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Living Free in Tennessee - Nicole Sauce

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Living Free in Tennessee - Nicole Sauce
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Now displaying: Page 2
Feb 11, 2024

Today, we talk about electrical fencing woes, escaping sheep, egg issues and more with the Tactical Redneck.

Featured Event: Wild Foraging Class April 8, 2024 with Kerry Brown. https://selfreliancefestival.com/product/wild/ 

Sponsor 1: HollerRoast.com

Sponsor 2: Freesteading.com

Fence Charger Woes - Is it the battery?

Forage

  • Early spring flowers are starting to grow (Tulips and daffodils)
  • Pasture is coming back
  • Watercress is still recovering from the deep freeze
  • Trees have buds

Livestock

  • Process Rabbits
  • Still need to process roosters
  • Duck Drama
  • Egg issues - we think they are hiding eggs
  • Sheep Escape
  • Signs on pregnancy in the sheep

Grow

  • Winter pollarding is done
  • There is so much to do before spring

Homegrown Meals

  • Ground Pork and Grandpa Darby’s Breakfast Sausage
  • Hiding chicken in green curry

Holler Neighbors/Community

  • Getting the door installed neighbor style
  • Helped a local friend with roof related projects

Infrastructure

  • Solar upgrade
  • Glamper Planning
  • Workshop Redo Planning
  • New Front Door

Finances

  • Need the eggs to start happening

Make it a great week!

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. It makes a great Christmas Gift!

Community

Advisory Board

Resources

 

Feb 7, 2024

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:

  • DiscountMylarBags.com
  • AgoristTaxAdvice.com

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

Living Free in Tennessee

NicoleSauce.com

HollerRoast.com 

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

Feb 6, 2024

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

Special Operations Equipment

Living Free in Tennessee

TheSurvivalPodcast.com

NicoleSauce.com

HollerRoast.com 

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

Feb 5, 2024

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

  • February Rsupply Bill $263 - more in operation independence
  • Mystery paper package from the freezer
  • 15 minute Monday: Taco Salad again
  • Audit dry/herbal goods as I move back in
  • Daily Bone Broth Update

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

  • Pantry challenge and finances of homesteading and whole animals: $263 + $26 + $12 = $301

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.

  1. Decide
  2. Prioritize
  3. Do what it takes every day
  4. Forgive yourself if you stumble

Ways I trick myself into doing things on bad/meh/temptation days.

  1. Avoid temptation - like an addict
  2. Trick myself into starting by saying “Ill just do x amount and then I can stop. Then I trick myself more by doing one more thing”
  3. Set a timer and commit to doing a set amount of time
  4. Play music or audio while getting at it
  5. Entice yourself with a reward at the end of whatever it is you must do: Bath, reading a novel for a time, playing with the dogs, calling a friend, spinning wool - find NON FOOD REWARDS
  6. Track progress in areas where you struggle with motivation - I document my exercise in my journal because it is important to my long term health. I worked out 30 minutes a day on average last week. Knowing that feels good.
  7. Build in accountability - if you are in an accountability group, it can be the push you need to do the thing so you can report you did the thing - this is why #my3things works

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

 

Feb 2, 2024

Today I am joined by Tactical to talk about priority schizophrenia on the homestead, electrical fences, preparing for spring planting and more.

 

Featured Event: Kentucky Sustainable Living Expo: KentuckySustainableLiving.com

 

Sponsor 1: The Wealthsteading Podcast, InvestableWealth.com

Sponsor 2: HollerRoast.com

 

Forage

  • Dandelion is already up 

  • Firewood update

  • Grass Update (Was looking for wild onions)

 

Livestock

  • We Need Good Hay - And it is out fault

  • Eggs are slow - may adjust feed because they really should all be laying

  • Coop management is not working 

  • Rooster slaughter is upon us

  • Time to process bunnies and breed the does

  • Retraining sheep, failing fence chargers, etc

 

Grow

  • Final day of the pantry challenge: Swiss chard

  • Time to plant peas

  • Pollarding and trimming

 

February on the Homestead: Bed preparations, Pruning, Seedlings, Operations Eyesore

 

Homestead Meals

  • Reverse searing Lambchops

 

Holler Neighbors/Community

  • The Car Schedule

 

Infrastructure

  • Fence Charger Story

  • Spare parts are great - KH was bailed out by the collection (So how do you balance that with clutter problems?)

 

Finances

  • In the midsts of a deep dive with Agorist Tax Advice and may need to make some tough decisions

  • Scheduling Chicken P

 

Make it a great week!

 

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. It makes a great Christmas Gift!

 

Community

Advisory Board

Resources

Jan 31, 2024

Join me today at 2pm Central for a discussion with Brian from The Lots Project. We will discuss the Amazon Influencer's Program and its potential role in your content creation project.

Featured Event: Fight Like a Girl with Sonny Puzika: https://selfreliancefestival.com/prod...

Sponsor 1: DiscountMylarBags.com

Sponsor 2: FreeSteading.com

Show Resources

The Lots Project

Brian's Amazon Storefront

https://amazon.com/shop/thelotsproject

Playlist of Brian's Amazon Influencer Program Videos

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhVhFByPLDZnqD7XQ82fTu2yAo6xQoK_e

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

Advisory Board

Resources

 

Jan 30, 2024

Tuesday Live With John Willis, Nicole Sauce and Agorist Tax Advice.

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

Special Operations Equipment

Living Free in Tennessee

NicoleSauce.com

HollerRoast.com 

AgoristTaxAdvice.com

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

Jan 29, 2024

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

  • Last 3 Days of the Pantry Challenge and Tonight’s Dinner is the Problem - We are almost out of fresh greens (Thank goodness for the AP) and it is choir night so Taco Salad
  • There was some flooding in the Prepper Pantry but nothing was hurt - best to keep things off the floor in there FWIW
  • Mason Jar Storage Challenges
  • Use up vs fill up - not using as many jars of canned things as usual - I think we have just really moved more into a meat based diet
  • Canned Meats This Week

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

  • Haven’t decided what is most important

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

  • Systems that make it so I can find things and meals happen on time
  • Space for hyperfocus mode, my income earning endeavors, fun
  • Animals are cared for
  • We keep up with our food growing projects
  • Proper supplies, few household backlogs like Laundry Mountain
  • Not too much visual clutter
  • Food on time, most of the time, from here

Not important

  • Museum clean
  • “Going out”
  • Common entertainment like movies, etc
  • Pointless hobbies
  • Everything the same each day
  • Decore (Useful versus pretty)

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:

  • Less to do at the end of the day
  • More forward momentum on important projects
  • A healthier outlook because when you fill tiny spaces, you make big ones for rest, rejuvenation

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

 

Jan 26, 2024

Join us at 9:30m Central for a live discussion of managing the homestead alone, mud season, life without the grocery store, seed starting and more.

Featured Event: Sequatchie School Trapping Class, $125

Date: February 24, 2024

Location: Spencer, TN

Sign up: sequatchieschool@gmail.com

Sponsor 1: AgoristTaxAdvice.com

Sponsor 2: DiscountMylarBags.com

Careful what you pray for - Snow turns to rain turns to mud city

Update on the truck key situation

Freezer Probe Problems - 

Guest form is off until April 1, 2024

Forage

  • AP update: Plants lived and it did not freeze with a stock tank heater so we have watercress and swiss chard
  • Brussels sprouts is still alive
  • Rosemary is still alive
  • Good time to trim the fodder trees

Livestock

  • Rabbit poop problem
  • Coop Cleanout Problem
  • Miles keeps getting out - wherever there is no electric fence - floppy fence problem
  • Need hay
  • Know your animals
  • No eggs - cold 

Grow

  • Time to start brassicas, peppers, lettuce
  • Round 1 of pea seeding
  • Indoor peppers are still alive
  • Longevity spinach 

Homestead Meals

  • Hamburger pizza
  • Eating while NIcole is Away - an update

Holler Neighbors/Community

  • Mini Split Installation
  • 3 Seats left for the LFTN Spring Workshop

Infrastructure

  • Operation eyesore next 2 weeks
  • Overall freeze resilience feedback

Finances

  • No trips to the store yet
  • Firewood vs electricity for heat

Make it a great week!

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. It makes a great Christmas Gift!

 

Community

Advisory Board

Resources

Jan 24, 2024

Today I talk about building your brand, remaining positive, the Ruckus and more with Bear Independent and John Willis.

Show Resources

Special Operations Equipment

Living Free in Tennessee

Bear Independent

Ruckus

Self Reliance Festival

Homestead Apprentice

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

 

Jan 22, 2024

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

  • Pantry Challenge is Almost Through and I have Lost Four Pounds Just By Not Eating Out
  • Restocking: TP, Sauces and Spices, Medical Supplies, Onions, Cheese
  • Adopting the Sunday Freezer Meal Planning Method
  • Use It Up Curry

Weekly Shopping Report

Frugality Tip

  • Odds and Ends for Bone Broth

Operation Independence

  • Out This Week Working on #My3Things Marketing Plans and Book Edits (LFTN Spring Workshop Attendees will get a pre-release copy of the book!!)

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:

  • Spreadsheets dont lie - go in with open eyes, know your best and worst cases. The truth usually falls in the middle
  • If you are passionate about making it happen, FOR REALSIES, your risk is lower than it looks
  • Community and Underground Communities matter the most, this is why there are networking groups of all kinds
  • Only YOUR opinion really matters when weighing if you should or should not do something
  • The Small Daily Decisions Matter Most

On Making It Work

  • Things often look different than you thought
  • Most people think they are not good enough, the ones who succeed don’t let that voice win - it is a choice
  • It is OK to stop doing things that dont work for you for any reason (EGGS)
  • Your World, Your Rules, Your Results
  • Forgiveness

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

 

Jan 19, 2024

Tickets go on sale tomorrow and here is who got added to the speaker lineup

Sponsor 1: Discount Mylar Bags

Sponsor 2: Permies.com

Maine is colder but this sucks more because it is rare here.

Forage

  • You CAN dig down…

Livestock

  • Missing Dog In the Snow
  • Watering the chickens
  • Sheep are grazing through the snow today
  • Ducks in the pond

Grow

  • Longevity spinach and sweet potato slips

Holler Neighbors/Community

  • Game night tonight
  • Using KH’s Internet

Infrastructure

  • Frozen cabin pipes (Het guns are awesome)
  • The Mud Room
  • Panic mode - rabbit waterer - still had water
  • AP update: we dropped to -4 and here is what happened
  • What it was like heating with wood in the holler 
  • Firewood for a week for this is great - and what that means you should always have it

Finances

  • Eating electricity because I took apart the rocket mass heater - needs to be redone

Make it a great week!

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. It makes a great Christmas Gift!

Community

Advisory Board

Resources

Jan 17, 2024

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

Jan 15, 2024

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

  • Pantry challenge: Milk and cream gift from Dawn Gorham - loving the cream!
    • Cheese: Making cheese for the rest of the month and into January
    • Resupply System - is it cheating if i reorder what i usually do without actually using it - my fear is if I do not adhere to my system, I will screw up February.
    • Deep Dive into the Black Upright Freezer
  • Pantry Meals Last Week: Roemertopf
    • Holler Stew
    • Venison Loin, Twice
    • Creamy Rabbit
    • Tough old rooster
    • Taco salad - thank goodness for cabbage
  • Homegrown Cooking Livestream - roemertopf and silverskin

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:

  • Your metabolism uses garbage cells when you fast before tearing into perfectly functioning one and uses those building blocks for energy - intermittent fasting

Hone - What stand in my wa

Story: The wood pile and moving wood

  • Junk
  • Clerical project of redoing the drive shaft or whatever
  • Storage of useful things being out an about

Hone - time to do better

  • Make space for what matters

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:

  • Physical Garbage - Clutter - Things that may be useful “one day.”
    • That time you donated the thing, then needed the thing 4 months later
    • Craigslist/flea markets as storage systems
    • Every item you have requires maintenance
    • Mold, degeneration - tools example
  • Sentimental Garbage: Story of the family table. 
    • With parents, grandparents and step parents, my sister and I stand to acquire FOUR households of stuff. FOUR. 
    • The year of cleaning out a dead parent’s home
    • Grandma’s “Stuff” 
    • It is worth more than people are offering - the glory of the donation tax write off
  • Mental Garbage
    • My3things
    • Doubts, fears, panics, sleep problems, being unkind to people - all symptoms of mental issues
    • Nighttime emotion eating story and what I did - and what I plan to do next
    • Ongoing maintenance and down time (for me)
  • Association/People Garbage
    • Annually, make your list of 20 and be ruthless
    • Family example - extended family vampire (addiction etc)
  • Project Garbage
    • This one is hardest for doers
    • What stands in your way? (For me clerical things and saying Yes)
    • Start with No every time a new opportunity comes up to fix this
    • What projects are you doing because you are supposed to? Just because you are good at it does not mean the project is serving you

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

 

Jan 12, 2024

Today we talk about winter, Tactical’s thumb, sheep infrastructure, managing woon on the homestead and more.

DiscountMylarBags.com

LiveFree.Academy - Free Webinar on Saturday - $57

Update on Tactical’s Thumb

Morning meeting - Morning routine got disrupted, now what

Forage

  • Dandelion greens
  • Watercress

Livestock

  • Adjusted where sheep are being moved because of weather
  • New Sheep water
  • New routine for ducks delayed til after the freeze
  • Roosters need to go - causing problems
  • Bobcat Gun and other measures we are taking

Homestead meals

  • Rabbit in the roemertopf (Based on how it was processed), the creamcheese hack
  • Best salad ever from outside

Grow

  • No kill list - freeze preparations
  • Radish and arugula harvest  
  • Covering the AP before the freeze (Swiss chard)

Holler Neighbors/Community

  • Thanks to the eversoled for leaf mulch

Infrastructure

  • Rushing to do all the freeze stuff like the pump house
  • Basecamp drain project - still need soil
  • Wood, woodstove, and the deep freeze (The new chimney)
  • New Rabbit hutch pine tar work is done

Finances

  • Matthew’s Segment
  • Flubbed up the one card for all Farm stuff gam

Make it a great week!

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. It makes a great Christmas Gift!

Community

Advisory Board

Resources

Jan 10, 2024

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

Jan 8, 2024

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

  • Tuesday, 12:30PM, Tuesday Live with John Willis and Bear Independent
  • Wednesday, 2pm: Interview Show With Anthony Parker, Real Estate
  • Friday, 9:30AM: Homestead Happenings with The Tactical Redneck

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

  • Menu from the pantry challenge
    • Roasted chicken over onions and potatoes
    • Two Roemertopf Roast Beefs over carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms
    • Fresh saute: Zucchini, peppers, onions, garlic
    • 1 crockpot roast beef with morels
    • Lamb bone stew left over from LFTN 23
    • Taco Salad with the rest of the lettuce (There is 1 salad left here and no more cheddar)
    • Chicken Alfredo with milk not cream over heart of palm noodles and sauted veggies
  • Holes I have noticed so far: Cheese, heavy cream, fresh veg
  • What I would do to fill those holes

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

  1. High Inflation (look up inflation for the past two years and come up with a cumulative number of 11% conservatively and 21% by some estimates) - has your income also grown by 11- 21% 
  2. Real Estate, In migration, Out migration, and interest rates 
  3. Current rate
  4. Selling now and buying the same cost home costs more
  5. Where people are going and impacts on those markets
  6. Housing scarcity
  7. Long term population expectations
  8. Boomers moving out of the workforce, into retirement facilities
  9. Move toward subscription society AKA renting your house not owning it
  10. War in Ukraine, War in Israel, War war war
  11. Election Year
  12. Technological advancement, AI, unprepared workforce, unrealistic expectations
  13. Number of government employees versus private sector employees - 17% and rising - by one single measure
  14. Medical industrial complex
  15. Obesity, diabetes, overall physical and mental health of the population - weakening citizens
  16. Aging and undermaintained infrastructure and infrastructure spending that doest address them problem

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).

  • Costs of things outpace income increases (This is already happening) (PANTRY CHALLENGE, FINANCE AUDIT) 
  • Jobs could become scarce (Currently, we are in a bizarre world where it is hard to find employees that are good AND hard to find a job that is good. Let’s talk about why.) Consequences of unemployment, return to a gig environment without any decent way to navigate it from a regulatory standpoint. In other words, the current environment of overregulation and overtaxation of every little thing does not play well with non-w-2 employees, but people are finding they must engage with the gig economy as a non w-2 employee to survive in a growing number of cases (GROW YOUR INCOME STABILITY).  
  • Gaining stability through home ownership or land ownership is increasingly difficult, though not impossible. Keeping hold of property in a world where it is taxed based on current market value will also be increasingly difficult. (THE WINDOW) 
  • Tangible assets and their value versus holding cash (RIGHT NOW YOU CANNOT SELL MANY TANGIBLE THINGS - THIS MAY CHANGE) 
  • Technological advancements leading to job loss, getting left behind (LEARN THE THINGS YOU ARE SCARED OF, INCLUDING AI) 
  • Necessary monetary rebasement - we’ve seen it before, it is a favorite tool of leaders, we expect to see it again. (IT IS AN ELECTION YEAR - MAY STAVE THIS OFF A BIT, OR EXPECTED PROSPERITY FROM TRANSITION MAY SPEED IT - ARE YOU READY? CRYPTO AND FROZEN ACCOUNTS STORY)
  • Election year and division, violence, hijinks (SITUATIONAL AWARENESS) 
  • Health of our population, the medical industrial complex, and more (BE HEALTHY) 
  • Underrmaintained infrastructure and failures - electrical grid, etc (DECENTRALIZE AS IT MAKES SENSE

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

 

 

Jan 5, 2024

Today, we talk about midwinter on the homestead, a new segment on homestead planning 101, lots of drama in the Holler, the new financial tracking system with Tactical Redneck and Nicole Sauce.

Featured Event: Self Reliance Festival April 6-7 in Camden, Tennessee

Sponsor 1: DiscountMylarBags.com

Sponsor 2: HollerRoast.com

Mild Winter

Homestead Planning 101 - The 15 Minute Homestead

Tagline: Small Steps and Doing Less Give You More On Your Homestead

  • Why: Dealing With the VA On Your Worst Day
  • Morning Dinner = Success
  • Rabbit Watering System, Why We Did It - What We did

Forage

  • Roots
  • Stinging Nettle

Livestock

  • Taking Care of Livestock in Winter
  • Eggs Are Coming Back From Chickens
  • Sheep Jailbreak incited by deer
  • Predator in the Woods

Homegrown Cooking

  • Beef Roasts in The Crockpot
  • Woodstove Cooking Season
  • Beef Bone Broth

Grow

  • Indoor Pepper Cuttings
  • Still Have Not Planted Garlic - priorities

Holler Neighbors/Community

  • Mulched Leaves
  • Almost a Fire (Fires Safety)
  • Firewood and Repairs While At The Emergency Room/Injured
  • Bowling and Fun

Finances

  • New Year, New System

Make it a great week!

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. It makes a great Christmas Gift!

Community

Advisory Board

Resources

Jan 3, 2024

Today, I am talking with Kenny G from R3 Contingencies about being prepared for travel, both by car and by plane, as well as developing situational awareness while planning your trips.

Featured Event:

Save the Date for the LFTN Workshop Ticket Sales, January 20, 2024 at 9am Central. Theme, “Back to the Basics.” Workshop is April 25-27.

Sponsor 1: The WealthSteading Podcast, InvestableWealth.com

Sponsor 2: Last change for the $35 Homesteading and Permaculture Bundle with a 17 episode podcast analysis of Toby Hemenway’s Gaia’s Garden and a whole HOST of other things!

https://permies.com/w/bundle?f=495 

Show Resources

R3 Contingencies Website

Main content of the show

Kenny G started R3 contingencies in 2020, Since then he has helped expand their services. So they can help if you lost everything from your cell phone charger to a full suit, to giving you a plan after a break-in.

Why should I prep for travel? I have a good travel agent isn't that enough?

What should I be concerned with road trips I have AAA is'nt the best thing to have?

What is the most common problem you see and what is the easiest way to prevent it?

How about flying?

What if I want to travel internationally?

What if it's for business vs pleasure? Does it change my travel plans?

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

Transcript

00:03.643 --> 00:09.346

Howdy, everybody, and welcome to today's live interview with Kenny G. Kenny G, you going to play some music?

00:11.448 --> 00:12.228

Maybe a little later.

00:12.248 --> 00:14.569

I think I forgot my guitar at the show.

 

00:14.810 --> 00:16.230

Is Kenny G your real name?

 

00:17.231 --> 00:17.891

Close enough.

 

00:19.712 --> 00:20.293

That's right, guys.

 

00:20.833 --> 00:29.518

Kenny G's been on our podcast before on a different topic, but he reached out to me and said, hey, I want to talk about things people should know while traveling.

 

00:30.359 --> 00:30.519

And

 

00:31.329 --> 00:47.931

I kind of added because I know you're going to end up talking about this like situational awareness, something that has really struck me in the last couple of years that I've been on the road is so I was driving to Texas and you know how those alerts come over your phone that everybody turns off because they're annoying.

 

00:47.952 --> 00:48.873

Yep.

 

00:49.721 --> 00:51.261

Okay, so one of those alerts came over my phone.

 

00:51.301 --> 00:53.022

I'm like, I have Amber Alerts.

 

00:53.302 --> 00:53.742

Shut off.

 

00:53.782 --> 00:54.442

Like, what's up?

 

00:54.622 --> 00:56.982

And a convict had escaped prison.

 

00:57.022 --> 01:00.963

So it was a different kind of alert.

 

01:01.383 --> 01:03.223

And he had taken people hostage.

 

01:04.364 --> 01:07.384

And they said, this is going on in this area.

 

01:07.404 --> 01:14.246

Well, I had made the critical error of following my GPS instead of my map to get around, to route around a traffic issue.

 

01:14.886 --> 01:16.446

So I didn't actually know where I was.

 

01:18.511 --> 01:23.636

And so when it said where it was, I didn't know where I where I was, where it was in relationship to that.

 

01:23.756 --> 01:30.864

And luckily, I had more than half a tank because I usually top off about every half tank when I'm driving somewhere long distance.

 

01:31.364 --> 01:33.206

And I got all the way to my destination.

 

01:33.226 --> 01:35.829

And it turned out I was within a couple of miles.

 

01:36.029 --> 01:41.795

And the guy ended up taking a family hostage, driving to Ohio and killing them before he was caught.

 

01:42.905 --> 01:45.507

And so that's what I mean by situational awareness.

 

01:45.587 --> 01:53.572

Like we get so used to technology that sometimes it's a really bad idea to just put your faith in it.

 

01:53.672 --> 01:55.033

But there's a lot of stuff you can do.

 

01:55.053 --> 01:56.074

Oh, I lost the light.

 

01:56.454 --> 01:59.516

There's a lot of stuff you can do between now and then.

 

01:59.656 --> 02:02.038

But let's start with before we jump into that.

 

02:02.418 --> 02:03.939

I'm just giving everybody the overview.

 

02:06.021 --> 02:09.283

Tell us who you are and how you ended up on LFTN anyway.

 

02:11.467 --> 02:14.528

Um, Ken or Kenny G if you prefer.

 

02:14.608 --> 02:17.630

And yes, that is the real first initial for my last name.

 

02:18.650 --> 02:24.372

Um, I am working or I work for the emergency concierge service, our three contingencies.

 

02:24.953 --> 02:27.774

We see a lot of things happen up, down, left, right.

 

02:28.634 --> 02:31.595

And I thought it would be a great topic here.

 

02:31.715 --> 02:35.357

And not to mention, I've reached out to Nicole for several things regarding business.

 

02:35.477 --> 02:37.338

So pay it back, right?

 

02:37.858 --> 02:37.998

Yeah.

 

02:38.018 --> 02:40.759

So what is our three contingencies before we jump in there?

 

02:41.738 --> 02:46.003

They are, as far as I know, the world's only emergency concierge service that there is.

 

02:47.684 --> 02:50.528

What does an emergency concierge service do?

 

02:51.949 --> 02:57.795

For example, let's say you go on a flight and they lose your luggage and you have a business meeting.

 

02:58.656 --> 03:02.861

It would have been something that we prep for and we would have clothes delivered to your hotel room.

 

03:04.275 --> 03:05.236

Well, that's pretty cool.

 

03:05.316 --> 03:13.801

With, you know, a Visa gift card if you need it, a phone charger, standard stuff that you may have forgotten or gotten lost.

 

03:13.921 --> 03:16.883

Or example, you run out because your kid's in the hospital.

 

03:17.343 --> 03:23.247

We deliver a phone charger to you, food, basic necessities, toothbrush, toothpaste, stuff like that.

 

03:24.226 --> 03:24.406

Wow.

 

03:24.426 --> 03:25.207

That sounds really good.

 

03:25.227 --> 03:25.547

Yeah.

 

03:26.588 --> 03:26.748

Yeah.

 

03:26.928 --> 03:27.829

I found your website.

 

03:27.929 --> 03:30.111

So I thought I had to, you know, show it.

 

03:30.972 --> 03:33.234

Cause we have that capacity here.

 

03:33.374 --> 03:33.694

Okay.

 

03:33.774 --> 03:35.936

So let's go back to traveling though.

 

03:35.996 --> 03:39.779

Cause traveling has probably taught me more about prepping than anything else.

 

03:40.540 --> 03:45.164

One thing I learned is you never leave the house without a snack in your bag.

 

03:46.414 --> 03:53.399

Because you're going to end up on a train somewhere in the middle of the night in Eastern Germany and you didn't have time to get dinner.

 

03:53.479 --> 03:55.560

And luckily you have that snack in your bag.

 

03:56.120 --> 03:59.102

But why should I prep for travel?

 

04:00.203 --> 04:05.526

And if I'm like with a tour group, should I still should I still prep for travel?

 

04:05.546 --> 04:06.167

And if so, why?

 

04:08.505 --> 04:10.647

Absolutely, you should still prep for travel.

 

04:10.907 --> 04:14.550

And prepping for travel is essential because let's face it, you never know.

 

04:16.311 --> 04:18.452

I live in New Hampshire, I'm really close to Boston.

 

04:18.833 --> 04:26.278

When the big dig was happened, I have literally driven into Boston and had the road closed that I drove in on, on the way out.

 

04:28.099 --> 04:29.200

Yeah, what's that mean?

 

04:29.220 --> 04:30.281

Do you just get stuck on the road?

 

04:31.901 --> 05:00.958

uh yeah i had to get rerouted and i was stuck in a traffic jam for about four hours what should have been an hour and a half trip literally took me all day and had i not done things like you know make sure my gas tank is kept half topped off bare minimum i keep a gallon of water in the car i keep cliff bars in the car i mean i know they're not the healthiest thing for you but they do help satisfy your hunger and there is such a thing as driving hangry and i would not recommend it

 

05:01.869 --> 05:02.469

Well, why not?

 

05:02.489 --> 05:06.971

Because you make stupid choices when you're hangry.

 

05:08.592 --> 05:11.893

I mean, I know it says no U-turn, but I don't see anyone here and I'm starving.

 

05:14.334 --> 05:22.897

Yeah, I took a wrong turn on my way from Oklahoma City to Tennessee, which literally all you need to do is stay on the stupid freeway, which is I-40, right?

 

05:23.958 --> 05:24.198

Right.

 

05:25.126 --> 05:27.688

But I got on the freeway going the wrong direction after getting gas.

 

05:27.728 --> 05:30.391

And then I took the next exit, which was a terrible idea.

 

05:30.511 --> 05:36.896

Ended up driving 28 miles one direction to where I could finally turn around after paying a toll and 28 miles back.

 

05:36.916 --> 05:41.680

And I kept looking at the gaps every so often that said, don't drive through here.

 

05:42.741 --> 05:45.922

And I finally like I was like, well, there's so many cars coming.

 

05:45.962 --> 05:47.063

I'm not going to do it right.

 

05:47.143 --> 05:52.685

But I was really tempted and I got to the toll booth and I asked about those things like, oh, yeah, we actually have cameras up.

 

05:52.705 --> 05:56.226

We would have busted your ass because people get into accidents when they do that.

 

05:56.826 --> 06:00.828

So I made the right choice in that turn and in that situation.

 

06:00.968 --> 06:06.470

But what does what does prepping for travel look like?

 

06:08.410 --> 06:08.970

Depends.

 

06:09.070 --> 06:10.551

Are you flying or driving?

 

06:10.951 --> 06:13.631

I mean, we're talking about driving, so let's go with that.

 

06:13.651 --> 06:16.772

A simple low-hanging fruit is get AAA.

 

06:17.632 --> 06:23.974

It doesn't cost much, and if you get one tow, just one in like four years, it pays for itself.

 

06:24.994 --> 06:30.875

I used to work for a towing company back when I was younger and had hair, and it started out like $150 to pick you up plus $15 a mile.

 

06:30.915 --> 06:32.256

That adds up really, really fast.

 

06:38.846 --> 06:39.186

Yeah.

 

06:39.747 --> 06:46.232

So I have AAA for this reason and the poor people have had to tow me at least twice a year since I got it.

 

06:47.933 --> 06:52.417

And except for this year, because it's the second or third or something.

 

06:54.379 --> 06:59.102

What happened in 2020 with AAA is they would pick your car up, but not you.

 

06:59.122 --> 07:03.006

Yeah, that sounds about right.

 

07:03.326 --> 07:06.048

And they said they didn't want to risk giving the drivers COVID.

 

07:06.108 --> 07:07.129

So I was in 2020.

 

07:09.451 --> 07:10.411

Maybe it was 2021.

 

07:10.471 --> 07:11.932

It was still in effect.

 

07:12.092 --> 07:19.073

I get caught in the middle of the wilderness, basically, between Chattanooga and Sparta.

 

07:19.893 --> 07:21.714

So I'm like literally on the side of the road.

 

07:21.734 --> 07:22.874

There's nothing around.

 

07:22.914 --> 07:26.115

And they're like, well, you can't ride with the driver because of our policies.

 

07:27.555 --> 07:28.755

And I'm like, what am I supposed to do?

 

07:28.775 --> 07:29.755

You know what they told me to do?

 

07:29.775 --> 07:31.276

Get an Uber?

 

07:32.036 --> 07:32.676

Call a cab.

 

07:34.890 --> 07:37.215

I'm like, I don't know if you understand where I am right now.

 

07:37.275 --> 07:38.999

Because, you know, they're always like, are you safe?

 

07:39.059 --> 07:40.361

I'm like, no, I'm not safe.

 

07:41.143 --> 07:43.448

I'm on the side of the road in the middle of the winter.

 

07:44.700 --> 07:47.401

And so they were like, well, we don't know what to tell you, ma'am.

 

07:47.521 --> 07:49.561

This is this is the deal during covid.

 

07:50.502 --> 07:58.404

And that made me rethink my relationship with Triple A. Now, what I ended up doing was asking the driver if he cared if I jumped in and he said, are you sick?

 

07:58.464 --> 07:59.004

And I said, no.

 

07:59.024 --> 08:00.085

He said, then go ahead.

 

08:00.725 --> 08:01.485

And I did get it.

 

08:01.785 --> 08:03.586

Like it was a driver decision.

 

08:03.606 --> 08:08.147

And I did have friends coming to pick me up if that didn't happen.

 

08:08.167 --> 08:11.188

But they were going to have to drive like two hours to get me.

 

08:12.228 --> 08:14.631

Meanwhile, my car was towed, you know, because it was broken down.

 

08:15.011 --> 08:19.635

So what do you think about that in AAA?

 

08:19.675 --> 08:25.441

Like they're kind of dead to me, but not dead to me because it's the only towing service I've really found that seems to work at all.

 

08:26.342 --> 08:28.764

That doesn't cost you an arm and a leg when you have to get it.

 

08:28.784 --> 08:28.864

Yeah.

 

08:29.205 --> 08:29.445

Yeah.

 

08:30.552 --> 08:35.134

Yeah, like, okay, first of all, everyone went insane during COVID.

 

08:35.634 --> 08:41.617

I mean, let's face it, totally reasonable, rational people I know lost their freaking minds.

 

08:42.497 --> 08:46.839

So I can't fault AAA too much, and they've probably done away with that policy.

 

08:47.419 --> 08:53.082

Like way, way back in the day, 2010, they actually could not leave you on the side of the road.

 

08:53.862 --> 08:55.203

They had policies against that.

 

08:55.771 --> 09:00.993

If you had to like load five people into your tiny two person cab, you did it.

 

09:01.433 --> 09:04.014

You drive to the next exit and you let them off.

 

09:04.554 --> 09:09.355

But as I said, people lost their minds during COVID.

 

09:10.696 --> 09:12.416

Yeah, that happened once to my mom too.

 

09:12.436 --> 09:19.259

She was stuck in the middle of the freeway, like the middle left middle because the car went into limp mode.

 

09:19.279 --> 09:19.939

Do you know what that is?

 

09:20.993 --> 09:24.395

Yes, that is when it enters in when it only does 30 miles an hour.

 

09:24.516 --> 09:33.182

Oh, no, it did five, five, five in a rainstorm on I-40 won't go more than five rush hour traffic.

 

09:33.262 --> 09:35.883

She pulls into the left shoulder, calls AAA.

 

09:37.204 --> 09:40.667

And they're like, well, we can't get there for four hours.

 

09:42.448 --> 09:43.048

Are you safe?

 

09:43.088 --> 09:44.790

And I'm like, no, she's actually not safe.

 

09:45.578 --> 09:50.641

Like anybody could just reef into the back of that car and they go super fast and whatever.

 

09:50.881 --> 09:51.501

And you can't see.

 

09:51.982 --> 09:55.884

So the police came and they actually drove her to the next exit, which was nice.

 

09:57.585 --> 10:01.687

That is something you should probably look at depending on your location.

 

10:02.227 --> 10:06.089

Suppose the police had said, no, we don't want to wait for AAA.

 

10:06.109 --> 10:08.010

We're going to call one of our guys and they'll tow you.

 

10:09.651 --> 10:14.254

And a lot of AAA states, if they cannot get to you in a reasonable amount of time, they will pay for the tow.

 

10:15.586 --> 10:18.849

I have had that happen with them too, where they couldn't get there for four hours.

 

10:18.889 --> 10:20.130

And I said, what's my option?

 

10:20.170 --> 10:21.471

And they said, you get reimbursed.

 

10:22.731 --> 10:24.473

And then they reimbursed me 80 bucks.

 

10:27.315 --> 10:29.136

Yeah, that probably wasn't enough to cover the tow, was it?

 

10:29.356 --> 10:32.417

It actually was in that case, because I live in the middle of nowhere.

 

10:32.777 --> 10:33.057

Yeah.

 

10:33.657 --> 10:37.759

It would not have been the case had it been that incident in the middle of the road.

 

10:38.679 --> 10:40.359

So we didn't know what limp mode was.

 

10:40.580 --> 10:44.801

So I didn't know why the car was only going five miles per hour and going doop, doop, doop, doop, doop.

 

10:44.921 --> 10:47.242

But I was like, hmm, sounds like a transmission problem, right?

 

10:47.802 --> 10:55.344

Had I known about limp mode, I would have been like, hey, cops, let us get over to the right hand shoulder and then we'll just limp to the next exit.

 

10:55.464 --> 10:56.404

Down to the next exit.

 

10:56.504 --> 11:05.206

It seems to me that limp mode is a really dangerous thing when it drops you to five miles an hour and won't let you do anything because you basically can't get yourself out of a situation at that point.

 

11:05.246 --> 11:06.846

I don't have that car anymore for that reason.

 

11:08.606 --> 11:09.226

They're dead to me.

 

11:09.847 --> 11:11.227

People become dead to me easily.

 

11:13.737 --> 11:21.261

Well, if it's between limp mode and the car not running, I prefer limp mode because, you know, at least I can move a little bit versus some cars.

 

11:21.301 --> 11:23.743

They will literally just shut down and tell you, nope, not moving.

 

11:24.063 --> 11:25.044

But you're capable of it.

 

11:25.244 --> 11:25.564

Don't care.

 

11:25.604 --> 11:26.004

Not doing it.

 

11:26.664 --> 11:27.145

Exactly.

 

11:27.165 --> 11:42.634

I mean, I've driven on on rims before to get out of dangerous situations just because I'm like, I know this is going to cost me a lot, but I'd rather pay money for that than like die on the side of the road because my car had a blowout of some sort in a really dangerous place.

 

11:43.514 --> 11:47.436

Um, but you know, I'm a weirdo and everybody's like, why do women always do that?

 

11:47.476 --> 11:50.278

I'm like, cause I'm not going to get out of my car and get hit by a semi.

 

11:50.378 --> 11:58.121

That's why I, I feel like woman versus semi semi wins every time, every time.

 

11:59.402 --> 11:59.782

Yeah.

 

12:00.202 --> 12:04.405

Red fire made it says waited six hours in Austin at night with a motorcycle.

 

12:04.465 --> 12:04.745

So, um,

 

12:05.737 --> 12:09.778

How what else should you do besides have something like AAA?

 

12:09.798 --> 12:11.319

Because I mean, it works.

 

12:11.499 --> 12:12.759

It is better than nothing.

 

12:12.839 --> 12:18.081

It's probably the best option I found out there from a price to benefit ratio.

 

12:18.821 --> 12:22.702

But obviously, I have lots of stories about being stranded by AAA.

 

12:22.782 --> 12:24.382

And we have some in the comments here.

 

12:24.422 --> 12:26.623

Like, what else can you do?

 

12:28.985 --> 12:57.057

something else this is just very basic stuff get a floor jack one with wheels on it i don't recommend the bottle jack and the reason i say the floor jack with wheels is because if you need to you can use it to help get your lug nuts off keep your car on the ground put those stupid little bar they give you and put the jack on the side of the bar so that way when you jack it up it turns the lug because some people out there like my wife she weighs 110 pounds soaking wet

 

12:58.044 --> 13:02.385

If she's driving an F-250, she does not have the body mass to get that lug off.

 

13:03.025 --> 13:03.686

It doesn't matter.

 

13:03.826 --> 13:04.646

It's not happening.

 

13:05.346 --> 13:12.448

However, she can jack it up, then stand on it, or use the jack in reverse to retighten the bolts if she needs to.

 

13:14.389 --> 13:19.850

And to know how to do that, how do you know those things to do besides just that one tip?

 

13:22.731 --> 13:25.732

Heard a lot of horror stories and found ways around them.

 

13:25.752 --> 13:26.452

Yeah.

 

13:27.524 --> 13:30.086

The other thing is try to have more than your cell phone.

 

13:30.206 --> 13:33.268

I mean, I know, like you said, we've become so reliant on these things.

 

13:33.588 --> 13:34.309

It has a light.

 

13:34.409 --> 13:35.970

What do I need a flashlight for?

 

13:35.990 --> 13:37.731

You want a flashlight.

 

13:37.851 --> 13:43.355

If it's pouring rain out, you do not want your cell phone sitting there as you're trying to get your lugs off.

 

13:45.338 --> 13:51.063

And your cell phone is not as bright as something like a Streamlight or like a decent pocket flashlight even.

 

13:53.244 --> 13:53.825

Correct.

 

13:53.985 --> 13:59.389

Another thing is, and I hate saying this, but dollar store glow sticks, they're not road flares.

 

13:59.869 --> 14:06.254

But, you know, if you buy five of them and just crack them and toss them down the road, at least they give people something.

 

14:06.354 --> 14:09.116

And worst case scenario, you have a glow stick light.

 

14:10.617 --> 14:11.738

Yeah, that makes sense.

 

14:11.798 --> 14:13.139

You know, I have one of those...

 

14:14.682 --> 14:21.028

cigarette lighter plug-in tire inflator, like compressors, it has a built-in light too.

 

14:21.048 --> 14:22.829

So every time it's on, it's flashlights on.

 

14:22.869 --> 14:27.313

Cause they just assume you need me in the middle of the night and you can't see anything outside.

 

14:28.574 --> 14:30.496

So that's another good one to have.

 

14:31.057 --> 14:34.560

The only thing I worry about with those is if your alternator dies or

 

14:35.094 --> 14:40.559

Because most people don't know that their alternator dies until they're going, why are my headlights getting dimmer?

 

14:40.879 --> 14:41.139

Yeah.

 

14:41.619 --> 14:43.401

And why did my radio stop?

 

14:44.122 --> 14:44.882

Oh, that's weird.

 

14:45.102 --> 14:48.085

So they just keep driving and then now your car is literally out of power.

 

14:48.906 --> 14:49.306

Right.

 

14:50.227 --> 14:53.008

I mean, those you're using it because you have a flat tire.

 

14:53.088 --> 14:56.890

And I don't know if you know this about me, but I have the flat tire curse.

 

14:57.971 --> 15:05.235

I may have actually finally passed it on, but there was a series of years where every time I went on any road trip of any kind.

 

15:06.846 --> 15:13.032

There was a tire blowout or a flat or I came out from the hotel one morning and there it was flat.

 

15:13.652 --> 15:20.659

And so that's why I have that thing, because I was like, OK, I can pump it up, get to where I need to go to get it patched or whatever.

 

15:20.699 --> 15:21.940

I do have a patch kit.

 

15:22.160 --> 15:24.723

I'm not terribly good at patching tires myself.

 

15:25.640 --> 15:28.041

But I like I can plug them if I need to.

 

15:28.341 --> 15:34.905

Usually it's it's a strength issue of getting the thing into the hole.

 

15:35.265 --> 15:35.765

The reamer.

 

15:35.965 --> 15:36.185

Yeah.

 

15:36.205 --> 15:36.525

Yeah.

 

15:37.266 --> 15:37.506

Yeah.

 

15:37.566 --> 15:39.507

That's that's my challenge with those.

 

15:39.647 --> 15:43.689

But I think like the more stubborn I am about it, the better it is.

 

15:43.749 --> 15:51.133

But having that way of inflating tires, no matter what, has been really helpful because I'm usually 20 miles from somewhere useful.

 

15:51.773 --> 15:53.515

at any given time when there's a problem.

 

15:53.575 --> 15:58.221

It's not like, oh, hey, look, there's a repair guy and my car just broke right here.

 

15:58.301 --> 16:00.944

Or there's a gas station and my car just broke right here.

 

16:00.964 --> 16:04.287

It's always like, okay, nope, no self service.

 

16:06.049 --> 16:06.770

Now what do I do?

 

16:06.810 --> 16:08.713

I got to get somewhere where I can go somewhere.

 

16:09.493 --> 16:11.736

So what's the most common?

 

16:12.337 --> 16:12.497

What?

 

16:13.587 --> 16:18.268

Another advantage to those is, at least around here, we get weather that's like negative 20.

 

16:18.848 --> 16:22.389

And when it is, those gas station compressors will not work.

 

16:22.990 --> 16:24.930

They turn on, but they don't pump air out.

 

16:25.290 --> 16:29.531

Those little plug into your lighter air compressors still work.

 

16:30.192 --> 16:31.492

Yeah, especially if your car is warm.

 

16:32.692 --> 16:33.192

Exactly.

 

16:33.813 --> 16:37.734

What do you tell people to do who are driving in environments like yours where it is really cold?

 

16:37.754 --> 16:42.675

Like what else should they have in the car besides some, you know, basic water and food?

 

16:43.775 --> 17:09.888

space blanket you can buy 10 of them for like 12 bucks on amazon and they are a lifesaver and this may sound weird but believe it or not if you are broken down in a car with no gas the car will be colder than the actual outside because why is that a giant ice box something to do with the metal and thermal dynamics and some math that is just beyond me at the moment

 

17:10.339 --> 17:14.622

But yes, there have been multiple studies done, one of them actually done by AAA.

 

17:15.222 --> 17:19.465

And it turns out outside of your car actually is warmer than inside of your car at a certain point.

 

17:19.765 --> 17:21.627

Yeah, unless you have a windshield, I assume.

 

17:21.647 --> 17:23.188

That's insane.

 

17:23.728 --> 17:23.948

Yeah.

 

17:26.250 --> 17:26.870

Oh, the cat.

 

17:27.871 --> 17:28.291

What else?

 

17:28.612 --> 17:30.893

Space blankets, water, food, anything else?

 

17:31.273 --> 17:32.814

Hand warmers, anything like that?

 

17:33.535 --> 17:35.817

Hand warmers are a nice one to keep.

 

17:35.897 --> 17:37.698

However, most people lose them.

 

17:39.180 --> 17:41.381

I've stopped recommending them because people throw them in their trunk.

 

17:41.422 --> 17:45.444

Then when they need them, I can't find them or they throw them in their glove box.

 

17:45.524 --> 17:50.006

And then, you know, I throw 10,000 other things in my glove box and I cannot find them.

 

17:50.647 --> 17:54.269

You mean they don't all have a little kit in their card with all the stuff in it?

 

17:54.689 --> 17:55.489

No, no, no.

 

17:55.529 --> 17:56.110

Most people don't.

 

17:56.150 --> 17:59.271

They just throw it in the back of their truck or in their trunk, whatever.

 

18:01.713 --> 18:05.495

Another thing I tend to recommend is just some basic toiletries.

 

18:06.431 --> 18:09.033

Toothbrush, toothpaste, face cloth, soap.

 

18:10.234 --> 18:19.961

I mean, if you happen to get stuck or God forbid sleeping in your car because the roads are closed, they washed out, they had to close down the road because some guy's holding a family hostage.

 

18:21.142 --> 18:28.628

If you can sleep in a Walmart parking lot, go into the Walmart and just, you know, wash your face, some other necessities.

 

18:28.788 --> 18:30.449

It makes you feel 10 times better.

 

18:31.860 --> 18:32.120

Yeah.

 

18:32.180 --> 18:35.122

I know somebody who actually ended up in a Walmart parking lot.

 

18:35.162 --> 18:42.948

I think recently waiting for her husband when the past got just jacked up with truck trucks sliding all over the place.

 

18:42.968 --> 18:44.509

And luckily they got a hotel that night.

 

18:44.749 --> 18:50.713

That's the other thing is when they closed the highway snow or something, all of the hotels are instantly booked.

 

18:51.534 --> 18:51.694

Yep.

 

18:52.655 --> 18:54.396

So how do you get your hotel room in that case?

 

18:54.476 --> 18:57.198

If you see a road closing, how do you get the hotel first?

 

18:59.209 --> 19:01.230

Go for off the beaten path.

 

19:01.350 --> 19:03.212

Don't look for hotels next to airports.

 

19:03.252 --> 19:04.332

That's what everyone goes for.

 

19:05.133 --> 19:07.134

And those tend to be the first ones that fill up.

 

19:08.175 --> 19:10.116

And this is a little tweak here.

 

19:10.436 --> 19:11.317

Don't look for hotel.

 

19:11.357 --> 19:12.157

Look for motel.

 

19:12.437 --> 19:13.618

Everyone looks for hotel.

 

19:13.938 --> 19:14.679

Those fill up.

 

19:14.819 --> 19:15.820

Look for motel.

 

19:16.480 --> 19:18.782

And you might be able to find something a little better.

 

19:19.942 --> 19:24.505

Downside motels tend to be a little lower quality.

 

19:24.645 --> 19:25.706

So, yeah.

 

19:26.306 --> 19:27.307

Bed bugs are a thing.

 

19:28.047 --> 19:28.468

Oh, yeah.

 

19:29.304 --> 19:35.029

Well, that and fights outside your door at certain motels.

 

19:35.329 --> 19:36.110

Oh, yeah.

 

19:36.130 --> 19:36.991

Three in the morning.

 

19:37.271 --> 19:37.591

Yeah.

 

19:38.212 --> 19:38.352

Yeah.

 

19:38.432 --> 19:43.076

I like to when I'm going to be if I'm at a motel that feels sketchy, which I try not to do.

 

19:43.756 --> 19:47.800

I love to be on the front office side of the building.

 

19:49.521 --> 19:52.544

Because the fights all seem to happen in the pool area.

 

19:53.826 --> 20:14.091

where they can't see so just a little i mean if you end up in that situation and it's safer than staying in your car then you know see if you can get located somewhere where the people who are there all night and awake all night are are also able to see your door that's super helpful um

 

20:15.379 --> 20:20.782

The thing I noticed, so I was one time, I've done a lot of things on I-40.

 

20:20.822 --> 20:22.703

This was in New Mexico.

 

20:23.183 --> 20:24.504

Blizzard was coming through.

 

20:24.524 --> 20:29.327

And one person was driving, one person was calling.

 

20:30.427 --> 20:33.309

to make reservations.

 

20:33.409 --> 20:39.995

Calling was better than the websites at that time because the websites would allow reservations to go through when there weren't rooms.

 

20:40.735 --> 20:41.716

So it was better to call.

 

20:42.197 --> 20:50.323

It's almost better to pull over for 10 minutes and find where you're going and then go rather than drive as fast as you can out of that situation.

 

20:50.383 --> 20:54.647

But everything was booked for hours around that closure.

 

20:54.687 --> 20:57.329

And I-40 was closed for a couple of days because of that blizzard.

 

20:58.314 --> 21:01.195

I ended up actually driving south.

 

21:01.916 --> 21:02.796

We didn't get a hotel room.

 

21:04.077 --> 21:04.717

We drove south.

 

21:04.737 --> 21:07.378

Because you know what happens as you go further south?

 

21:07.638 --> 21:09.880

Usually, it gets warmer.

 

21:10.780 --> 21:15.582

And eventually, we got to the rain part of the storm instead of the snow part of the storm.

 

21:15.622 --> 21:16.383

And then we get heavy.

 

21:16.423 --> 21:20.524

So we just replanned our entire route around.

 

21:21.285 --> 21:23.606

I'm not driving in the snow and I-40 is closed.

 

21:27.503 --> 21:29.025

Oh, I get that.

 

21:29.425 --> 21:38.395

Something I've seen is if it's a blizzard, hotels actually will put a cot in like the gym and only be like, tell you what, 50 bucks on a choice.

 

21:39.697 --> 21:40.438

Is it pleasant?

 

21:40.758 --> 21:41.078

No.

 

21:41.098 --> 21:42.680

Is it better than sleeping in your car?

 

21:43.101 --> 21:43.361

Yep.

 

21:44.262 --> 21:44.642

Yep.

 

21:45.183 --> 21:46.645

That's actually not a bad play.

 

21:48.004 --> 21:49.265

Lots of cots in the gym.

 

21:49.305 --> 21:49.825

Who cares?

 

21:49.905 --> 21:52.326

I mean, it's actually better than dying outside.

 

21:53.606 --> 21:59.548

What's the most common problem you see when people are traveling and are there ways to prevent it?

 

22:02.229 --> 22:06.371

Most common problem, especially with flying, is lost luggage, believe it or not.

 

22:08.152 --> 22:11.253

There is, well, I haven't used this trick in a few years, but

 

22:12.637 --> 22:15.618

A friend of mine actually recommended this one to me for your carry-on.

 

22:16.278 --> 22:21.440

If you put a starter pistol in your bag, you have to declare that you have a gun in your bag.

 

22:21.940 --> 22:29.602

Starter pistols are legal in all 50 states, and they are then required to take much better care of that bag.

 

22:31.223 --> 22:35.304

So it increases the tracking on it and increases the odds that it'll get to your destination.

 

22:36.400 --> 22:45.284

Now, if you don't want to go this route, and if you don't have a starter pistol, it's just not something you want to do, it depends.

 

22:45.344 --> 22:46.965

Are you traveling for business or pleasure?

 

22:47.685 --> 22:52.807

If I'm flying for pleasure and I get there and they've lost my bag, whatever.

 

22:53.227 --> 22:54.828

My friends make fun of me a little bit.

 

22:54.948 --> 22:56.909

I wear the same clothes for a few days.

 

22:57.029 --> 22:57.990

I go to Goodwill.

 

22:58.010 --> 22:58.950

It's not a big deal.

 

22:59.867 --> 23:03.850

Suppose I'm traveling for business and my bag had my suit in it.

 

23:04.350 --> 23:10.094

This is now a significantly bigger deal because I need to go to the place and look nice.

 

23:10.154 --> 23:17.840

I can't show up in my travel clothes because let's face it, I look like a hobo at this point because I dress for comfort on the flight, not to impress anyone.

 

23:18.860 --> 23:26.186

In this case, something we recommend doing is if you're traveling locally, look up places where you could buy a replacement and get an idea.

 

23:27.142 --> 23:43.909

so you know i need a new suit well i don't want to buy one well there's a men's warehouse right here how much will this cost me okay cool if you're traveling internationally this changes significantly because at this point now you need to before you go look up the translations

 

23:45.385 --> 23:47.546

Europe does not use the same sizes we do.

 

23:48.326 --> 23:53.448

And if you go in there with American sizes, you are not going to get clothes that fit at all.

 

23:53.928 --> 24:01.430

And it can save you a lot of hassle in the long run, just looking up basic translation for sizes, especially when it comes to undergarments.

 

24:03.991 --> 24:07.712

The way I learned that was by being there and asking him, what size do you think I should try on?

 

24:10.143 --> 24:14.606

but I actually get really frustrated with the American sizes on Birkenstocks.

 

24:14.686 --> 24:20.811

Cause I know my Birkenstock European shoe size, which is different in a Birkenstock than other shoes in Europe.

 

24:21.652 --> 24:28.137

They are the same sizes, but yeah, anyway, something about the wider footbed means I can have a smaller size on that.

 

24:30.880 --> 24:34.262

You order them on Amazon and they're like, get size nine.

 

24:34.303 --> 24:35.944

And I'm like, but is it,

 

24:37.691 --> 24:38.812

Is it a 42?

 

24:39.072 --> 24:39.853

Is it a 40?

 

24:40.073 --> 24:40.914

Is it a 39?

 

24:40.954 --> 24:42.316

Like, what are you actually going to send me?

 

24:42.976 --> 24:46.620

So I've had a lot like it varies the translation a little bit.

 

24:49.322 --> 24:52.345

It varies, especially depending on undergarments.

 

24:55.528 --> 25:00.213

Bras in particular tend to go by much different sizes over in Europe than they do here.

 

25:01.491 --> 25:04.413

So that's something you need to prepare for and be aware of.

 

25:04.433 --> 25:11.918

I mean, I know women's sizes are all over the place anyway, but you're going to have to deal with the translation and the sizes being all over the place.

 

25:12.679 --> 25:15.921

Yeah, I was really frustrated because I had to order a bra here.

 

25:15.941 --> 25:21.525

And it's like you measure yourself under your boobs and there's a number.

 

25:21.545 --> 25:24.447

So one would think logically you use that number.

 

25:24.487 --> 25:27.769

No, you add two to four inches to that number and then you order that size.

 

25:28.618 --> 25:29.738

And I had to go look it up.

 

25:29.818 --> 25:33.699

I'm like, how do I stop getting bras that are like too tight?

 

25:33.739 --> 25:34.659

Cause I'm not going to wear these.

 

25:34.679 --> 25:35.700

I kept returning them.

 

25:35.720 --> 25:38.120

And I was like, Oh, because it doesn't make sense.

 

25:38.140 --> 25:40.421

That's why it does not make sense.

 

25:41.381 --> 25:41.561

So.

 

25:41.581 --> 25:44.102

Men's sizes are easy, at least in America.

 

25:44.122 --> 25:46.242

Like you just wrap a tape measure around your waist.

 

25:46.262 --> 25:46.522

Okay.

 

25:46.722 --> 25:47.043

34 inches.

 

25:47.343 --> 25:50.403

That's how it should be done for women.

 

25:50.503 --> 25:56.425

Like waist, this hip, that like, here's your size in seam.

 

25:56.465 --> 25:56.805

The other.

 

25:58.175 --> 25:58.836

Imagine that.

 

25:58.916 --> 26:03.599

No, we have to call them numbers so we don't admit how big around our waist are.

 

26:03.739 --> 26:05.620

I think it's a vanity thing here.

 

26:06.440 --> 26:08.301

Somebody in the comments is going to fix that for me.

 

26:08.321 --> 26:10.103

They're going to be like, no, it's based on blah, blah, blah.

 

26:11.844 --> 26:13.184

No, I agree with you.

 

26:13.224 --> 26:16.406

I think it's, oh my God, my hips are this big?

 

26:17.547 --> 26:19.909

Instead of just saying, oh yeah, you're a size 12.

 

26:20.429 --> 26:21.730

Yeah.

 

26:21.750 --> 26:22.430

12 is beautiful.

 

26:22.990 --> 26:25.392

And then 12 has changed from the 50s till now.

 

26:27.396 --> 26:27.977

What hasn't?

 

26:28.617 --> 26:30.459

Yeah, that's also true.

 

26:30.479 --> 26:32.921

I mean, and it will again by the next 50s.

 

26:32.961 --> 26:34.642

I'm not sure I'll be alive for the next 50s.

 

26:34.662 --> 26:35.003

We'll see.

 

26:37.205 --> 26:43.110

OK, well, so let's go back to getting prepared for air travel.

 

26:43.170 --> 26:45.812

Like, what do you recommend people do for that?

 

26:48.573 --> 26:52.837

Okay, the key to being prepared for air travel is being prepared for the TSA.

 

26:53.457 --> 26:55.639

I hate to say it, but that is the number one thing.

 

26:56.159 --> 26:59.162

Make sure you wear shoes that you can take off easily.

 

26:59.702 --> 27:06.388

Try to limit the metal on you, like your watch, your ring, whatever, take it off, throw it in your carry-on.

 

27:07.449 --> 27:09.610

Always make sure when you travel, you have a carry-on.

 

27:09.670 --> 27:16.276

Worst case scenario, at least you have, you know, a spare pair of pants, boxers, shirt, and socks that you can change into.

 

27:16.561 --> 27:18.942

I mean, I always need that spare pair of boxers in my luggage.

 

27:20.063 --> 27:20.883

I figured you would.

 

27:24.064 --> 27:25.685

I got what I get pulled out for.

 

27:25.705 --> 27:32.889

I got I actually started setting off the the thingy on my last trip.

 

27:34.509 --> 27:37.991

And oh, I have a metal hair comb.

 

27:40.313 --> 27:56.332

that on you know in nashville didn't set it off but it totally set it off at this other airport and they were like you got to take it all the way out ma'am we have to make sure that's what it is i was like okay here yeah here's my non-sharp metal hair comb

 

27:58.050 --> 28:03.094

The TSA is not a group you want to play a F around with.

 

28:03.354 --> 28:03.734

Yeah.

 

28:04.114 --> 28:07.397

And I will drag you into a side room faster than you can blink.

 

28:07.457 --> 28:07.757

Yeah.

 

28:07.837 --> 28:11.920

I mean, whatever it's, it's, it is important to know that I, I travel a lot.

 

28:11.980 --> 28:14.501

So I work really hard not to have to get pulled aside.

 

28:15.062 --> 28:23.708

And in the last year, because I travel with my food now, mostly to stay on my eating plan, the food trips them up more than anything else.

 

28:25.629 --> 28:32.016

Like, if you have a summer sausage in your bag, you can guarantee that they're going to have to look at it and make sure it's not a liquid.

 

28:32.977 --> 28:33.938

Oh, yeah.

 

28:34.498 --> 28:38.362

I have problems with highly processed food.

 

28:38.843 --> 28:41.586

So a lot of the times I'll pack a protein powder with me.

 

28:42.407 --> 28:45.570

Every time I go through, they need to get someone to test that powder.

 

28:46.551 --> 28:47.132

Every time.

 

28:48.503 --> 28:50.325

The same goes for cheese starters.

 

28:50.805 --> 29:02.153

Like the cheese, I did a cheese making class and I had to go through and I, you know, like when you're teaching a class, you're not going to check under the plane, risking it getting lost the culture you need to teach the cheese class.

 

29:03.254 --> 29:08.698

So I had this little white packet of powder and they were like, what's that?

 

29:08.978 --> 29:13.162

And I was like, well, it's a mesophilic culture for making cheese.

 

29:14.383 --> 29:14.843

Duh.

 

29:16.363 --> 29:19.067

And they were like, yeah, we can have to get someone to do this.

 

29:19.448 --> 29:22.032

We need to make sure that's not cocaine, ma'am.

 

29:22.072 --> 29:22.773

I'm like, really?

 

29:24.943 --> 29:26.364

Do I look like I'm on cocaine?

 

29:26.384 --> 29:27.245

But I guess whatever.

 

29:27.545 --> 29:28.986

Maybe I do look like I'm on cocaine.

 

29:29.006 --> 29:30.648

I do drink a good amount of coffee.

 

29:33.030 --> 29:33.650

You and me both.

 

29:35.432 --> 29:36.693

I love me some good coffee.

 

29:37.754 --> 29:40.516

So let's go back to situational awareness now.

 

29:40.556 --> 29:45.160

Let's say I know I need to fly to Texas in May for Exit and Build Lamb Summit.

 

29:45.220 --> 29:49.623

And I'm going to go from Nashville to Austin.

 

29:50.524 --> 29:57.527

And then I'm going to like grab an Uber to wherever I'm staying for the exit and build land summit in Bastrop.

 

29:58.368 --> 30:09.212

How do I figure out from a just geopolitical slash whatever's going on standpoint, what I need to be aware of there?

 

30:09.372 --> 30:19.697

And it's sort of like, I guess the background for this question is when I flew from California home for Christmas or home here after Christmas, I got a text from my dad saying, did you make it home?

 

30:21.092 --> 30:21.852

And I was like, yeah.

 

30:21.932 --> 30:26.294

He's like, well, there were protests that shut down the airport in LAX.

 

30:26.334 --> 30:28.134

And I was like, well, I didn't fly out of LAX.

 

30:28.214 --> 30:29.815

So because I just try not to.

 

30:31.495 --> 30:40.558

But I know I've been in one other incident where protests and riots kind of broke out at the hotel I was in in Ferguson.

 

30:41.741 --> 30:49.927

Which I totally, by doing a little bit of situational analysis, could have avoided that one by just knowing what was going on in the world.

 

30:49.967 --> 30:54.211

So like, are there steps you recommend people take or how do we prepare ourselves for that?

 

30:56.212 --> 31:00.356

Depending on where you're going in the world, as you know, most places have patterns.

 

31:01.056 --> 31:02.077

It's something to look into.

 

31:02.557 --> 31:06.921

Like last time I checked, France rioted around the same time every year.

 

31:07.878 --> 31:09.159

Don't go to France during that time.

 

31:10.300 --> 31:13.143

If you get invited to stay at a place, do a little bit of Googling.

 

31:13.663 --> 31:18.507

This may sound basic, but look at house prices around there.

 

31:18.688 --> 31:25.834

If you're seeing a giant four-bedroom house that's 2,000 square feet and it's only valued at $40,000, not a good neighborhood.

 

31:26.615 --> 31:27.375

Not a good neighborhood.

 

31:29.827 --> 31:31.408

Be aware of that before going in.

 

31:32.248 --> 31:34.009

And most of all, listen to your gut.

 

31:34.409 --> 31:38.110

If your gut says, uh-oh, bad things, bad things, don't go.

 

31:38.130 --> 31:42.352

It doesn't matter if you're Sac-A-Meal or Navy SEAL.

 

31:42.912 --> 31:45.433

There are certain situations that you do not want a part of.

 

31:45.813 --> 31:47.894

And even if you win, you lose.

 

31:49.568 --> 31:59.485

and this is a tip for international travel a lot of places they have signs that say beware of pickpocket everyone does the same thing they touch their wallet when they see that sign

 

32:00.543 --> 32:02.083

Don't touch your wallet.

 

32:02.744 --> 32:04.864

If you're a woman, keep your purse zipped up.

 

32:05.224 --> 32:08.625

Keep it going around your body, not hanging off one shoulder.

 

32:09.046 --> 32:11.466

If you're a man, keep your wallet in your front pocket.

 

32:11.906 --> 32:13.567

No one goes for your front pocket.

 

32:13.887 --> 32:15.868

It is way too close to the family jewels.

 

32:16.288 --> 32:20.609

If someone sticks anything in my front pocket, I am aware that they are there.

 

32:22.349 --> 32:23.950

I got pickpocketed in Prague.

 

32:25.175 --> 32:32.182

And it was not a lot of money, but I always kept a little change purse in my bag.

 

32:32.963 --> 32:36.286

And somebody got it out of my bag and that was it.

 

32:36.366 --> 32:39.829

And I was like, well, I'm glad I don't keep, like I always wear one of the undershirt

 

32:41.673 --> 33:06.621

things when i have to travel with cash and that's where you know my important stuff was but i lost five bucks man so they had a good day so even when you know you could be pickpocketed and you think you're situationally aware you can still get pickpocketed and not know it absolutely if you're going into a high pickpocket area it is not a good idea to carry cash in your wallet

 

33:07.589 --> 33:35.989

or in your bag worst of all um another place people usually get swiped is falling asleep at the airport oh yeah yeah tell you how many people i've talked to said hey i fell asleep in the airport and my laptop's gone my wallet's gone my cell phone's gone i'm calling you from a random person's cell phone can you please help me yes we could but still shouldn't have been in that situation in the first place oh i know somebody whose laptop got swiped on the airplane

 

33:37.401 --> 33:38.421

That's kind of impressive.

 

33:38.601 --> 33:39.021

It was.

 

33:39.061 --> 33:40.362

They were in the airplane.

 

33:41.162 --> 33:44.742

They worked on their laptop, put it in the bag, and at some point got up to pee.

 

33:45.723 --> 33:52.684

Came back to their seat, didn't notice it until they walked off the plane and were going to sit down and do something, and their laptop had been taken out of their bag.

 

33:53.324 --> 33:55.544

Presumably by the person sitting next to them.

 

33:56.705 --> 34:00.865

They were able to report it and catch the person before they got to the next flight.

 

34:01.225 --> 34:04.006

So they got their computer back, but...

 

34:05.319 --> 34:13.866

Like some people are very brazen about stuff, which is kind of interesting because now I'm making everybody paranoid about being around people all the time and their stuff getting stolen.

 

34:13.906 --> 34:16.188

But the other thing is when you travel.

 

34:18.550 --> 34:20.771

Do your best not to bring stuff that can't get stolen.

 

34:20.811 --> 34:22.513

That's that's something I've always thought like.

 

34:23.900 --> 34:28.024

If this gets stolen, it's going to be a bummer, especially if they can crack my password.

 

34:28.064 --> 34:32.648

But if they can't crack my password, what happens is this gets reset, right?

 

34:33.749 --> 34:36.171

And gets resold somewhere in theory.

 

34:37.912 --> 34:43.917

Everything that's on this, I can restore to another one of these in about 10 minutes right now.

 

34:45.699 --> 34:49.202

My laptop, it would actually really hurt if that got stolen right now.

 

34:51.331 --> 34:54.797

So that's where I'm like, oh, that's my weak spot.

 

34:54.817 --> 34:56.519

Because that's usually like this.

 

34:56.599 --> 34:57.721

It usually can be restored.

 

34:57.761 --> 35:03.891

But right now there are some decisions I made about the laptop that need to be unmade if it's going to travel with me.

 

35:05.683 --> 35:07.705

And some things like that you can't get around.

 

35:08.265 --> 35:11.528

I mean, I need to bring my laptop if I'm traveling, period.

 

35:11.588 --> 35:12.088

End of story.

 

35:12.108 --> 35:12.869

It has stuff on it.

 

35:13.309 --> 35:14.470

I mean, like you said, my phone.

 

35:15.251 --> 35:18.954

I can, you know, back up everything and get it all on my new phone in 10 minutes.

 

35:19.534 --> 35:23.558

Also, I have a nifty app that allows me to track this, take pictures, and listen to what you're saying.

 

35:24.398 --> 35:27.601

So, yes, I stand good odds of getting my phone back.

 

35:27.701 --> 35:30.183

But if it gets lost, eh, whatever.

 

35:30.523 --> 35:33.085

I can literally pick up a burner at Walmart and is it great?

 

35:33.345 --> 35:33.546

Nope.

 

35:33.926 --> 35:34.747

Will it do what I need?

 

35:34.987 --> 35:35.147

Yep.

 

35:35.492 --> 35:36.192

Will it get me through it?

 

35:36.552 --> 35:36.752

Yep.

 

35:38.573 --> 35:45.434

Another thing people can do is take photocopies of your identification and any cards you have with you and put them in your safe at home.

 

35:46.634 --> 35:56.896

And then if you're out and about and your passport gets stolen, at least you have the information you need to start the ball rolling to get some sort of identification.

 

35:57.816 --> 35:59.996

That brings me up to another travel tip.

 

36:01.016 --> 36:03.857

Take copies of your ID and email them to a friend.

 

36:04.757 --> 36:04.997

Oh, yeah.

 

36:05.768 --> 36:09.451

We keep copies of frequent travelers ID on hand.

 

36:09.871 --> 36:14.595

And if you lose your driver's license, your odds of checking into that hotel go way down.

 

36:16.197 --> 36:21.641

If we send them a picture of your driver's license, about 50 to 60% of the time, they'll take that.

 

36:22.422 --> 36:25.104

And they'll go, okay, you lost your driver's license.

 

36:25.144 --> 36:25.645

Totally get it.

 

36:26.305 --> 36:27.386

We'll work with you on this.

 

36:27.807 --> 36:29.508

Hopefully your card was already on file.

 

36:30.390 --> 36:30.650

Yeah.

 

36:31.251 --> 36:35.354

Well, and if you if you store things in more than one place in that situation.

 

36:35.374 --> 36:39.517

And this is because I've done months of travel with a backpack.

 

36:41.078 --> 36:44.060

If you don't have all of your identification with you.

 

36:44.360 --> 36:45.922

So if you have some at home, that's real.

 

36:46.846 --> 36:48.408

that can be overnighted to you.

 

36:49.148 --> 36:56.576

If you have a passport and a driver's license in two different places, if one gets stolen or lost, you probably have the other one.

 

36:56.596 --> 37:02.062

If you have them all in a nice, neat little container with your credit cards, you just lost everything at once.

 

37:03.163 --> 37:10.090

So I usually would have two different credit cards, separate places, two different IDs, separate places and cash separate places.

 

37:11.593 --> 37:11.773

Yep.

 

37:12.153 --> 37:14.555

And sometimes you lose your social security card too.

 

37:15.935 --> 37:17.336

I do not walk around with that thing.

 

37:17.736 --> 37:18.597

Me neither.

 

37:20.218 --> 37:22.099

No, don't walk around with your social security card.

 

37:23.139 --> 37:27.742

Like some of our frequently travel clients, what they do is they keep an Amex on file with us.

 

37:28.262 --> 37:28.522

Yeah.

 

37:28.682 --> 37:30.963

So that way, like, and they just leave their Amex at home.

 

37:31.443 --> 37:38.067

So no matter what happens, oh crap, I got here and the border patrol literally stole my wallet.

 

37:38.367 --> 37:39.728

They do that depending on where you go.

 

37:40.859 --> 37:46.142

Okay, we got you, call up, get you this, get you this, get you that, charge it all, you're set.

 

37:47.042 --> 37:55.206

What could have been a major, you know, hiccup now just became a slight little bump in the road and you can go on with your trip in relative ease.

 

37:56.907 --> 38:01.369

So with your concierge service, if I lose my ID, like how do you help me out?

 

38:02.790 --> 38:07.332

We'll email you a copy of your ID that we got previously from you because you told us that you travel.

 

38:08.052 --> 38:12.975

We'd also get a general indication of the sizes and type of clothes you like to wear, long or shoe sizes.

 

38:13.956 --> 38:16.498

Know what type of phone you have, whether it's an iPhone or Android.

 

38:16.558 --> 38:18.879

So that way we can send you an appropriate charging cord.

 

38:20.941 --> 38:23.082

Do you ever like shoot out phones to people?

 

38:24.083 --> 38:24.243

Yep.

 

38:24.623 --> 38:26.405

We had one guy who called us.

 

38:26.745 --> 38:28.866

I remember this one because it was from the Washington airport.

 

38:29.687 --> 38:31.528

And he's like, hey, can you help me?

 

38:31.988 --> 38:33.149

Everything just got stolen.

 

38:33.569 --> 38:34.810

I'm like, okay, you got your phone?

 

38:35.010 --> 38:37.092

No, I'm calling you from some random stranger's phone.

 

38:37.771 --> 38:39.032

Okay, what's around you?

 

38:39.052 --> 38:40.072

I'm at the Washington Airport.

 

38:40.132 --> 38:40.513

No, no, no.

 

38:40.613 --> 38:41.913

What is actually around you?

 

38:42.254 --> 38:43.114

There's the five guys.

 

38:43.514 --> 38:43.854

Cool.

 

38:43.894 --> 38:44.555

You like burgers?

 

38:44.655 --> 38:44.855

Yep.

 

38:45.175 --> 38:47.697

We're going to order you a burger, fry, and a drink.

 

38:48.437 --> 38:49.037

Go over there.

 

38:49.157 --> 38:49.417

Get it.

 

38:49.578 --> 38:50.058

Sit down.

 

38:50.478 --> 38:51.058

Relax.

 

38:52.259 --> 38:57.102

And we had someone deliver him a cell phone, a $500 Visa gift card.

 

38:57.522 --> 39:01.864

We emailed a copy of his ID to the hotel and had an Uber pick him up and take him there.

 

39:03.445 --> 39:04.646

I bet he was happy about that.

 

39:05.529 --> 39:07.651

He was, he upgraded it next time he got home.

 

39:10.493 --> 39:11.714

So how does that get paid for?

 

39:11.774 --> 39:19.580

It's like, okay, so this $500 gift card, is that you pay in addition to it and the subscription that you're paying is like for the service or how does that work?

 

39:20.561 --> 39:24.664

In his case, the $500 gift card was wrapped up in his subscription fee.

 

39:25.644 --> 39:25.885

Okay.

 

39:26.482 --> 39:29.024

So that was just part of part of the service.

 

39:29.824 --> 39:39.651

On the financial side, does that work because you have multiple people you're working with and it leverages together or do you buy insurance policies on top of that to cover costs?

 

39:39.671 --> 39:45.815

So we refer to it as flex funds per account and your flex funds can be used for anything.

 

39:46.556 --> 39:48.117

I need a $500 gift card.

 

39:48.218 --> 39:48.478

Okay.

 

39:48.618 --> 39:49.259

I need a phone.

 

39:49.419 --> 39:49.760

Okay.

 

39:50.280 --> 39:56.488

I need Uber Eats delivered to me for a week straight because my kid just got into a motorcycle accident and I'm not leaving his side.

 

39:56.808 --> 39:57.169

Gotcha.

 

39:58.671 --> 39:58.911

Okay.

 

39:59.031 --> 40:03.577

So you pay, I noticed on your site, it's like $50 a year up to $1,200 a year.

 

40:06.105 --> 40:06.866

Yep.

 

40:06.966 --> 40:08.768

Are you adding flex funds on top of that?

 

40:09.048 --> 40:10.850

Or is that part of that?

 

40:10.870 --> 40:13.932

Flex funds are wrapped up into the subscription fee.

 

40:15.033 --> 40:17.395

Some guy, he travels in and out of Canada a lot.

 

40:17.435 --> 40:20.398

He cannot stop mouthing off to the border patrol.

 

40:20.858 --> 40:24.021

So they take his cell phone every single time.

 

40:24.702 --> 40:28.305

So every time he gets out, he's like, hey, can I get another cell phone?

 

40:28.665 --> 40:29.005

Yep.

 

40:30.587 --> 40:32.749

He should just not have a cell phone in Canada.

 

40:34.338 --> 40:39.359

You know, he actually tried just deleting everything off it so they wouldn't have anything to hold them for.

 

40:39.679 --> 40:40.459

And they held them for that.

 

40:41.419 --> 40:42.839

Wait, why'd you delete everything off this?

 

40:43.560 --> 40:44.120

What are you hiding?

 

40:44.900 --> 40:47.900

Because at the border, you're required to open your cell phone.

 

40:48.720 --> 40:49.161

Really?

 

40:50.221 --> 40:50.421

Yeah.

 

40:50.741 --> 40:51.281

You didn't know that?

 

40:51.901 --> 40:59.562

No, because I don't know that I've gone to Canada with a cell phone since before flip phones went out of fashion.

 

41:00.142 --> 41:03.083

When you come back, they will tell you to open up your cell phone.

 

41:04.568 --> 41:05.509

What are they looking for?

 

41:05.529 --> 41:10.853

Nefarious text messages?

 

41:11.494 --> 41:11.814

Yes.

 

41:12.254 --> 41:14.396

Proof of nefarious acts, stuff like that.

 

41:15.177 --> 41:17.659

It's one of those, what I believe is government overreach.

 

41:18.019 --> 41:19.000

That is awful.

 

41:19.941 --> 41:20.261

Isn't it?

 

41:20.281 --> 41:23.924

Is that going into Canada or coming back to the U.S.?

 

41:24.164 --> 41:24.825

Coming back.

 

41:25.305 --> 41:25.605

Okay.

 

41:26.406 --> 41:26.986

So it's the U.S.

 

41:27.027 --> 41:27.707

government doing that?

 

41:28.688 --> 41:28.788

Yep.

 

41:29.468 --> 41:31.170

Well, at least he always gets held up coming back.

 

41:31.250 --> 41:31.610

So, yes.

 

41:31.950 --> 41:32.371

It must be.

 

41:32.391 --> 41:33.071

Yeah, those are U.S.

 

41:33.151 --> 41:34.893

agents asking to see yourself.

 

41:35.173 --> 41:41.899

Yeah, so I have traveled with smartphones to Europe and back and not had that.

 

41:41.959 --> 41:43.741

I don't know why Canada would be different.

 

41:46.523 --> 41:48.805

They're more worried about it because we're their neighbors.

 

41:48.886 --> 41:49.706

I don't know what to tell you.

 

41:49.726 --> 41:52.669

I mean, but it's our agents on your way back in, not their agents.

 

41:53.370 --> 41:53.710

Correct.

 

41:54.010 --> 41:54.771

And heck, screw you.

 

41:56.752 --> 41:57.573

just gave up my rights.

 

41:57.673 --> 41:57.773

Okay.

 

41:57.793 --> 41:58.493

We have a question.

 

41:58.513 --> 42:03.276

Do they, do you help people with alternative travel arrangements?

 

42:03.336 --> 42:06.498

Example in July, I took a train from Hungary to Romania.

 

42:07.079 --> 42:14.484

There was a train wreck and one train for eight hours became a five plus a bus for 22 hours.

 

42:14.584 --> 42:20.928

So basically in that situation, do you help them find a better way to get somewhere when, when stuff goes wrong or.

 

42:21.792 --> 42:24.073

Yes, that is one of the reasons we are here.

 

42:24.193 --> 42:30.395

We have done everything from getting you a ride service because they have different ride services depending on where you go.

 

42:30.955 --> 42:33.316

And we also partner with various travel agencies.

 

42:34.696 --> 42:34.936

Okay.

 

42:35.116 --> 42:39.598

I mean, generally speaking, if you book through a travel agency and something happens, they got you.

 

42:40.138 --> 42:41.939

They will help you work around that.

 

42:42.299 --> 42:43.939

Will they answer the phone 24 hours?

 

42:44.120 --> 42:44.820

Usually not.

 

42:45.520 --> 42:48.441

But when they do pick up the phone, they will help you.

 

42:49.764 --> 42:53.867

we had a client who his flight got canceled and he's like, I don't know what to do.

 

42:53.887 --> 42:54.888

I just need a ride home.

 

42:55.308 --> 42:56.269

I just need a ride home.

 

42:56.329 --> 42:57.170

I just need a ride home.

 

42:57.190 --> 42:58.351

I'm like, relax, relax.

 

42:58.871 --> 42:59.852

Ended up calling everyone.

 

43:00.252 --> 43:01.353

No one had a ride for him.

 

43:01.413 --> 43:05.336

The only thing was like one taxi service and it was going to cost a small fortune.

 

43:05.856 --> 43:08.819

Well, it turns out it was off season for limo services.

 

43:09.659 --> 43:12.962

So they were offering rides like dirt cheap.

 

43:13.302 --> 43:15.163

So we got this guy to stretch the limo.

 

43:17.265 --> 43:18.386

That's actually hilarious.

 

43:19.761 --> 43:20.602

Screw the taxis.

 

43:20.662 --> 43:21.542

I'm taking a limo.

 

43:22.883 --> 43:24.244

If it's cheaper, why not?

 

43:26.045 --> 43:31.449

Well, what basic overview advice would you give anybody who's looking to travel in 2024?

 

43:32.129 --> 43:33.690

Just like around the U.S.

 

43:37.172 --> 43:41.375

Number one piece of advice is know where you're going and know the local culture.

 

43:42.656 --> 43:45.398

I mean, I know that seems simple, but it's...

 

43:46.428 --> 43:47.990

Really not.

 

43:49.431 --> 43:51.333

Example, you go to Hawaii.

 

43:51.914 --> 43:53.115

They don't like to be rushed there.

 

43:53.716 --> 43:54.197

Period.

 

43:54.677 --> 43:55.578

End of story.

 

43:56.699 --> 43:59.762

I once lived there for over two years and I never once heard a car horn.

 

44:00.704 --> 44:05.288

Versus you go to Boston and it's, hi, welcome to Boston.

 

44:05.889 --> 44:07.431

I mean, it's just the way it is.

 

44:07.451 --> 44:08.432

Same thing with New York.

 

44:10.816 --> 44:14.580

Verse over there, you'll never hear a horn when the emergency vehicles come down.

 

44:14.921 --> 44:15.942

Everyone just pulls over.

 

44:15.962 --> 44:17.463

It doesn't matter what side of the road you're on.

 

44:17.964 --> 44:19.045

They don't like to be hurried.

 

44:19.085 --> 44:20.647

Your meal's coming out slow.

 

44:21.828 --> 44:24.351

And if you're a tourist, they're going to refer to you as a Howley.

 

44:24.371 --> 44:27.674

They will be very polite to you because you are bringing them a large amount of money.

 

44:27.694 --> 44:29.837

However, you are not one of them.

 

44:29.897 --> 44:30.838

Do not confuse it.

 

44:32.372 --> 44:41.359

Go down south, people tend to be a bit more on the polite side when it comes to customer service and a bit more rude in their personal lives.

 

44:42.099 --> 44:45.662

It's a weird formula, but is what it is.

 

44:46.422 --> 44:55.849

You go to New York, Boston, California, people talk fast, people drive fast, and you might as well get used to hearing the sounds of horns with red lights because that is your life.

 

44:57.470 --> 45:01.373

I'll tell you what, I live in the south and I flew home to Portland, Oregon.

 

45:02.227 --> 45:06.831

Well, it's not home anymore, but at the time, and I'd been here for years.

 

45:07.111 --> 45:13.036

And what happens in the checkout line here is you talk to people you don't know and nobody thinks it's weird.

 

45:14.918 --> 45:20.063

So I'm at the airport and we're going down the escalator and it's like kind of backed up.

 

45:20.123 --> 45:26.128

And I say something to the people in front of me and they're like, like, I'm going to ask them for money.

 

45:28.337 --> 45:29.638

Why did you talk to me?

 

45:29.698 --> 45:32.079

Northwest, you don't talk to strangers, apparently.

 

45:32.099 --> 45:40.545

And it seemed very unfriendly to me because I had apparently acclimated to polite conversation here out and about.

 

45:41.445 --> 45:42.146

Exactly.

 

45:42.166 --> 45:45.688

And I thought, man, I'm from here and you guys are rude.

 

45:47.819 --> 45:52.643

Or you go to New York and you try that, people are going to be reaching behind their back or backing up slowly.

 

45:53.023 --> 45:54.545

Because, oh, they're going to rob me?

 

45:55.065 --> 45:56.967

I talk to people in New York all the time.

 

45:57.007 --> 45:59.288

And what I learned is usually I'm asking directions.

 

46:00.650 --> 46:02.951

Like, is it that way to this street or that way?

 

46:02.972 --> 46:06.795

Because they all pop up out of the ground like a freaking prairie dog.

 

46:06.815 --> 46:07.856

And I'm like, I don't know where I am.

 

46:07.876 --> 46:10.298

And they'll be like, it's Fifth Avenue that way.

 

46:10.418 --> 46:15.121

And as long as you're walking the direction they are, they usually be like, yeah, that way.

 

46:15.998 --> 46:18.841

But if you try to stop somebody and ask them, they'd be like, screw off.

 

46:19.682 --> 46:22.104

So that was my hack in New York.

 

46:23.646 --> 46:27.770

New York, New York, and like Pine Bush, New York, very different cultures.

 

46:27.810 --> 46:30.573

You think that you just crossed six borders in a time zone.

 

46:31.293 --> 46:32.535

That is how different they are.

 

46:33.813 --> 46:35.394

Pine Bush, New York is out in the country.

 

46:35.454 --> 46:37.395

Last time I checked, it was a UFO hotspot.

 

46:37.895 --> 46:40.176

People went out there, watched little lights dance in the sky.

 

46:41.116 --> 46:42.657

Everyone's all friendly, whatever.

 

46:43.117 --> 46:45.938

You go to New York, New York at like two in the morning, you step outside.

 

46:46.619 --> 46:47.679

Very different environment.

 

46:48.420 --> 46:50.821

Yeah, I don't I haven't really been to rural New York much.

 

46:51.501 --> 46:56.443

I had an uncle who lived in Manhattan, so he used to always go there and visit him.

 

46:56.503 --> 46:58.344

But I don't know if he's still there or not.

 

46:58.624 --> 46:58.964

Anyway.

 

46:59.324 --> 47:02.746

OK, well, if people want to learn more about your service, like how do they do that?

 

47:04.281 --> 47:07.422

Go to r3-kon.com.

 

47:07.862 --> 47:19.767

Also, we are starting up a YouTube channel, giving various sorts of advice, like how to avoid bed bugs, especially if you have a job that requires you to travel and puts you up in cheap hotel rooms.

 

47:21.108 --> 47:21.468

All right.

 

47:21.668 --> 47:22.529

Any last words?

 

47:25.710 --> 47:26.370

Arrivederci.

 

47:27.290 --> 47:27.611

All right.

 

47:27.651 --> 47:28.771

Well, thanks for being on today.

 

47:28.891 --> 47:31.932

Thanks for having me, Nicole.

 

47:32.232 --> 47:33.253

It was a great time as always.

 

Jan 2, 2024

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 

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