Join me for a group discussion with 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: LFTN Spring Workshop, LivingFreeinTennessee.com

Sponsors:

• Meticulous.com
• HollerRoast.com
• AbovePhone.com: https://abovephone.com/?above=104
• Use coupon code for $50 off: LiveFreeTN

Show Resources

AbovePhone.com

HackMyHomestead.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 talk about how to plan your kitchen garden, especially from the perspective of replacing dependence on the grocery store. I also cover our usual segments: Tales from the Prepper Pantry, Frugality Tip, Operation Independence and more.

Featured Event: LFTN Spring Workshop

Sponsor 1: TheWealthSteadingPodcast.com

Sponsor 2: DiscountMylarBags.com

Resources

Mad River Seeds on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/market/mad_river_seeds

Baker Creek: https://www.rareseeds.com/ 

Seed Savers Exchange: https://seedsavers.org/ 

Homegrown Cooking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbCr4DQ3KI0 

SCHEDULE THIS WEEK AND NEXT

Listener feedback - I want to move to TN, where do I go?

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

• Big thanks to Ryan Steva on the prepper pantry before this deep freeze
• Homegrown Cooking: Beef Heart - Next month is steak and kidney stew from Dawn and meatballs from me
• Travelling with a cooler
• Freezers are reorganized and ready for incoming lambs

Weekly Shopping Report

Based on some videos from a few prepping channels (eg. Poplar Report, Pinball Preparedness), I’m trying to be more attentive to shortages, but fortunately haven’t seen anything remarkable other than the limit of 2 on Aldi eggs.

Dollar Tree was first.  Stock is always changing there, but there were no vacant areas and I did not see duplication being used to hide low stock.  The drink selection remains good.  The food coolers are mostly full.

We did not go in to Home Depot, but the online price of a 2x4x8 remains at $3.85.

Aldi was last.  We found what we wanted.  Staple prices were: bread (20 oz. white): $1.39; eggs: $4.17 (+, limit 2); whole milk: $2.87 (-); heavy cream: $5.39; OJ: $3.69; butter: $3.79 (-); bacon: $3.99; potatoes: no tag; sugar: $2.99 (+); flour: $2.35 (+); and 80% lean ground beef: $3.79. 

Untainted regular unleaded at Weigels was still $3.59 per gallon, but the 87 octane (regular) corrupted with ethanol is only $2.79.

Frugality Tip from Margo

Today is a short and sweet simple tip. Whenever we are out shopping or whatnot I pack a small cooler with drinks and a reusable ice block. I also keep an extra insulated tumbler full of water in the car at all times. Stopping to grab a drink adds up quickly, especially with someone that drinks soda. So stop yourself from grabbing that convenience store overpriced drink and just pack a small cooler. Happy saving y'all.

~Margo

Operation Independence

Value of four rams on homestead income: $1200

Main Topic of today’s Show: Planning Your Kitchen Garden

Two ways to plan: Replacing fresh veg in season then buying shipped in “fresh” veg the rest of the year VSr eating seasonally.

• What is your goal? (Replace most food by growing your own VS supplementing and sourcing locally or regenerative options)
  • I dont care what you say - Unless you are wiling to dramatically adjust what you eat, your goal is to supplement
    • Grain example - it’s both regional and dependent on how much land you have in production: Wheat, oats, corn, beans
    • That mid-winter banana, apples, fresh summer squash, etc
    • Sugar
  • Seasonal eating method
    • Use what is here and ripe first (Bone broth story)
    • Preserve what makes sense
    • Then tap stored items when fresh is not available
  • Develop/track a cycle of preservation 
    • power pantry method of storing what you use and using what you store.
    • (Pay attention to what you really use each year and do tap into waves of abundance - cornmageddon) 

• Assessing Needs: Calculate the amount of food needed per person and how to align this dietary preferences.
  • Typical example - 2 heads of lettuce a week, means succession planting 2 heads a week, 5 lbs of tomatoes a week, means succession planting tomatoes. Also, there is an AI problem
    • The reality of vegetable seasonality - 
      • Tomatoes ripen in waves
      • Lettuce will stop producing in very hot weather
      • Location appropriate alternatives
      • Preserving surplus for “off season” use (Carrots and other “Roots”
      • Integration into the local community and compost 
  • Meals replaced method: in season and out of season - this is how to estimate % food coming from land and local sources
    • Green bean example - 65 jars - 65 meals covered, most of which will happen
    • Fresh chard, squash, etc
    • 99% meat is from here at this point
  • Choosing plants - Dont plant what you dont eat
    • Radishes story
    • Yield per plant BS on seed packets
  • Proioritize 3 things - Green beans, chard, tomatoes at the HH

Garden Layout: Talk about zoning, herbs, and succession planting.

• How much space do you have - will you have and how close is it to your house?
• What takes the most interaction? Put high maintenance stuff closer (Tomato wall)

INTERPLANTING, COVER CROPS and SUCCESSION PLANTING

• Soil Health: Your are first growing soil - HomeFoodSystems.com
• Interplanting, guilds, etc
• Succession planting and seed roulette
• Rotation - needed or not?
• Cover crops - again - homefoodsystems.com
• Sourcing seeds: Ask locally what people have success with - see if they have saved and will sell you some, participate in seed exchanges even if you have no seeds.
• I like Baker Creek, Mad River Seeds https://www.etsy.com/market/mad_river_seeds

Have fun with this! Especially if it is your first year. The first rule of homesteading is BE FEARLESS

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, we talk about more lambing fun, dog kefir, cold swimming and more.

Resources: Solar Webinar: LivingFreeinTennessee.com

Homegrown Cooking with Dawn Gorham: https://www.youtube.com/@lftn 

Sponsor 1: DiscountMylarBags.com

Sponsor 2: The WealthsteadingPodcast.com

Lamb Deposits for October: LivingFreeinTennessee.com

Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup

Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Email feedback to [email protected]

Failed chicken dinner

Prepper Pantry Progress

Avoiding pasture damage when ice turns to mud

Loading rams for the processor

Fun at the processors

Hairy balls

Dog kefir

How are we going to split the flock?

Cold swimming - polar plunge light

You finally finished the stew

Bone broth on cold days

Seed order is in for the gardens (The challenge)

REALLY MUST process rabbits

Basecamp showing to a community member today

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

• 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

Break Out of the Systems, Choose Freedom and Build a Better World Together

Once a month on our Tuesday Coffee With Nicole show, we go unplugged and today is that day. Join me for a conversation about the US Healthcare system and its impact on freedom

Featured Event: Save the Date for The Self Reliance Festival: SelfRelianceFestival.com

• https://selfreliancefestival.com/

Sponsors:

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

Show Resources

AbovePhone.com

Living Free in Tennessee

NicoleSauce.com

HollerRoast.com 

Main content of the show

What are my options for health insurance?

This is the question I got most often when people are looking to transition out of a live on the job conveyer belt to working for themselves.

Indeed, one of the biggest reasons give to me by a more left leaning friend of mine for WHY we needed Obamacare was health insurance. Note that I do not refer to this as healthcare and that is with reason. He pointed out that, as an aspiring entrepreneur you already are facing a hard road ahead, but if you get sick you could lose everything and health insurance is so expensive.

I remember ending that conversation pointing out that he and I wanted the same thing, affordable health care so that sick people can get what they need to get better. We just wanted it in a different way.

Then another friend told me about her experience being in a car crash in great Britain which has a more socialized healthcare system than in the US. At the hostpital, they had no idea how to get paid for helping her so there was a fight for every step in her care until she finally figured out how to charter a flight out of that country and back home for care. She wanted to just pay since she did not qualify for care there (and must not have had travel insurance) but they had no way to do that.

In the early aughts, I was workign for myself and carried one of those plans where you hold a high deductible and put up to something like 75% of you annual deductible into an HSA for when you need it. This meant I needed to pay case for care up to about $1000 a year (That was a high deductible 20 years ago yo) and I would talk with the office manager before getting seen to negotiate my fees for 25-40% less if I paid cash up front. Because they spent WAY less in resources getting paid when they did not need to bill insurance.

Then I needed a specialist - and that specialist did a bunch of tests without my permission, did not tell me what they were looking for and biopsied me in a way that has left a long-term disfiguration that was unnecessary. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune skin condition called lichen sclerosis in my 20s and they had no idea how to treat it. When I went to negotiate the bill, the office manager had no idea what to charge me at time of service because their billing system was so complicated. She kept asking me to apply for government assistance so that they could bill me at those rates and when I tried to pay with cash, she had no idea what to do. Months later, there was a bill, I made a call and offered 60% of it cash, and they accepted that offer.

The struggle is real yall.

Problems with the US Healthcare System

• Being sick and dying sucks and sometimes they have no idea what to do
• Chronic illness is on the rise alongside obesity and there are more people needing more help
• We already had a doctor to patient problem coming with the boomer retirement wave and we made it worse with all the drama of the pandemic
• We have been programmed to equate health insurance with healthcare
• Incentives in the system are toward increased beauracracy
• Codes and billing have made it worse over time and this starts in medicaid
• Health insurance as a tax deduction was incentivised in the 40s and messed with in the 50s leading to the transition from cash for care to the broken system we have now - and back then, being sick and dying still sucked
• Culture shift: Health  care and medical support became an elite system that cut out alternative healing, health coaching, and prevention and focused on first cures, then management

One thing that has made US progress happen faster than other places: Rich Sick People

What does this mean for freedom? Like everything else your health and health care is your responsibilty. Are the insurance companies to blame? Yes but so are the nonprofit hospitals, the doctors who allowed biling to be taken from them, managed health care systems, the IRS, etc. It is not a single villian and that makes it hard to beat.

Erosion of dental

Erosion of veterinary

Hope:

Cash Clinics

Concierge Care

Growing body of knowledge on nutrition, lifestyle choices and in the impact of big food on our bodies

Functional medicine

Integrated Manual Therapy

PMAs 

Drs and Nurses doing their best from inside the system to help people get care

But this impacts your freedom in a big way doesnt it?

The only way to fix this one is to invest your time, money and energy in an alternative and become the solution – and yet if there is a fencepost through your leg, you are going to end up in THE SYSTEM right now so you want to be ready for that.

Health Shares

Relationships and Kindness

Obamacare plans and employer insurance

Private Insurance

But we need to keep our eye on the long term and, help build it, and be ready to jump when the jumpin is good.

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, I share my thoughts on slowing down so that you can speed up, go over the update from the prepper pantry, share a frugality tip and more.

Resources

• Sign Up For The Solar Webinar

• AgoristTaxAdvice.com/LFTN

• EMPSHIELD.com Coupon Code: LFTN

• My3Things Free Webinar Tuesday

• My3Things, Four Week Challenge

• HollerRoast.com

Featured Event: Solar Webinar with Shawn Mills, January 19, 3pm

• Sponsor 1: AgoristTaxAdvice.com/lftn

• Sponsor 2: EMPShield.com, Coupon Code: LFTN

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

• Transition to carnivore for the challenge is complete

• Sunday “pile of meat”

• Homegrown Cooking episode with Dawn this friday: Probably cooking a cow’s heart but who knows?

• January Pantry Challenge

Weekly Shopping Report

None this week - we had snow

Frugality Tip From Margo

Some people have memberships that give them rewards. I tend to save them until we need them. I save points and redeem for gift cards for birthday and Christmas gifts. 

 We have a car rental membership that is a work perk so we do not have to pay for it. After so many days you get free rentals. We had a situation come up over the Christmas break that required a pick up truck. We used a free days rental and didn't have to pay a crazy Holiday price for a rental truck. So by saving those free days, we saved even more money on that much needed truck rental. So sometimes those pay for memberships are very worth their annual fees and this frugal lady has a few.

Happy savings y'all

Operation Independence

• My 3 things 4 week challenge & another webinar tomorrow

• 5 Lambs were born so far - 3 today. 

To Speed Up, First You Must Slow Down

Last year was the year of hone and life really tossed some tests my direction in that regard. Many tests were new opportunities which is so tempting to take on when they come. But saying yes to everything is a bad habit to have and a great one to decide to get rid of sooner rather than later. By April, I had started saying no to almost everything, especially things that involved travel off the homestead. I had realized that things on my homestead do not flourish as well when I am not here. 

Not being present - and multiple ways that is a truth

Now is the year of enrich - meaning beyond the pocket book. I am asking myself, how am I enriching the world around me?

>Roadblock Busting

*The car

*Operation eyesore

*The paperwork monster

Show notes at 12pm today and the Monday mail has not gone out, the solar webinar is not launched, and that is ok. Previously I would have all these things not half-assed well in advance. But does that enrich the world around me?

To speed up, first you must slow down

Slow down and remove barriers

Slow down and assess priorities - like your true priorities of project, living, relationships, health

Slow down and test assumptions

Slow down and develop systems that work

Slow down and prioritize yourself

Why? If you don’t you will lose the things you do not build into your life.

When you half -ass things they begin to crack around the edged

Observations:

1. Always be defining complete as a little bit more

2. It’s ok to stop mid way and never come back, just take out the trash when you do

3. Communication is even more importantBe ready to go very fast once you get things dialed in - and then your preparations will be your strength!

So sometimes you need to take that half day to learn an AI tool, dial in the website, or defrag a paperwork monster instead of continually racing forward and building things anew.

Because building the life you choose, means you need to choose. And choosing one thing  can mean walking away from not as good.

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

I am joined by The Tactical Redneck, Tracy and Knighthawk to talk about the latest on the homestead: New births (oops), the snowmageddon that didn't, actual snow and more.

This show is brought to you by: DiscountMylarBags.com AgoristTaxAdvice.com/LFTN

Lambs born Lamb died The parts car sale and roadblocks 4 wheeler rebuild Watercress is under water for the winter Processing Rabbits this weekend The Pantry Challenge Planning what to grow Rabbit Water cant go empty on any of them because of the cold Finishing our raised beds - smaller gardens in 2025 to facilitate the move Ducks are not laying eggs Time to start chard and brassicas Screening ashes Thinking about compost The pool house green house idea Basecamp will be available to rent mid-February Rams headed to the processor next 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

Join me for a chat with Andy McCann of Crossfit Garage about his journey into carnivore and how community has been the key to success in taking control of his health. We will also cover SOME but not ALL of our usual Monday Segments.

Join the LFTN Community on Telegram: T.me/LFTNGroup

This show is brought to you by:

EMPShield.com (Coupon Code LFTN)

WealthSteadingPodcast.com 

Join the Carnivore Challenge (Yes this costs money): https://go.smartandsimplenutrition.com/carnivore-challenge

Connect with Andy: https://www.garagefitness.online/

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

• ALL THE MEAT
• Beef Breakfast Sausage Recipe: 5 tsp salt, 7.5 tsp sage (homegrown and dried and ground in the vitamix), 1.5 tsp nutmeg fresh ground, 2 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp garlic powder store bought, 1 tsp peppers or paprika of your choice

Operation Independence

The world is changing…(AI)

Here are responses to each of the questions to help guide your interview:

1. **What is 60 Easy and why not just do 75 Hard?**
2. **What are the Five Pillars of Health and Longevity, and why are they essential for building resilience in life?*
3. **What inspired you to adopt the carnivore diet, and how has it impacted your health and fitness journey?**
4. How are you Using AI?

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

The Night Before Christmas was recorded at the Holler Homestead on the night before Christmas. Merry Christmas!

Tonight we have a reading of the Australian version of The Night Before Christmas by Aussieroo of the TSP Zello Group.

Join us each night at 5pm leading up to Christmas.

The Night Before Christmas was recorded by the Cookeville Mastersingers in 2017 at Wattenbarger Auditorium. Merry Christmas!