Featured Event: Sequatchie School Trapping Class Feb 24 - Join me there. $125. Email: Sequatchieschool@gmail.com
Sponsors:
Show Resources
Bio: Julie Wentz is the Founder/Trustee of Freedom Healthcare. Julie has an extensive background in marketing and management in big box retail management, senior living communities and technology start-ups, along with decades of event management. She received her bachelor’s at Oregon State University and spent six months in Vienna Austria at the University of Vienna obtaining her International Business degree. She was a respite Foster Parent for the west valley in Arizona and has recently moved to Tennessee to further expand Freedom Healthcare. The goal is to create the NEW healthcare system for the future of America’s real foundational health. It is time to create the New Standard of Health for humanity.
www.freedom-healthcare.us
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076849533990
Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/frhealthcare/
Gab - https://gab.com/FreedomHealthcareAZ
Truth Social - https://truthsocial.com/FreedomHealthcare
Twitter - https://twitter.com/FreedomHealthAZ
Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/company/freedom-healthcare-us/
Telegram: https://telegram.org/FreedomHealthcare
Clout Hub https://clouthub.com/c/przbwbnd @FreedomHealthcare
Main content of the show
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
Join me at 2pm Central for a live recording of the Monday podcast. Today's topic is how to stay motivated when you just aren't feeling it. We will also cover our usual segments: Weekly livestream schedule, Tales From the Prepper Pantry, Weekly Shopping Report, Frugality Tip (if there is one), Operation Independence.
Featured Event: Paul Wheaton's Permaculture Jamboure, July 1-12, $1850 : https://wheaton-labs.com/permaculture-tech?f=495
Sponsor 1: InvestableWealth.com
Sponsor 2: EmpShield.com, Coupon Code LFTN
Livestream Schedule:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lftn/streams
Odysee: https://odysee.com/@livingfree:b
Tuesday 9:30am CT: Live with John Willis and Jack Spirko
Wednesday 2pm CT: Interview with Julie Wentz (Healthcare Freedom)
Thursday 7pm CT: SRF Livestream
Friday 9:30am CT: Homestead Happenings w
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Weekly Shopping Report
Dollar Tree. The drink coolers are still being neglected, with none of them any more than 3/4 full, and about half of them empty or nearly so. I noticed the mix of canned and bottled drinks on the shelf are becoming more unusual. There's still some Monster, but it is all coffee-flavors, and a smattering of Rip-it and Rockstar, but it's mostly stuff I don't recall that I've never seen before. Other aisles look typical. The Health aisle still has a decent mix, and there are plenty of soaps and shampoos.
Home Depot was next. a 2x4x8 remains at $3.25. They have some more 4-packs of Lithium AA cells now. If you're in need of some very light-duty tools (e.g. cordless screwdrivers, rotary brushes, a few different lights), they have more of the new Ryobi USB-charged tools in stock.
Aldi was last. We did see a few holes, but found what we wanted except for Masa, a corn flour mix. We asked again, and they get it in, but Mexicans are buying it by the case.
Staple prices were: eggs: $1.86 (+); whole milk: $2.93; heavy cream: $4.69; OJ: $3.29; butter: $3.69; bacon: $4.25 (low-sodium was back in stock); potatoes: $3.99; sugar: $3.09; flour: $2.29; 80% lean ground beef: $3.59 (-).
A gallon of untainted regular has stayed at $3.639.
Frugality Tip
Member Webinar: Marketing for Success with Sue Zoldak, Feb 15 at 2pm https://nicolesauce.podia.com/marketing-for-success-q-a
Operation Independence
Main topic of the Show: How Do You Find Motivation?
I have watched a telegram group of people wanting to stay motivated go nuts this past few months. People get on and share successes, learn to forgive themselves for failures, and try to stay motivated.
Stay motivated - that is the key. How do you stay motivated? I get this question all the time, particularly as relates to managing a homestead and starting side hustles.
Caritalees Weekend Post
And there is the lesson - Staying motivated in business, on the homestead, on your chosen dietary path, in exercise - is the same formula every single time.
You have the good days
You have the bad days
You have the meh days
You have the temptations to waver
But has anyone ever said, after hauling their butt to the gym when they did not want to – has anyone ever said - Man I wish I hadn’t taken that spin class, or lifted those weights?
Before, and even during, you may be hating it. But when you are finished, are you ever mad you did it?
This is the thing about finding your motivation - it is the wrong question to ask. I mean sure, knowing things that get you motivated is a helpful tool. But the question you really want to know is not, how do you stay motivated, it is how to you stay dedicated or disciplined.
Ways I trick myself into doing things on bad/meh/temptation days.
The bad news about staying motivated? No one does. The difference in perception between people who you think do and who you think dont is that those who look motivated all the time do the work even when they dont want to.
Do find your passion, do build the life you want, but now that sometimes, you just gotta go get started, even if youre having a bad day.
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
Today, We talk about how I make decisions on what to do, and what to leave - and why this is an important place to make purposeful decisions.
It only takes 60 seconds to unload the dishwasher so why not just go for it if the dishes are in there. Even if you are running late those 60 seconds are not the reason. Featured Event: Earlybird Tickets are Up for the Self Reliance Festival, April 6-7
Sponsor 1: AgoristTaxAdvice.com
Sponsor 2: Emp Shield, Coupon Code LFTN
Livestream Schedule
Monday, 2PM: Should I Do It?
Tuesday 12:30 PM: Tuesday Live With John Willis and Matthew Sercely, AgoristTaxAdvice.com
Wednesday, 2PM: Interview with Brian from The Lots Project on Amazon Influencer Program
Friday, 9:30 AM: Homestead Happenings with The Tactical Redneck
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Weekly Shopping Report from Joe
Sorry for the hiatus. We were stuck behind 8" of snow last week and did not get out, but we returned to our usual routine this Saturday, plus a second trip today.
Dollar Tree was first on Saturday. The drink coolers were in very bad shape, with maybe one of them fairly full, but the others empty or nearly so. There were plenty of drinks on the shelves though, so I'll chalk it up to laziness. I stopped in here again on Sunday, and perhaps one of the empty ones had been refilled, but not the others; slackers.
Home Depot was second on both days. A 2x4x8 remains at $3.25. We forgot it on Saturday, so I returned for a snow shovel today, but they just don't stock them. I did grab one of the few remaining bags of ice melt. I will order a snow shovel; rare or not, when needed, it's needed.
Aldi was third on both days. They had no Masa in stock, which Sonia uses a lot (including for the birds, who love it). I asked someone today, and she said it's a core item and should be on the next truck. We found everything else we wanted. Staple prices were: eggs: $1.66; whole milk: $2.93; heavy cream: $4.69; OJ: $3.29; butter: $3.69; bacon: $4.25*; potatoes: $3.99; sugar: $3.09; flour: $2.29; 80% lean ground beef: $4.49. Although the price of bacon had not changed, there was none of the low-sodium variety, and they added a couple boxes of the cheap stuff, which was priced at $3.99. We just got regular bacon.
Finally, I stopped for gas. A gallon of untainted regular at this particular Weigel's had dropped to $3.639.
Frugality Tip from Jed Froggy
During covid, all Ball products were hard for me to find, especially pickle crisp. Upon researching and realizing that it is just hydrated calcium chloride, I found some in stock at a home brewing supply. That supply line is obviously more robust, the container is larger, and the larger container was actually cheaper. Pickle Crisp is just pearled CaCl2 and this looks exactly the same. Despite Pickle Crisp becoming available, I have continued to shop at the brewer instead. While you’re in there, price check other food grade chemicals, and ask if you can leave your name as someone that wants waste mash.
Operation Independence
LFTN 24 is sold out - Wait List
Main topic of the Show: Should I do it?
I was up at 5 today and sat with my coffee for an hour working on the My3Things sales copy before taking the dogs for a walk, doing a 30 minute set on housekeeping, and evaluating My3Things for the day.
Along the way, I glanced over at my sink and saw last night’s dishes drying - well really - DRY in the put away rack. I frowned at the dishwasher a few times. It was full of clean dishes.
We often spend time putting off doing things, worrying about doing things, and talking about doing things while not doing them – only to discover that they take less time to do that it was worth worrying over.
It only takes 60 seconds to unload the dishwasher so why not just go for it if the dishes are in there. Even if you are running late those 60 seconds are not the reason. And usually that extra minute will not hurt you any more than running late has already hurt you.
On the flip side, if you do fifteen 1-minute tasks instead if heading out to your appointments, then doing those things is, in fact the problem.
I often say, spending fifteen minutes in the morning deciding what is for dinner and making sure you have what you need to make that happen on time is the difference between a nourishing, home cooked meal and either eating at 9pm or getting takeout. Especially if you are lucky enough to practice homegrown cooking.
So when and how, then do you decide to do something, versus put it off for another time
The Underlying Problem: More to do than hours in the day.
>Ask why
>But why
Ah, now we are getting somewhere. To decide what is important, you must decide what is not important. Or said another way: If everything is important, nothing is.
Goal at home: Home that empowers me AND nourishing, home-cooked food that we grow.
Must haves
Not important
That being said, a non-healthy environment does not meet my needs.
Question: When should I do it? Comes to mind.
Back to the dishwasher - mine did not get emptied until lunch time - why? Because to have clean clothing, I needed to do laundry. To have healthy food tonight - a tough night for it - I had to have my plan and supplies ready to go. To make my 8am call, I needed to do the most important things first to get the outcomes I wanted and there were only 30 minutes for household stuff after I did my book session and walked the dogs.
Laundry takes time to get done, but little interaction, so I knew I could start it, then be on that call.
Dinner has to happen at 5pm (1 hour early), so I made sure we had everything in place for taco salad night, which includes harvesting swiss chard that gets built into my day.
And Monday is pretty important here in the morning. Monday is when the discussion of who is doing what on which day happens, so we knocked that out.
By the time that was all done, there was not a minute left before my first call, so I took it, then hyperfocused on work until it was time to cook lunch - and only then was there space for the 1 minute dishwasher unload.
People often say women can multitask, but this is not how I work. I rapidly task - I fill the breaks with small things, like unloading the dishwasher, while I wait for other things that are not ready for the next input. Example: While waiting for onions to caramelize, I, in fact, finally unloaded the dishwasher. It takes 4 minutes to caramelize onions, so the dishwasher is the perfect thing to add into that tiny space.
And it is these spaces that make the difference between keeping up, and ending up way behind. Filling the empty spaces in your day makes a huge difference.
I know it sounds like a bit of torture, this filling of spaces but think about what it can give you:
Now I know you expected me to dive into why you should ALWAYS do it as part of today’s show but that is not the point. Quite the opposite.
I was thinking today how these little domestic “tweener” projects are foundational to the functioning of the Holler Homestead. And this goes beyond the homestead.
In your “work mode” you also have important little maintenance things that must be done. We sit around waiting that ten minutes from calendar reminder to appointment, afraid we will miss it, when we could be sending a single email to someone, or paying bills, or sweeping the roasting shack.
But in my house, I manage to fit the 60 seconds it takes to unload the dishwasher during the 4 minutes it takes to caramelize onions
Why? Because I can tell at a glance that the onions need stirring so I know I will be successful at getting both done.
But that call? Ah the call is a different things altogether. If I wander off to do the 5 minute sweeping of the shack while waiting for the specific call time, I may not make that call. And there is a simple fix: A second notification.
Setting the calendar for the 10 minute warning AND a your need to start now alarm makes that space usable again.
It is a simple fix. It works. And it gives you back ten lost minutes to add to your afternoon focus session - a powerful gift.
So in answer to should I do it? I don’t know. It depends on you choosing actual, big picture priorities like I talk about in my book, My3Things. It depends on what you have set up to make yourself get the most important things TO YOU or FOR YOUR PROJECT done.
Asking the question is the first step - building purpose into your answer is the answer.
Here’s to a sink full of clean, drying dishes and a dinner that cooked itself while I ate lunch my friends.
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
Everything that has gone well for me in building a business has started with the first step: deciding to take the risk. Today we will talk about that as well as our usual Monday segments.
Featured Event: BEE KEEPING BASICS
SATURDAY, JANUARY 27
10 AM - 12:30 PM
THE WAR ROOM
3519 BLUE SPRINGS ROAD
STRAWBERRY PLAINS, TN 37871
It’s open to the public here’s the Facebook link for the event.
https://www.facebook.com/share/zxnVqt7kxw8k2WTC/?mibextid=9l3rBW
Sponsor 1: John Pugliano and the Wealthsteading Podcast, InvestableWealth.com
Sponsor 2: Homestead Apprentice, https://homesteadapprentice.com/
1 Million Satoshi Highlight Episode
3D Printing WIth Brad and Leslie Ferrier
https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/2020/12/04/3d-printing-with-brad-and-leslie-ferrier/
Submit Your Favorite Here!
https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/2023/08/14/one-million-downloads-celebration/
Livestream Schedule
Monday, 2pm, Take That Risk, Make It Work, Prerecorded But Live - A Test
Tuesday, 12:30pm, Live with Nick Ferguson and John Willis
Friday, 9:30am, Homestead Happenings with The Tactical Redneck
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Weekly Shopping Report
Frugality Tip
Operation Independence
Main topic of the Show: Take That Risk, Make It Work
I want to but what if I get too many orders and cannot fulfill them? The economy is looking really sketchy, what if people can’t afford my product? I may look stupid if I try that and it doesn't work.
What if no one cares? What if I cant do it? What if I cant make enough money to pay for amy family? What if I move and real estate crashes and I end up upside down in my mortgage?
What if we go to war? What if the economy crashes? What if I am not good enough.
What if I am not good enough?
WHAT IF IM NOT GOOD ENOUGH?
Ever single thing that has moved me ahead in life. Every business that has succeeded. Every event that has sold out. Every big name speaker I’ve booked. Every time I have attempted to grow. And every time I have not gone as far as I wished, has involved taking a risk. An action. A decision. And lots of focus and work.
Nothing has come easy but imagin how things would be different if I had gone the more steady, conservative path?
In the late 90s, I would have become a school teacher, despite the fact I could see the schools systems are broken training grounds for generations of kids to NOT learn the skills they will need in our modern future. Impossible to change from within.
<Executive training, but first, side hustles (Mad Science)>
In the early aughts, what if I hadn’t quit my relatively low paying job at a software and training start up? What if I handn’t jumped at the chance to have that mortgaged home and rent out rooms to make ends meet? (Rental business, side hustles painting and cleaning, website development, coaching, Public Policy Career).
In 2016, what if I had stayed with my secure income, not started this podcast, not sold my roasted beans at the farmers market for too little money? (Rentals added some stability, newspaper, egg sales, facilitation, story coaching, websites, speaking engagements)
In 2017, what if I hadn’t taken my last $400 to go to Jack Spirko’s? (Kickstarter Holler Roast, membership, facilitation, processing classes, rentals)
And 2018, the leap of faith into the LFTN Spring Workshop when my land wasn’t ready? (Workshop 7 will be sold out this week if it isn’t already)
2019: HELP THE REDNECK
2020: BUY THE BEANS, UNLOOSE THE GOOSE
2021: SRF
2022: UPGRADE THE ROASTER ON SPEC
2023: GET OUT TO EVENTS, SELL THE COFFEE, LAUNCH WEBINAR CENTER
All of this has taken risk and then making it work. Some of if has been more successful than others. None of it abject failure. And we learned a few things along the way.
On risk taking:
On Making It Work
The true question: What do you really want? Are you talking about the latest unstarted idea with worry an anxiety to have something to talk about, or do you really want to do it?
Do you want to have success, or a story about what could have been?
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
Join us for a roundtable discussion with Kerry Brown, Ryan Steva, Jake Reed and Lettie Lou.
Featured Event: LFTN Spring Workshop: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/spring-workshop-2024/
Sponsor 1: The Wealthsteading Podcast
Sponsor 2: Emp Shield, Code LFTN
Show Resources:
Lettie Lou, Backwoods Consulting
Jake Reed: Arsenal of Freedom
Ryan Steva: The Homestead Consultant
Kerry Brown: Strong Roots Resources
Make it a great week
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
Today, we talk about addressing the things that keep you from doing what you love, from being who you are, and from building the life you choose. We also discuss an important tax code change and will do all our usual Monday segments.
Featured event, LFTN Spring workshop - sessions from folks who will come are awesome. Managing tragedy, rain water collection, starting fires, soap, bread, and so much more - the decision will be tough!
Ticket go on sale here on Jan 20 at 9am: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/spring-workshop-2024/
Sponsor 1: Agorist Tax Advice - play his segment
Sponsor 2: Holler Roast Coffee
Livestream Schedule
Tuesday Live with John Willis and Tag from Life Done Free, 12:30pm
Wednesday Live: TBD at 2pm
Friday Live: Homestead Happenings with The Tactical Redneck, 9:30AM
(Subject to our having power)
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Weekly Shopping Report - cant find it and I DO know that it was mayhem this weekend as folks prepared for coldmageddon.
Frugality Tip from Margot
I went to the store and all that they had was this giant bag of carrots. So I made roasted root vegetables, with carrots, butternut squash soup with some carrots, I shredded some for the salad and I cut some up to dip (and if there is some left they will be chopped for soup). And all the tops and bottoms and peels were saved with the onion tops and skins to go into a pot next week with that ham bone to become bone broth and pea soup. So that large bag of carrots, that the girl next to me at the store turned her nose up at, is getting used to the fullest in this house . And I am saving money buy using them in multiple ways. Also I was hoping to have some left to ferment, but I don't. So don't be scared of the big bag of carrots, just get creative.
Operation Independence
We have eggs again which is Ducky - or chickeny - as the case may be
Main topic of the Show:
Our focus this month has been all about blossoming into 2024, despite the fact that the start of a new year is just a symbolic experience. Truly, it doesn't matter if you blossom into 2024 or blossom into October, the blossoming is the part that matters.
In the last ten days, we have taken four trips to Goodwill, 1 trip to the auction house, 4 trips to the garbage dump, and 5 trips to the store to return unused items that we purchased - usually for projects or other things. I’ve posted things to Facebook Market place that I would just give away but you have to charge money or people jerk you around.
My cash jar is full. My home less so. And I feel like I can soar. It feels great.
And it all comes down to garbage. What are you doing with your garbage?
Attia Book:
Hone - What stand in my wa
Story: The wood pile and moving wood
Hone - time to do better
As I journey through the household purge, which is taking weeks so far, I realize that in the same way that exercise helps improve your mental health, this process of removing physical road blocks is helping me get through emotional and mental garbage I have kept around because it is comfortable. It is also not serving me.
One can only conclude that cutting the garbage from your life is as important as building the life you choose. If you leave the garbage around, it gets in the way.
Deep Dive into Garbage:
Yep - it is all about the garbage. I just spoke with Aurora about her developing off grid homestead in Texas and she is ALL EXCITED about her bio digester. She is turning her scraps into cooking gas. In other words, her garbage is being eliminated and turned into positive forward momentum in a very tangible way. And the stories about it are building her content business. She told me she cant cook with it every day but that she loves that is replaces some days worth of cooking energy. She is managing her garbage well.
Are you? If not, start with one thing, add it to your 3 things, and let’s do this together. Let’s bust through the garbage to create space for opportunities.
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
Join us at 2pm CT for a discussion with Anthony Parker about how to find the best property for your homesteading goals. Show up and ask us anything!
Featured Event: Free Monday Buy Land Webinar - sign up on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tennessee_realtors
Sponsor 1: InvestableWealth.com
Sponsor 2: EMPShield.com (COUPON CODE LFTN)
Did you know we have a Telegram Channel? https://t.me/lftnupdates
Resources
https://anthonyparker.exprealty.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tennessee_realtors
https://www.facebook.com/theparkersrealty
https://www.youtube.com/@wildheartfarm
Main content of the show
Anthony Parker, realtor, homesteader and land owner moved to Tennessee with his family in 2017 for a better life for his family with the dream of living off the land. After going through our own land and home buying experience and realizing that most real-estate agents don't know or understand land purchasing he decided he wanted to help others in the same process of buying land and beginning the journey to becoming more self-sufficient. Anthony and his wife are passionate about the rural communities of Tennessee and preserving farm land. We want to help others achieve their dreams of establishing their farming/homesteading goals and then finding the right piece of land to begin this journey on.
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
Today, we talk about the economic environment and its potential impact. As well as ideas for positioning yourself to be resilient if things get tough.
LFTN Spring Workshop, April 25-27, $500, Information
Sponsor 1: Agorist Tax Advice, AgoristTaxAdvice.com/LFTN
Sponsor 2: Holler Roast Coffee, HollerRoast.com
Livestream Schedule: @LFTN on Youtube
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Weekly Shopping Report for Jan 2
Dollar Tree was first. The food coolers are still mostly full, but the drink coolers are now around half full, mostly with "standard" fare from Coca-Cola or Pepsi, which I won't touch. The sad cooler with the compressor that can't get going has been left empty. Other stock in the store is in good shape; whatever minor thing we've come in here to get, week after week, has typically been here. Ours is out of nasal decongestant though, although they have some allergy products and multi-symptom cold medicines; many of the latter contain acetaminophen, a liver toxin, so are never on our list.
Home Depot was next. There is still no tag on the rack of 2x4x8 studs, but a check online shows it is still $3.25. The cordless tool area in the front that is rather prominently featured just before Christmas has been almost entirely cleared out, and there is a lot of empty space there now; I'll keep an eye on this on future trips.
Aldi was last. Stock levels are good. Produce isn't mounded up, but there are no empty spaces. They've had plenty of canned cat food lately. We found everything we wanted. Staple prices were: eggs: $1.65; whole milk: $2.98; heavy cream: $4.69; OJ: $3.29; butter: $3.69; bacon: $4.25; potatoes: $3.99; sugar: $3.09; flour: $1.99; 80% lean ground beef: $4.49 (+).
Despite the growing escalation of the Islam vs. Civilization conflict in the Middle East, untainted regular gasoline remains at $3.699/gallon.
I went out again later to Food City for dry cat food and another case of seafood Friskies cans, and there was plenty of pet food in stock there.
Operation Independence
Holler Roast Finances 2022 versus 2023
Main topic of the Show: If Things Turn South in 2024
Why would I do a show like this? Because it looks like the 70s on crack out there!
What is impacting the economy and culture
I could go on and on, but without worrying about any conspiracy, there are many things in play that can, and probably will, have a negative impact on our economy at a rather large scale. Any one of these things is painful, yet navigable, but all of them together paint a picture that has been causing either panic or denial among our community and beyond
So why haven’t we talked much about it? (Making decisions from a place of fear is a bad idea)
What could the negative look like? (Setting aside an alien or nuclear or pathogenic attack, because, really, how do you even wrap your mind around being ready for such things, we are mimicking Japan in the 80s, and can learn from that as well as the rebasing of our monetary system and high inflationary period in the 70s and 80s).
All in all, it looks scary but we’ve gotten through worse and will again. Building the life you choose with an eye toward community, diversification and LONG TERM success is so important.
Stockpiling will only get you so far, skills, health, resilience and underground networks are the strength in struggle.This is why we do SRF, LFTN and all the other events and meetups that seem so prevalent. This is why I am going to Lenoir City on a day when I could just use a stay at home break.
It is always good to “know a guy, or be the guy that people know by knowing a thing”
So what are you building this year? What will you learn? Who will you get to know?
Mention Our Social Networks
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
Join us for the first Tuesday Coffee with Jack Spirko, John Willis and Nicole Sauce. We talk about what we see coming economically in 2024, ways to get motivated, building your success and more.
Featured Event: Jan 13 Farmstead Friends Holiday Event, Lenoir City, TN
Sponsor 1: Paul Weaton and Permies.com - Homestead and Permaculture Bundle on sale for $35 through Wednesday Night. https://permies.com/w/bundle?f=495
Sponsor 2: AgoristTaxAdvice.com/LFTN
Show Resources
Main content of the show
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
It is the last week of the year and I am home, tucked into my end of year regeneration project. My goal for myself is to set a foundation in the home for a fantastic 2024. To motivate myself, I set of a five day series of motivational episodes.
Today, we hear from a group of folks oriented on helping community member Willow identify how to use her passion to also earn money. This is the first in a series of Activation projects that we will pursue in 2024.
This audio will also be highlighted as part of Toolman Tim’s end of year 24 hour radio program that runs from Noon on New Year’s Eve through Noon New Year’s Day.
Happy New Year everyone!!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
It is the last week of the year and I am home, tucked into my end of year regeneration project. My goal for myself is to set a foundation in the home for a fantastic 2024. To motivate myself, I set of a five day series of motivational episodes.
Today, we hear from John and Nicole about the power of bringing positivity into your life and business.
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
It is the last week of the year and I am home, tucked into my end of year regeneration project. My goal for myself is to set a foundation in the home for a fantastic 2024. To motivate myself, I set of a five day series of motivational episodes.
Today, we hear from Toolman Tim Cook about using mindset to change your life.
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
It is the last week of the year and I am home, tucked into my end of year regeneration project. My goal for myself is to set a foundation in the home for a fantastic 2024. To motivate myself, I set of a five day series of motivational episodes.
Today, we hear from Caritalee about showing up for yourself every day to take control of your health.
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources
Today, we have the first in our Night Before Christmas series for 2023, beginning with Leos: The Intellectual Night Beofre Christmas.
Join us each night at 6pm leading up to Christmas
Today is the annual BIG REVEAL of my word of the year. Time to redouble efforts in a new direction for LFTN, for Nicole Sauce and for the community! We will also cover our usual Monday segments.
Sponsor 1: John Pugliano and the Wealthsteading Podcast, InvestableWealth.com
Sponsor 2: AgoristTaxAdvice.com
Last new Podcast of the year, Night Before Christmas, Motivation week
Livestream Schedule
Tuesday - not sure if we will have a livestream
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Weekly Shopping Report: None today
Frugality Tip from Margo
It's holiday baking time!!!!! But not everyone has time, or the funds to make all the cookies. Host a cookie exchange, maybe do it with a potluck. Dinner and a variety of cookies for the price of one batch and one dish. Everyone brings a batch of cookies, and goes home with a variety. Super fun and saves you time and money.
Happy baking y'all.
~Margo
Operation Independence: Coffee Season, an Update
Main topic of the Show: Word of the Year
Today is the last new show of the year and as I wander off into a time of reflection, rejuvenation, and investment in my family relationships, it is also time to revel my word of the year.
What the word of the year is and why they are helpful
How it integrates with my3things
Past ones
Quick summary of what I learned.
What I thought it would be DL
Words I considered.
HOW I GOT TO MY WORD
What I hope it will bring me
Sharper results
More of less
Steadier hand, communications, balance
Purge
The word:
When to start and wrap up, you can, you can, you can
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Resources