Living Free in Tennessee - Nicole Sauce podcast

August 11, 2025 Episode 1070: How TO Deal With Homestead Burnout

Today, we talk about homestead burnout, why many new homesteaders feel tempted (and do) give up after only a year or three, and what to do about it. We also cover our usual Monday segments.

Featured Event August 23: Wild Edible Walk with Kerry Brown of Strong Roots Resources – 8:30 AM before Curds and Connection at the Holler Homestead.

Sponsor 1 Strong Roots Resources – Permaculture consulting, education, and more.

Sponsor 2 AgoristTaxAdvice.com/LFTN – Helping entrepreneurs, homesteaders, and freedom-minded folks handle taxes the smart way.

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

Setting up Basecamp for long-term storage
Road food from the pantry
Fall garden focus
Pushing for more dried herbs

Frugality Tip From Margo: Before making a large purchase, check multiple sites. Margo scored a $100 gift card from Northern Tool by ordering online (over $1000 purchase), then picking up in-store. A little research can literally pay off.

Operation Independence Adding value can make all the difference — like offering a Wild Edible Walk add-on for the cheese class.

Main Topic of the Day: How to Fix Homestead Burnout

Discussion with Tactical about my dead garden bed
Why so many homesteads give up after 1–3 years
- Striving for perfection
- Using 1 person to do the work of 2, 3, or even 4
- Instagram homesteads vs. reality
- The same reasons we burn out on anything
- The homestead is always there — and you live there
Why people get into homesteading
- The homesteader’s curse
- My 140 tomato story
- If you’re not on a homestead yet, what you can do
How to avoid homestead burnout
- Create a space where you can truly let go and reset
- Have other interests or hobbies
- Adjust expectations before you start
- Create goals that aren’t fear-based
- Learn to spot burnout early:
  - Constant fatigue
  - Irritability or loss of excitement
  - Letting maintenance slide
  - Avoiding certain areas or projects
  - More arguments or isolation
  - Spending more time on screens than outside
  - Self-check questions:
    1. When’s the last time I felt genuinely excited about a homestead task?
    2. Am I doing chores because I want to or just because they have to be done?
    3. Have I been skipping or half-doing maintenance I used to stay on top of?
    4. Am I avoiding certain areas, animals, or projects because they feel overwhelming?
How to address burnout if you’re already there
- Make space to get away for 2–3 days and stay off social media
- Take a true day of rest
- Move your body
- Assess eating and drinking habits
- Follow homesteaders who show their failures and lessons learned
- Scale back without feeling like you’ve failed

The world, and we, are messy. Do three things anyway and see how far you can go in a month, then 2 months, then a year!

Make it a great week.

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

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