Featured posts

Today we talk about what an economic crash looks like, discuss if we are in the midst of one, and explore what you can do to navigate the current economy with Jack Spirko and John Willis.

Featured Event: Self Reliance Festival in Camden, OCT 14-15

Sponsor 1: Paul Wheaton

Permaculture Adventure Bundle

Paul Wheaton and our friends at permies.com are offering a limited-time Permaculture Adventure Bundle that can kickstart your journey into natural building and homesteading. This fantastic offer has the potential to turn your summer into an educational tsunami. It’s available at an unbeatable price of $35 through Friday.

Link to Product:  https://permies.com/w/permaculture-adventure?f=495

Link to Blog Post: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/2023/07/12/permaculture-adventure/

Sponsor 2: AgoristTaxAdvice.com

Matthew Sercely at Agorist Tax Advice offers a free consultation to LFTN listeners so that you can find out if working with him to structure your finances, track tax write offs, and understand any risks associated with taking them can put more of YOUR money in YOUR pocket. He has broad experience in real estate, end of life planning, rentals, business taxes and more.

Find out more at AgoristTaxAdvice.com/LFTN

Show Resources

Special Operations Equipment

Living Free in Tennessee

The Survival Podcast

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

 

Paul Wheaton and our friends at permies.com are offering a limited-time Permaculture Adventure Bundle that can kickstart your journey into natural building and homesteading. This fantastic offer has the potential to turn your summer into an educational tsunami. And the best part? It’s available at an unbeatable price of $35 through Friday.

permaculture adventure collage of imagesFrom now until July 14, 2023, you can access this exclusive bundle by visiting https://permies.com/w/permaculture-adventure?f=495. (Disclosure, I do get a commission if you use my link.) Don’t miss out on this opportunity to unlock permaculture skills and embrace a more fulfilling and sustainable way of living.

Homesteading, hand tools, furniture making, fruit trees, edible landscaping, off-grid living, livestock infrastructure, soap making and rocket mass things are all included in this bundle. For a fill list go here.

You’ll gain insights into creating a resilient homestead and discover creative ways to generate income from it. Dive into the art of food preservation, learn the art of affordable and minimalist living, and explore a plethora of other captivating topics. 

This bundle doesn’t just offer valuable content; it also presents it in various formats, including e-books, online courses, movies, plans, presentations, podcasts, and digital magazines. 

The Permaculture Adventure Bundle is available at a discounted price for three days only. Individually, these resources would cost you over $514, but by taking advantage of this offer, you can save 93% ad get it for just $35.

Grab your Permaculture Adventure Bundle before the price goes on Friday.

There is always more we can do to live a more resilient life. The Permaculture Adventure Bundle from permies.com is a great way to build your library of concepts, ideas and skills as you build your SMART homestead.

Join me as we explore what seven years of podcasting has taught me about getting started, gear, monetizing and more.

Featured Event: Self Reliance Festival: https://selfreliancefestival.com/?aff=nicolesauce

Sponsor 1: The Wealthsteading Podcast: https://bit.ly/3oPLTmr

Sponsor 2: Senior Chief Electric: https://bit.ly/3MKKbuu

Livestream Schedule:

  • Tuesday, 9:30M CT, Live with Jack Spirko and John Willis
  • Thursday, 7AM CT, Self Reliance Festival Livestream
  • Friday, 10:30AM CT, Homestead Happenings

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

  • Moved and inventoried last year’s canned goods
  • Herb Garden Pick Me Up Tea
  • 21 jars of green beans are put up for 2023/24
  • Beets did poorly this year 🙁
  • Got to use the All American Canner that was gifted to me last fall and LOVED IT. Will be selling the Presto Canners I have (⅔)
  • Wednesday at 5pm CT, Preserve It! Overview and  Waterbath Canning: https://nicolesauce.podia.com/waterbath-canning

Frugality Tip: Cherry Pitter

DIY Quick, inexpensive, easy way to pit cherries!

Operation Independence

  • “Fast” food
  • $50 Travel Spend

Main topic of the Show: Lessons from 7 Years of Podcasting

From Micah

How about podcasting?

Equipment, guest form, interview tips, how it fits in with a business, how it incorporates with other areas of life, etc.

Software, workflow

Podcast lessons:

  • The how it happens matters less than the actual happening
  • Consistency and predictability
  • Developing categories or segments helps keep focus (Also scripting vs outlines vs winging it)
  • Committing to a co host can get you in trouble
  • Streamlining the process:
    • The Guest Form (From Jack Spirko)
    • Audio Editing for Mistakes
    • Prepopulating the website and social posts, etc.
  • Community, Network, Keeping Things Growing
  • The Money: webinars, books, events, coffee, podcasting 2.0 and fountain, social capital
  • how it fits in with a business, how it incorporates with other areas of life, etc.
  • Successful Interviewing: (Research, Do not be afraid to ask, have things you can bring up ready to go if things lag. Only interview people you think are interesting, THE FORM)
  • Ok, I will talk about gear and software: Scarlett solo box, Rhode NT 1, Alesis studio mixing set, Lighting, Garage Band, Levelator, iMovie, Canva – other options!!!
  • It doesn’t matter – just start recording, create your rss feed, and register on itunes – from there you will find other places that require registration or adjustment and add them as people complain that you are not on one platform or another.

Make it a great week!

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. 

Community

Resources

 

Today we talk about exiting the system, increasing personal freedom, building community, off grid living and freedom with Tag and John Willis.

Show Resources

Special Operations Equipment

Living Free in Tennessee

LiveDoneFree

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

 

Spokane WA Meetup RSVP

Let us know if you plan to meet us at 5:30 PM on July 6, 2023 at the Rusty Moose. Please know that with my father in law in the hospital, things could get cancelled at the last minute (Though YALL should meetup with or without me!)

Name

Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Today we talk about the heat of summer, interesting new forge things I have discovered here, chicken nuggets, baby ducklings, and processing garlic.

Featured Event: Sunday at 4pm Central, A live Auction for Jenni

Livestream Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QisNMJGOETA

Come tell your Jenni Story: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/2023/06/28/share-your-jenni-story-live-this-sunday/

Sponsors:

Heat and livestock on the homestead: A brainstorm.

Forage

  • Mullein is tall with flowers
  • Yarrow
  • Wood Sorrel (Just learning about this one)
  • Last of the day lilies
  • Gooseberries
  • All the mints and herbs!

Livestock

  • Rabbit Is due
  • Eggs hatching in the next week
  • LGD vet appointment
  • Chicken compost yard is set up
  • Baby ducks first time swimming
  • Integrating two duck flocks
  • Goats are out and grazing

Grow

  • Green beans are ready
  • First tomato usually happens this week – we will see
  • Planting last round of cucumber, squash, bean seeds (shade cloth)
  • Brussels sprouts are about to be ready – hope they make it through the 100 degree days
  • Swiss chard is still going strong
  • Peas are done
  • About time to harvest onions
  • REALLY need to get the garlic out of the ground before I go to Montana
  • weeds

Holler Neighbors/Community

  • Stomach flu with community
  • Chick class update (Oxy and Holler Neighbors)
  • Jenni’s fundraiser

Infrastructure

  • Nothing new this week

Finances

  • Chicken class: $480 profit (Did not cover chicken costs, which is fine)

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

 

Toolman Tim and I are hosting a four-hour live show to help raise money for Jenni Hill. Jenni is my close friend and a Holler Neighbor who has cancer. A single mom, she was just getting up on her feet when this diagnosis struck. We are having a live online auction and sharing stories about how Jennis is touching the lives of so many in our community.

Fill out this form to be on the show. If you prefer to have your story read, email me: nicole@livingfreeintennessee.com.

Tell Your Jenni Story

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By sending this in, you agree that you are available to come on our show to share this story live on Sunday, July 2, 2023 some time between 4pm and 8pm Central.

Today we talk about we talk about one of the most important things you can do to opt out of having your life lived for you, and beginning to build the life you choose yon your terms: Decide.

Livestream Schedule

  • Tuesday: 12:30PM CT Live with John Willis and Bear Independent
  • Friday: 9:00AM CT Homestead Happenings

Featured Event: Permaculture Technology Jambouree starts next week and you can still BOGO! https://wheaton-labs.com/permaculture-tech/?f=495

(Spokane Meetup July 6)

Sponsor 1: The Wealthsteading Podcast: https://bit.ly/3oPLTmr

Sponsor 2: EMPShield.com: https://bit.ly/3MBBELx

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

  • Chickens in the freezer in parts this year (why we did this)
  • Dehydrated Oregano in volume
  • Preparing to be gone for 5 days – Meatloaf, crockpot meal, reheatable meals
  • Time to resupply paper goods
  • Been buying keto road snacks: pork rinds, meat sticks, egg wraps
  • Fried fish with pork rinds
  • Working on amounts for the salisbury steak recipe from the spring workshop

Weekly Shopping Report from Joe

We made our usual three stops this Saturday, however I have added some more useful information I hope to continue.

Dollar Tree was first. They are well-stocked, although the coolers are filled with mostly name-brand drinks, not the ones I prefer. Oh well. I think they may have hired another person, as the lone woman at the registers was able to call for assistance when her line got long.

Home Depot was next. A 2x4x8 remains at $3.35. It’s rather a shame we didn’t need any lumber, as the cull cart had a lot of good long pieces on it. The battery carrels up front remain mostly full, although there’s very little lithium AA or AAA; I think just some 2-packs.

Aldi was last. Here, I’ve added some staple prices, and will try to update them:

Milk: $3.06

Eggs: $1.23 (up a little)

Heavy cream (32 oz): $4.69

All-purpose flour: $2.19

Sugar (4 lbs): $2.68

Butter (1 lb): $3.18

We found everything we wanted except pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds, which I’ve been having as a snack at work). I did find out that the one muzzled clerk is not waiting for bite training, but is the primary caregiver for her Mom, a cancer survivor; she would therefor likely be muzzled anyway.

A gallon of untainted regular gasoline remains at $3.899.

Frugality Tip

  • None this week

Operation Independence

  • Replaced the pressure tank for our water system – they go bad about every 5 years – ($350 in labor last time I did this)
  • Started feeding the chickens household scraps

Main topic of the Show: Decide

I’ve got a newsflash for you: Not deciding is deciding. Usually this doest get you where you want to be.

  • Indecision is a luxury that comes from gentle consequences
  • It is kinder to rip off the bandaid than to remove it gently – same goes for saying no
  • Being overwhelmed gets worse when you do not decide and makes a terrible excuse

What does it mean to decide

  • Prioritizing communication
  • Clarity of priority – (Story of today’s to do list)
  • Accepting responsibility for outcomes (consequences)
  • Knowing what you can’t or won’t do

Shiny object syndrome and deciding

You stand at a crossroad each day where your first decision is this: Do you want to be better, or do you want to keep your unhealthy identity? (the Alcoholic example) Will you put on your oxygen mask first then help others, or will you bury yourself in indecision to mute the pain of knowing you did not decide, and therefore things were decided for you.

  • Emotional attachment to bad identities

Living the life that others chose for you – vs living your life starts each morning (Job story) – boils down to one thing: Decide. Decide to do something. Decide you will never do something. Decide to let go of the crap. Decide you want to be crap. Decide to grow. Decide no. J

Just go out and decide – because when you decide, you change the metric by which your minutes, hours and days are measured. You bring it back to the things you can control. And you stop stagnating in apathy.

Decide

Make it a great week!

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. 

Community

Resources

Today we talk about the busy season of the homestead, poison hemlock,  garden abundance, weeds, chicken graduation weekend and more.

Featured event: October Chicken Processing with Joel Salatin, Oct 16

Sponsor 1: DiscountMylarBags.com: https://bit.ly/43r4dkx

Sponsor 2: Freesteading.com: https://bit.ly/3o2BcMR

Forage

  • Elderflower
  • Mullein flower soon to be hee
  • Wild Raspberry
  • Gooseberry
  • Stinging nettle
  • Might have found butternut
  • Sassafrass leaves
  • Willow and comfrey cuttings 

Livestock

  • Chicken graduation weekend
  • Rabbit graduation weekend
  • New baby rabbits on the way
  • Bresse chickens have figured out how to go in an out of Holler Roost
  • Ducklings are also starting to learn the Holler Roost ramp (took 5 days)
  • Setting up compost area in the chicken yard
  • Weird sheep behavior
  • Low eggs from old duck flock – usual for July

Grow

  • Harvest fodder trees
  • Broccoli 2.0 harvest
  • First cabbages for the year and ever
  • Tomato wall update
  • Peas ending
  • Greenbeans will be ready this week
  • Planting more cucumbers
  • Pulling pepper flowers to let the plants grow
  • Lettuce is finished
  • Reconfiguring the rockwall gardens
  • Betts looking a bit sad this year – may try a special bed next week

Holler Neighbors/Community

  • Processing the communal birds: Set up tonight
  • Thank you to the community for all your support these past weeks

Infrastructure

  • Working on final fencing for the Holler Roost
  • Updating the rock wall behind my house
  • Replacing spring pump

Finances

  • THE FEED: meat birds, goats, bresse chickens are getting feed – compost will reduce this
  • Sheep do not require much and free range ducks do not require much

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

 

Forge Your Path to Self-Sufficiency

Are you over it? Over relying on unstable commercial food sources? Longing for a resilient and self-sufficient lifestyle?

Explore the Homesteading Starter Pack, an online course. This seven-week series, starting on June 21, will equip you with essential homesteading skills to transform your home into a productive homestead.

Led by three long-time homesteaders:

  • Nicole Sauce of Living Free in Tennessee (THAT’s Me!)
  • Michael Leonido of Leos Homestead
  • Ryan Steva, The Homestead Consultant

This course provides practical tips and knowledge to help you design a productive home, reduce your grocery bill, and connect with high-quality food. These skills can be applied to any home, even if you don’t have a homestead yet, allowing you to immediately benefit from the homesteading mindset.

Catch the workshops live or watch the recordings at your convenience. Here’s the schedule:

  1. June 21: “Create a Successful Garden Your First Year” – Secrets to a bountiful harvest, optimizing small spaces, troubleshooting pests and diseases, and tips for weeding and harvesting. ($95)
  2. June 28: “Raising Small Livestock: Poultry and Rabbits” – Best practices for choosing livestock, providing nutrition and water, avoiding illness, and utilizing homestead-scale processing options. ($95)
  3. July 5: “Victory Garden Poultry: A Permaculture Approach” – Integrate poultry into your permaculture system for a self-sustaining ecosystem. ($95)
  4. July 12: “Beginning Canning: The Waterbath Method” – Learn preservation methods, the importance of home canning, and safety measures to avoid foodborne hazards. ($95)
  5. July 19: “Advanced Canning: Safety with Low Acid Foods” – Insights into pressure canning, time-saving tips, and delicious meal ideas. ($95)
  6. July 26: “Curing Meats on a Homestead” – Explore meat curing methods, food safety, and try out different recipes. ($95)
  7. August 2: “Introduction to Making Cheese” – Step-by-step process of making cheese, sourcing milk, and proper cheese storage. ($95)

The Homesteading Starter Pack provides guidance from experienced homesteaders who understand the challenges of integrating these skills into a busy lifestyle. Choose the projects aligned with your goals and receive practical advice.

Get all seven webinars for $495 (originally $665). (LFTN Member, check your portal!)Meet Your Instructors

Nicole Sauce – Living Free in Tennessee: A catalyst for rapid community creation, business growth, and homesteading. Nicole simplifies the development of a productive home through her podcast.

Michael Leonido – Leos Homestead: Transitioned from city living to homesteading over seventeen years. Manages pigs, goats, poultry, and perennials with his family in New Hampshire.

Ryan Steva – The Homestead Consultant: Experienced in permaculture, home and land inspections, and building his own homestead. Addresses personal health challenges through regenerative food systems.

Embark on your journey towards self-sufficiency and resilience. Purchase the Homesteading Starter Pack and I will throw in my popular SMART Homesteading Webinar recording for FREE!