Join me for a group discussion with John Willis of Special Operations Equipment and Jack Spirko of The Survival Podcast.

Featured Event: The Self Reliance Festival, SelfRelianceFestival.com

Sponsors:

• The Self Reliance Festival: SelfRelianceFestival.com
  • https://selfreliancefestival.com/
  • Tickets: https://selfreliancefestival.com/tickets/  
• Holler Roast Coffee

Show Resources

Special Operations Equipment

TheSurvivalPodcast.com

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

• FreeSteading Group: https://freesteading.com/groups/living-free-in-tennessee/
• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b
• Twitter: @nicolesauce
• IG: @nicolesauce
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LivingFreeInTN 

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

• Harvest Right Affiliate Link

 

Today we’re talking about busting through analysis paralysis and, of course, all our usual Monday segments.

Featured Event

Member Webinar – Homeopathy for Urgent and Emergent Situations

Don’t miss this week’s member webinar! Learn practical ways to approach health challenges using homeopathy.

Details & Sign-Up: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/event/homeopathy-for-urgent-and-emergent-situations/

Sponsor 1: The Wealthsteading Podcast

Insightful discussions on wealth-building and independent living.

🔗 https://investablewealth.com/

Sponsor 2: AbovePhone

Secure, freedom-minded communications.

Get $50 off your device with coupon code LiveFreeTN

🔗 https://abovephone.com/?above=104

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

• Cooking for people from the pantry
• Chaos of storing things everywhere – Nicole needs a wife
• Moving back into the prepper pantry
• About to unload a bunch of stored grain—we don’t eat grain anymore
• The “oh shit” story

Weekly Shopping Report

This one will be short and boring; no major changes (I don’t need a Wahhmbulance for my chocolate price, at least not yet). Dollar Tree was the usual first stop. The drink product mix is shifting, but stock levels remain excellent.

The online price of a 2x4x8 stud at Home Depot is still $3.85.

Aldi was last. We found everything we wanted, but my preferred chocolate has gone up again to $2.69. Staple prices were:

• Bread (20 oz. white): $1.39
• Eggs: $4.97 (limit 2)
• Whole milk: $2.84 (-)
• Heavy cream: $5.29
• OJ: $4.09
• Butter: $3.75
• Bacon: $3.99
• Potatoes: $4.39
• Sugar: $2.99
• Flour: $2.35
• 80% ground beef: $4.59

Untainted regular gasoline at Weigels is still $3.59/gallon.

Frugality Tip

No listener tips this week—send yours to nicole@livingfreeintennessee.com!

Nicole’s Tip: Audit your insurances annually. I’m doing that right now and it’s one of those boring-but-worth-it money wins.

Operation Independence

Update on the GSD weekend! Huge thanks to Valerie, Lynne, Tracy, Steve, Bryan, Tactical, and Knighthawk—and of course Bob, who we tried to kill. It was a solid weekend of getting things done and building community.

Main Topic of the Day: Busting Through Analysis Paralysis

I Why We Get Stuck in Analysis Paralysis

• Fear of making the wrong move or wasting resources
• Drowning in too much information and too many choices
• Perfectionism in disguise—waiting until it’s “just right”
• Pressure from external voices: what you should do versus what you want to do

II How to Align Your Efforts for Real Progress

• Start by documenting where you spend your time
• Revisit your vision and purpose
• Know your own wiring—planner, doer, thinker?
• Identify leverage points that’ll ease other areas

III Tips & Tricks to Break Free (My3Things Method + More)

• Use the My3Things Method—3 high-impact tasks per day
• Do the worksheet—focus and prioritize
• Join our communities—get support and ideas
• Call a friend who can help you think clearly
• Pay for help if it moves you forward
• Break things down to minimum viable steps (An American Homestead story)
• Ask if you’re delaying because you don’t actually want it
• Try body doubling—just work alongside someone
• Just do one thing now—progress over perfection
• Reset your brain—take a walk, listen to music, work out
• And above all: Commit and don’t look back. Nothing replaces just deciding to move.

Sign up for the weekly mail – Stay updated on events, products, and local opportunities.

This week’s tip: Peter Hutchings from Terre Power in Sparta, TN reached out with a deal on used solar panels—around $0.15/kWh or less.

If you're interested, email him at phutchings@terrepower.com

Make it a great week.

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

Community

• Follow me on Nostr: npub1u2vu695j5wfnxsxpwpth2jnzwxx5fat7vc63eth07dez9arnrezsdeafsv
• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

• Harvest Right Affiliate Link

 

 

Today, I am joined by the Tactical Redneck to talk about spring, stupid funny things we cannot remember, new spring wild edibles and more!

Featured event: SelfRelianceFestival.com

Sponsor 1: InvestableWealth.com

Sponsor 2: DiscountMylarBags.com

Fiberglass fencing posts

Still need to move rams

GSD Weekend coming up - with spicy weather

Prepper Pantry update

Wild Mustard flower is here

The dumpster story

4 wheeler useable - bent frame Honda 300, 1995

Meat pizza

Update on sprouted sunflowers

Stupid funny things we cant remember!

Feta cheese made for the workshop and thoughts on working in a homesteader’s kitchen

Garden feels really small this year

Subaru passed her maiden voyage to SOE

Stormy’s harness

No morels found yet but they are starting to pop in nearby counties

Basecamp deck

Duck egg hunt in the pond

I want a roadside stand!

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

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee
• Harvest Right Affiliate Link

 

Syndicated from The Living Free Podcast, a project of Nicole Sauce.

Today, we begin to explore a bigger picture question about AI: Will it make us more or less free?

Featured Event: Member Webinar on Homeopathy

Sponsor 1: HollerRoast.com

Sponsor 2: AbovePhone.com, Coupon code LivefreeTN

Will AI Make Us More Or Less Free?

First, how do we define freedom?

The counter tension is those who wish to control and build power bases.

So this question is a pretty big question: Will AI make us more or less free?

AI’s Inherent Bias AI as a Search Engine Replacement Technocracy vs. Liberty AI as a Creation Tool vs. Scam Weapon

Recommended Steps to Stay Free

1. USE AI but with a critical
2. Learn to protect your privacy, Use tools like Above Phone
3. Be wary of too-good-to-be-true offers—even from people you know
4. Set up a family/friend safe word
5. Don’t blindly trust outputs—verify and think - especially the smaller details
6. Avoid emotional or functional dependency
7. Stay capable without the tool; don’t let it run your life

AI can help you build the life you want—or quietly undermine it - and if we just ignore it, it will move toward the status quo: empowering the oligarchs not the individual. Freedom means staying awake and staying critical without burying your head in the sand.

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 Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b Advisory Board The Booze Whisperer The Tactical Redneck Chef Brett Samantha the Savings Ninja Resources Membership Sign Up Holler Roast Coffee Harvest Right Affiliate Link

 

Today, we talk about the word of the year and more specifically MY word of the year: Enrich. Big lessons so far in 2025 for me. Also, we will cover our usual monday segments: Tales from the prepper pantry, a frugality tip and operation independence.

Featured Event: The LFTN GSD Weekend is Upon Us! livingfreeintennessee.com/event/lftn-gsd-weekend/

Sponsor 1: EMPShield.com, coupon code LFTN

Sponsor 2: AgoristTaxAdvice.com/LFTN

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

• Launching a new video short series this week: Can You Do That with Mayonnaise?
• Freezers go in their permanent spot this week, and one becomes the "workshop food" freezer! This is how I stay organized so we can find everything for the workshop.
• Taco Soup Idea From Janna Gillard
• The Salsa Jar Hijink

Frugality Tip from Margo

• Do you frequently cut the sleeves off of T-shirts? I do, because someone I live with only wears sleeves to work. I use the sleeves for rags and plant ties, but the other day I cut a sleeve off and for some reason I was like let me see if this fits on my head....guess what the sleeve of his XXL T-shirt makes a great headband for me. So yet another use for something you would normally throw away.
• I know I always am looking for a crappy headband when I am going to do a facemask, now I will keep a sleeve or two around.
• Happy Saving y'all

Operation Independence

• Tomato Seedlings look GREAT - not buying any plants this year.
• Scored $150 on a left behind part of my car - Purging is also enriching my supplies budget!
• Mayo thoughts

Main Topic of the Day: Word of the Year Update: Enrich

• A reminder: Choosing a word of the year is about setting an intention to guide your decisions and energy throughout the year. "Enrich" was chosen to focus on sharpening, refining, and deepening—not just doing more, but doing better.

Lesson 1: Enrich the People It Serves

Lesson 2: Purge What Doesn’t Serve

Lesson 3: Slowing My Roll

Conclusion

The key to enriching our world here at the Holler Homestead is not about how many memberships or Spring Workshop tickets can I sell today and much more about asking two key questions:

1. 1. How is this going to enrich the buyer or participants?
   2.  How does this enrich my life?

Make it a great week!

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

Community

• Follow me on Nostr: npub1u2vu695j5wfnxsxpwpth2jnzwxx5fat7vc63eth07dez9arnrezsdeafsv
• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

• Harvest Right Affiliate Link

 

 

First day of spring and it is 26 degrees out there. Find out how the plants weathers this latest yucky frost, progress on the prepper pantry, a garden update, and more today on our weekly homestead update show.

Featured Event: Solstice Gathering at Haven Earth Trade School in Old Fort, tn (nearish Chattanooga). Use the contact form on the website to RSVP and get additional information.

Sponsor 1: AbovePhone.com: https://abovephone.com/?above=104 Use coupon code for $50 off: LiveFreeTN

Sponsor 2: EMPShield.com

Fallen Ewe, Hoof Trimming and Selenium The Great Vehicle Scam of 2025 Frosty First Day of Spring Flood Damage Report Garden Bed 3 is up - stupid dog Duck egg production update with supplementation - it was pretty instant Prepper Pantry Update Holler Comms in the storm The Round Roast that became Rouladen What happens to a spring with 6-8 inches of rain in 1 day and what we did about it Erosion Remediation Projects Update Post Flood Tomato seedlings are up and looking good Gifting 6 chards to a friend this week and hopefully planting the last 8 in bed 4 Lighting and the fence charger - community Watercress patch is not coming back yet which is slower than usual Tempting to dig up the old garden and seed with gourds and runner beans Holler Game Night tonight

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

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee
• Harvest Right Affiliate Link

 

 

Today I am joined by Ken Griffith of R-3 Contingencies to discuss what to do if you get arrested, especially if it is for something you did not do.

Featured Event: SelfRelianceFestival.com

Sponsor 1: HollerRoast.com

Sponsor 2: InvestableWealth.com

Show Resources

• R3-Kon.com/lftn (Get concierge services that are the BEST!)

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

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

• Harvest Right Affiliate Link

 

Episode 1017: The Power Of Starting Strong: Make Your Own Mesophilic Culture

Today, we talk about how to make your own mesophilic culture at home so you can reduce save money and develop your own cheese flavors over time. Really having a strong start in cheese is as important as doing so in life, isn't it? And nurturing your starts in life is as important as hitting things hard ever day. We will also cover our usual Monday segments.

Member Webinar: Building Small Scale Events On Your Homestead, Sunday, March 23 at 3pm Central: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/courses/creating-small-scale-events-on-your-homestead (Members you know what to do!)

• Sponsor 1: AgoristTaxAdvice.com/LFTN
• Sponsor 2: DiscountMylarBags.com

Do me a favor? Drop a review at iTunes and share this podcast out to your friends.

LFTN on Facebook and Telegram

Tales From The Prepper Pantry

• No progress on floor
• Spring Cleaning - Processing meat: Bacon, scotch eggs, grinding lamb, scotch eggs
• Tomato seedlings planted and germinated
• Looking to purge the grains from storage
• The tunnel

Weekly Shopping Report from Joe

Dollar Tree was the usual first stop.  I noted again that the Health aisle was stuffed.  In particular.

We didn’t go in, but the price of a 2x4x8 stud at Home Depot still shows $3.85 online.

Aldi was next.  We found everything we wanted, but there were only a few bars of my preferred chocolate (70% cacao) left.  Staple prices were: bread (20 oz. white): $1.39; eggs: $5.97 (limit 2); whole milk: $2.92 (+); heavy cream: $5.29; OJ: $4.09 (+, and very little); butter: $3.75; bacon: $3.99; potatoes: $4.39; sugar: $2.99; flour: $2.35; and 80% ground beef: $4.59.

Food City for a 22 lb. Bag of Meow Mix (that our cats ask for by name).  Pet foods were well-stocked.

Untainted regular gasoline at Weigels is still $3.59/gallon.

Frugality Tip From Jordon

St. Patrick’s Day is upon us, it’s a fairly big day up in Maine since there is a large Irish population here, so cabbages are on sale for the boiled dinner feast! Tonight we snagged 3 juicy cabbages at the grocery store for 39¢ a lb.  Made 3 half gallons of sauerkraut for $5!

Hope you have a lucky 🍀 Monday!

Jordan 

Operation Independence

• GSD Weekend March 29 & 30 in the Holler - Staining, building a composting outhouse deck, hauling off construction debris, building a new humanure barrel, setting up the classroom, hanging the presentation tv, etc.

Main Topic of Today's Show. What is a Mesophilic Culture and Why Should You Care?

• Mesophilic culture is a bacterial starter used for cheesemaking, cultured dairy, and fermentation. 70-85 for fermentation.
• Used as the base for feta, cultured cream cheese, chevre, farmer’s cheese, mozzarella, etc.
• Why: Saves money, adapted to your environment, adds resilience, it’s fun

How to Make It Making a Mesophilic Starter

1. Find Culture
2. Prepare the milk
3. Inoculate & Ferment:
4. Store & Maintain:

What If I Cant Get Culture or Cultured Buttermilk?

• Quality Raw Milk
• Leave at room temperature
• Smell/taste
• Treat like a cultured buttermilk starter

Thought Of The Walk On Cheese Culture

• This process is a perfect analogy for life.
• You get out what you put in—a weak start leads to weak results.
• Just like a good mesophilic culture ensures better cheese, a good mindset, strong habits, and the right influences ensure better outcomes in life.
• Sometimes we forget to nurture ourselves and those things that are most important to is, resulting in weak starts – and what do you do with a weak start?
•  

Make it a great week!

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

Community

• Follow me on Nostr: npub1u2vu695j5wfnxsxpwpth2jnzwxx5fat7vc63eth07dez9arnrezsdeafsv
• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

• Harvest Right Affiliate Link

 

Today, I am joined by the Tactical Redneck as we discuss illness in the Holler, early spring sprinting, and more.

Featured Event: SelfRelianceFestival.com

Sponsor 1: AgoristTaxAdvice.com/lftn

Sponsor 2: InvestableWealth.com

Stinging Nettle Harvest Week

Morels should begin to pop soon

Early spring green salad: baby plantain, dead nettle leaves, baby dock, wild garlic (I like to add to a salad)

Illness in the Holler

Second garden bed is up and planted

Food forest lower swale is 25% mulched, then I will toss lots of seeds out

4 Wheeler

Subaru Saga

Ram Weaning

Stormy and preventing a prolapse

Breed rabbits this week

Livestock

Duck egg update

Yard herbs are coming back - the ones that made it through the winter

All the compost tea is being sprayed

Time to make garlic/pepper/LABS spray for the orchard

Holler Neighbor Dinner on Sunday

Finances: Upped my seedling game so have only spent $60 on gardens

 

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

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee
• Harvest Right Affiliate Link

Join me for a group discussion with John Willis of Special Operations Equipment and Jack Spirko of The Survival Podcast.

Featured Event: The Self Reliance Festival, SelfRelianceFestival.com

Sponsors:

• The Self Reliance Festival: SelfRelianceFestival.com
  • https://selfreliancefestival.com/
  • Tickets: https://selfreliancefestival.com/tickets/  
• Holler Roast Coffee

Show Resources

Special Operations Equipment

TheSurvivalPodcast.com

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

• FreeSteading Group: https://freesteading.com/groups/living-free-in-tennessee/
• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b
• Twitter: @nicolesauce
• IG: @nicolesauce
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LivingFreeInTN 

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

• Harvest Right Affiliate Link

 

Today, we explore five things homesteaders get wrong—and how to avoid them. Every homestead decision is a preference, but some choices lead to costly, time-consuming headaches.

Resources Crunchy Mama Beef Processing Class (March 21-24 in Texas) – Crunchy Mama Farms Sponsors:

• DiscountMylarBags.com 
• EMPShield.com (Coupon Code LFTN for $50 off)

LFTN Spring Workshop

National Center For Home Food Preservation

Weekly Segments: Tales from the Prepper Pantry – Freezers, Scotch eggs, and pantry upgrades Frugality Tip – How to save $3,000+ on international travel Shopping Report from Joe – Prices on food, lumber, and gas Operation Independence – Expanding aquaponics and biochar progress

Main Topic: 5 Things Homesteaders Just Get Wrong 1. Keeping weak animals with genetic problems such as throwing prolapses in sheep, scissor beak, etc 2. Using That Untested Recipe For Canning From Your Grandma, Rebel Canners, Or A Random AI Generated Blog Post 3. You Got Chickens (Or Other Livestock) And Did Not Have Infrastructure (Housing, Water, Fencing, Etc.) 4. Why Did You Grow Food You Hate? 5. You Cultivated Plants Not Soil

Make it a great week!

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

 

Community

• Follow me on Nostr: npub1u2vu695j5wfnxsxpwpth2jnzwxx5fat7vc63eth07dez9arnrezsdeafsv
• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

• Harvest Right Affiliate Link