Living Free in Tennessee - Nicole Sauce

Today, we talk about the homestead revenue stack as well as our usual Monday segments.

Featured Event

Sept 12: ETNHA Festival near Knoxville, TN https://steveandsandy.com/festival

Sponsors

Sponsor 1: DiscountMylarBags.com

Long-term food storage supplies that won't break the bank.

Sponsor 2: AgoristTaxAdvice.com

Helping entrepreneurs, homesteaders, and freedom-minded folks handle taxes the smart way.

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

• Took a Sunday Down Day to redo short-term storage and move things over to Basecamp for long-term.
• Counted and organized: 41 mugs (yep, 41).
• Set up a food plan for the week.
• Making progress on air potatoes VS Chinese yam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6L-1POLF3Q&feature=youtu.be
• Built a to-do list of things to gather for winter teas and herbal remedies.

Frugality Tip

Join the LFTN Stocking Exchange — because life is about more than just saving money.

Operation Independence

• Reached alignment with Tactical on building a double-purpose shed.
• Sold the old roofing from Basecamp (still have ridge caps available for sale).

Main Topic: Avoiding Burnout and Hard Work

If you came to hear how to NOT work hard on your homestead and still be successful you have come to the wrong place. We've been talking lately about the need for rest and recovering from burnout --- and then I realized on a walk that hard work is part of homesteading - so burnout is one thing, but hard work another = so where is the line between these two?

Many people hesitant to get out and about lately.

Stories of burnout are common → led to conversations about resets, weekend retreats, and monthly calls for homesteaders.

Giving talks on Build Abundance Not Burnout (like at SRF in October).

Realization: some come to hear "how to make it easy," but building the life you choose is not easy.

Burnout comes from:

• Overcommitting and saying yes to everything.
• Lack of rest or intentional reset.
• Poor design → every task feels uphill.
• No tracking or systems → constant re-doing and searching.
• Trying to do it all alone without community.
• Expecting it to be easy and feeling defeated when it isn't.

Design makes things flow, but doesn't remove the work.

• Design for future you (20–40 years older).
• Example: rabbit hutch above garden bed → nutrients flow without transport.
• Design with profit in mind.
• Tracking matters (avoids wasted effort).
• Systems = less friction, but animals still need care, water lines must be buried, harvests preserved, fencing run.

Homestead Revenue Stack (Holler Homestead Example)

• Core Product – Sheep
• Service Layer – Airbnb experiences, tours, classes
• Scalable – LFTN Podcast, HomesteadSkills.academy, cookbook
• Community – Meetups, connecting people
• Add-ons – Holler Roast Coffee (became its own core product), laminated cheat sheets, small guides, dried herbs
• Game changer: Add-ons bolt onto existing work.
• Sometimes the add-on is another person → ties into Holler Hub model (spokes).

Each layer still involves hard work.

Smart design + add-ons keep that work from tipping into burnout.

Honest contrast: the grind is real, but structure turns it into momentum.

Hard work is baked into homesteading — there's no escaping it. Burnout comes when that work isn't designed well or isn't supported. The Homestead Revenue Stack shows how to make your effort count: core products require grind, but when you design smart and bolt on add-ons (whether that's coffee, guides, or community), the same work builds abundance instead of exhaustion.

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 the cracked fitting, sheep hijinks, the meetups and more

Featured Event: https://steveandsandy.com/festival

Sept 12 and 13

Sponsor 1: AgoristTaxAdvice.com/LFTN

Sponsor 2: TheWealthSteadingPodcast InvestableWealth.com

Forage

• Air Potatoes
• Last Night's Dinner
• Watercress

Livestock

• Lamb for sale
• Rabbit breeding season has arrived

Grow

• Fall Brassicas are in
• Sweet Potato Leaves
• Seed Fairy Time
• When the saute is like wet fabric...

Holler Neighbors/Community

• Meetup and Class Update
• Painting Basecamp Lodge
• While the cat's away
• Christmas Stocking Project

Finances

• Holler Hub Membership Idea and Grocery - forms

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 was joined by Brooke Whipple to discuss building freedom and using land to do so, but we ended up discussing mindset, living in the moment, small versus large decisions and her journey through life. And yes, we also discussed how she and her husband bought the land they could afford, improved it, then leveraged that into a better property. Rinse, repeat.

You will thoroughly enjoy this discussion AND you can meet Brooke in person at the SelfRelianceFestival.com, October 4-5 in Camden, TN at the Birdsong Marina! Use coupon code LFTN for $10 off your ticket!

Connect with Brooke:

• Website: https://www.brookewhipple.com/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@therealgirlinthewoods
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlinthewoodz/

Book we discussed: The Gap And The Gain: https://www.amazon.com/Gap-Gain-Achievers-Happiness-Confidence/

Book we discussed: Good Energy: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Energy-Surprising-Connection-Metabolism

Self Reliance Festival Links

• Tickets: https://selfreliancefestival.com/product/tickets-2025/
• Family Pass (2 adults, unlimited related children under 18): https://selfreliancefestival.com/product/family-pass/
• Vendor Space: https://selfreliancefestival.com/product/vendor-booth-2025/
• SRF Teens/Youth: https://selfreliancefestival.com/srfteens/
• SRF Kids: https://selfreliancefestival.com/srfkids/
• Agenda: https://selfreliancefestival.com/agenda/

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

Today we talk about transformational experiences in our lives and why being in person matters, as well as out usual Monday Segments.

Featured Event: Small Engines Class With Alan Bechard, Sept 20 at 10am LivingFreeInTennessee.com

Don't forget to get your SRF tickets!! Use coupon code LFTN for $10 off: SelfRelianceFestival.com

Sponsor 1: DiscountMylarBags.com

Sponsor 2: StrongRootsResources.com

Tales From The Prepper Pantry

Frugality Tip

Operation Independence

Main topic

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 discuss: Redneck Pie, subdividing paddocks, food forest whisperer's latest action, and old garbage revealed through grazing.

Featured Event: Sunday Meetup and Demo From Hoff Grid Meat Company! 1pm this Sunday

Sponsor 1: TheWealthsteading Podcast

Sponsor 2: AgoristtaxAdvice.com/LFTN

Redneck Pie

Fall is in the air - winter is coming!

SRF is so cool this year

Filling in rock wall with mint, oregano, thyme, and a sacrificial rosemary

Bean replacements are up

Ducks are in full molt

Cheese class update (Wild forage, fun, fellowship, reset)

Boys are out of jail and in the best paddock over here

The loud - paddock garbage revealed through grazing

Lambchop Rip cord

The roof is DONE at Basecamp Lodge

Comfrey in the swales

Hoff Grid Meat Company Order for the year (and why we are doing it this way)

The AI Class this weekend

Sweet potato flowers

Time to harvest Goldenrod

Passion flowers

Rose of sharon

Spice berry

Time to breed and process rabbits

Girls: Subdividing paddocks to increase density

Holler Hub/Basecamp Calendar

Wednesdays are back

The tomato wall problem

Finances - cheese class

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

Featured Event: SelfRelianceFestival.com Oct 4-5

Sponsor 1: TheWealthsteading Podcast

Sponsor 2: DiscountMylarBags.com

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

You've heard me drop the words "Holler Hub," but what does that actually mean? Today I'm going off-script to share the real story of what's happening here, why we built it, and where it's headed next.

Featured Event

Cheesemaking class at the Holler Homestead (with add-on Wild Edible Walk): https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/product/soft-cheese/

Sponsor 1

Strong Roots Resources – Permaculture consulting, education, and more

Sponsor 2

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

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

• Mold fog reset in the pantry
• Making lots of cheese

Frugality Tip From Margo Was randomly looking at Etsy and saw someone selling something I was interested in that was local to me. I messaged them and asked about local pick up and cash price. They were very interested in cash money with pick up and I saved some money on my purchase. So ask, it will never kill you, and might save you a few dollars.

Operation Independence

Inherited "free" chickens for the Holler Hub — and they're so friendly you can pet them!

Main Topic: The Holler Hub Story You Haven't Heard Yet

What is the Holler Hub? Basecamp Lodge as the center of the community

Biggest recent change: new roof on Basecamp

Ryan Steva dropped off hens

Airbnb bedroom rental now open

Calendar of upcoming events

Classes like cheesemaking, Michelle learning elderberry syrup

Grocery buying club next on deck

Valerie's affordable lodge outfitting list

Unplanned magic moments: Tactical + visitor campfire talk on alcoholism

Looking ahead this year: full calendar, RV spots, cabins, food systems clarity

Challenges & reset

Working so hard we weren't resetting ourselves

PickTN Store at the State Fair: great exposure, but exhausting

Drawing a line: one full day off each week

The Holler Hub is where we stop talking about freedom and actually build it — one messy project at a time.

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 am interviewing John Pugliano of The Wealthsteading Podcast - find out what it took for him to grow from rags to riches - and what that really means.

Featured Event: Curds and Connection: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/product/soft-cheese/

Sponsors:x

• Above Phone, Coupon code livefreetn, https://abovephone.com/?above=104
• Holler Roast Coffee

Connect With John: https://investablewealth.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

• 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

Featured Event: SelfRelianceFestival.com Oct 4-5

Sponsor 1: TheWealthsteading Podcast

Sponsor 2: DiscountMylarBags.com

Tigger

Polyface - modular and scalable

• Driving without getting hurt
• Pig gates: los tn translation
• Tractors
• ?2 cows?
• Grazing density discussion

PawPaws are very close and likely this week or next

Escaping Sheep and miscommunicating Rednecks

Burnout Project: Roofing, Cheese Class Prep, and Broken AC, OH MY!

This week's Lodge Visitor: Michelle from Trippy Acres (Elderberry, pears, and okra)

• Balancing projects and real time with real people - something will have to give or we need more stewards on site

Water System Meltdown

Eggless Ducks

Fall seeds are in and the watering system is simplified

Early morning dumpster work

A disappointing shopping experience

Finances: havent sold enough cheese tickets - give us a hand by telling a friend!

Cheese Class Menu

Retraining the sheep on electric

Increasing mowability of fence lines at the Holler Homestead

Finances: Facebook Funds LOL

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 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.

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