Living Free in Tennessee - Nicole Sauce

Today, we hear the session that I hosted at the Self Reliance Festival about developing your revenue on your homestead, including stories from the network.

Today, I am joined by The Tactical Redneck to discuss updates from the Holler Homestead, sheep chaos, wine cap mushrooms and more. Featured Event: November 15 Farm To Table Dinner: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/product/farm-to-table/ Sponsors: The Wealthsteading Podcast Discount Mylar Bags

Sponsors Discount Mylar Bags: DiscountMylarBags.com Agorist Tax Advice: AgoristTaxAdvice.com/lftn Episode Links Farm-to-Table Dinner – Nov 15 LivingFreeinTennessee.com/product/farm-to-table North Spore Martha Tent (Affiliate): northspore.sjv.io/N9qEe2 LFTN Christmas Stocking Exchange: Sign Up Here Holler Roast Coffee: HollerRoast.com Summary Sometimes the best thing you can do—whether it's growing food or running a business—is stop forcing it. This week I share what mushrooms taught me about systems, patience, and letting things grow on their own. In this episode: Why I started cultivating mushrooms and how it ties to the Holler Roast coffee-grounds waste stream Early failures with DIY bins and Tennessee humidity The easy automated setup that finally worked First-round lessons (including a moldy pink oyster experiment) Cooking payoff: duck-fat blue oysters worth the wait And the big picture—how the "don't force it" mindset applies to business and life You don't make mushrooms grow, you make it easy for them to show up. Same goes for your business. The Takeaway Mushrooms—and systems—thrive when you build the right environment and step back. Stop forcing it, build your setup, and let the good stuff show up. Make it a great week! GUYS! Don't forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.

Today, I am joined by The Tactical Redneck to discuss updates from the Holler Homestead. Featured Event: Oct 24 50s Show: Mastersingersinc.com Sponsors: The Wealthsteading Podcast Discount Mylar Bags

Today, we talk about how the Airbnb at the Holler Hub became a real revenue stream — what's working, what isn't, and what we've learned along the way. If you've ever thought about turning a space on your property into income, this one's for you. We'll also cover our usual Monday segments. Featured Event Farm to Table Dinner Friday, November 15 Basecamp Lodge, Lancaster, TN Join us for an unforgettable evening featuring a full-course dinner sourced entirely from Tennessee farms. Real, local food, cooked from scratch, and shared in community. Sponsors AgoristTaxAdvice.com/LFTN – Helping entrepreneurs, homesteaders, and freedom-minded folks handle taxes the smart way. StrongRootsResources.com – Homestead design, consulting, and high-quality plants to help you build resilient systems that last. LFTN Stocking Exchange Time is running out to sign up! We'll assign your Secret Stocking Santa on November 1, so don't miss out on this fun community tradition. Sign Up Here Tales from the Prepper Pantry Lambs came in, lambs went out! Processing and rotation are in full swing. Time to harvest the sweet potatoes. The restackening of the firewood has begun — getting ready for cold weather. Starting to tap into the canned goods, especially green beans. Made powdered sugar from regular sugar after realizing I forgot to buy it. Frugality Tip I like a little lemon juice in my water. Some of those bottles pour out like a waterfall, which is wasteful and makes something I do not want to drink. So this is a hack and a tip in one. The cap from Worcestershire sauce bottles fits on a lot of other things, including every lemon juice bottle I have purchased. So keep the lids that help you regulate the amount of "stuff" coming out of a bottle so you do not end up wasting product. Happy savings y'all ~Margo Operation Independence The Airbnb has been renting well since we got back from SRF! It's great to see the Basecamp space generate steady revenue while serving the broader Holler Hub vision. Main Topic: Airbnb Revenue Stream – Lessons Learned Every property should have a purpose, not just be a payment. Turning Space Into a System The Airbnb wasn't about renting space — it was about keeping the Basecamp Lodge working for the mission. Formerly a long-term rental ($1,600/month). Now a flexible, short-term system that: Generates income when not used for training. Brings new people into the Holler Hub community. Connects us to potential partners and collaborators. Tools like Airbnb and VRBO open us to audiences beyond LFTN, expanding both reach and opportunity. What's Working Booked every available weekend in October by opening to tourists during fall travel season. Earned ~$650 in October while still hosting events — a deliberate tradeoff between revenue and flexibility. Low cleaning fee + clear expectations → relaxed guests and repeat visitors. Purposefully low nightly rate to earn initial 5-star reviews and build credibility. Making meaningful connections with guests — one couple with 10 glampers in California, another moving to Tennessee for homesteading. Where It Got Messy One guest left it a wreck → 8 hours of cleanup. Result: added language about cleaning expectations. Next step: keep a vacuum for pet-friendly stays. "Clean beats new every time." Set boundaries early: check-out policies, no parties, pet rules. Pricing & Positioning Set nightly rate (~$100) based on $3,000/month gross goal if fully booked. Kept pricing low to reflect the space (one usable bedroom, not remodeled). Using Airbnb's automated pricing to test how it behaves during peak season. Cleaning service quote revealed current pricing barely covers costs — future plan to add modest cleaning fee. Focus remains on mission-aligned guests first, not just volume bookings. Systems That Keep It Running Reset takes 45–60 minutes; double linens to avoid bottlenecks. Pet stays add 1 hour for vacuuming and extra laundry. Critical practice: always start cleaning immediately after checkout to stay ready for last-minute bookings. Personal touch: greet guests, tell the Holler Hub story, collect feedback, and build relationships. How to Apply It Don't build the Taj-Ma-Rental — start minimum viable and test. Clean trumps new every time. The biggest mindset shift: being comfortable letting strangers on your land. Most people with bad intentions aren't paying hundreds to sleep in your barn. Reality Check Short-term rentals aren't easy money there's always time involved: Responding to messages, building a guidebook, handling maintenance. Be available when problems arise — or you'll hate the process. The fast reset is key: handle the "yucky" stuff early so it never piles up. What's Next Goal: book events at Basecamp that aren't led by you — already in the works. Next expansion: a miner's cabin/tent rental to diversify the property's offerings. Each step builds toward the broader Holler Hub vision — systems that connect people, sustain the land, and generate reliable income. Every property should have a purpose, not just a payment. Make it a great week. Make it a great week. GUYS! Don't forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. Community Follow me on Nostr: npub1u2vu695j5wfnxsxpwpth2jnzwxx5fat7vc63eth07dez9arnrezsdeafsv Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b Resources Membership Sign Up Holler Roast Coffee Harvest Right Affiliate Link

Today, I am joined by The Tactical Redneck to discuss updates from the Holler Homestead. Featured Event: Oct 25-26 GSD Weekend at the Eversoles - Join the LFTN Telegram Group to RSVP

Today, we talk about what it takes to organize a real Farm to Table Dinner, as well as cover our usual Monday segments. Featured Event Chainsaw Milling Demo and PotluckSunday at 1 PMBasecamp Lodge, Lancaster, TN Join us for a hands-on chainsaw milling demonstration and community potluck! Bring a dish to share and see how we turn logs into lumber right here at the Holler. Event Details Sponsors AgoristTaxAdvice.com/LFTN – Helping entrepreneurs, homesteaders, and freedom-minded folks handle taxes the smart way. HollerRoast.com – Fresh-roasted coffee for doers. Start your day with luxury and get to work. Farm To Table Dinner Tickets, Nov 15 | $125 Community Highlight LFTN Stocking Exchange Time is running out to sign up! We'll assign your Secret Stocking Santa on November 1, so don't miss out on this fun community tradition. Sign Up Here Tales from the Prepper Pantry Convenience meals this week: crockpot lamb ribs. Drying the last round of fall herbs — mint, oregano, and holy basil. Getting ready to fill the freezers with meat now that it's almost cold enough to butcher. Hoping for a venison this year. Ground meat base for winter meals: beef, pork, and more pork. Weekly Shopping Report No shopping trip this week. Frugality Tip Did you know that if you put something in your online cart at Amazon (and some other online stores), when the price changes they notify you via email. So if you are looking to buy something but it is a little out of your budget, throw it in the cart and you just might be notified when it goes on sale. Also, when looking around on eBay, go ahead and click that heart, a lot of sellers will send you a discounted offer just for liking an item. So have a little patience and wait and see if you can save a few dollars on your next online purchase. Happy savings y'all ~Margo Operation Independence We opened up the Basecamp Airbnb — and one hour later it rented for four days! That single booking covered baseline expenses for the property (though not the mortgage). Still, a solid win toward independence. Main Topic: Organizing a Real Farm to Table Dinner Why We're Doing One We wanted to show what real farm-to-table actually means — not marketing, not a photo op. A community meal built from what local farmers are actually harvesting right now, cooked by people who understand those ingredients. Why It's Harder Than a Typical Event This isn't catered convenience food. The chef has to process everything from raw ingredients, not pre-trimmed or par-cooked product. Every ingredient is sourced directly from farms, not distributors. Timing is critical — you plan the menu around what's in season, not what's available year-round from a big box store. This is NOT your typical farm-to-table experience. We're not highlighting one or two local dishes and then filling the rest from Costco. Every ingredient — except the pepper and the coffee (which I roast) — comes from right here in Tennessee. No shortcuts. What Other Farm to Table Events Get Wrong Most are "farm to table" in name only — a token nod to local producers while relying heavily on imported or processed foods. They miss the deeper connection between local abundance, timing, and community. Steps to Organizing One Source the food: Build relationships with local growers and producers. Find a venue: Needs to be accessible, scenic, and functional for cooking and serving. Create a semi-flexible menu: Base it on what farmers actually have that week. Explore legalities: Health codes, insurance, and any required permits. Add extras: Things like a wild edible walk turn the dinner into an experience. Sell the tickets: Clear messaging — you're selling an authentic experience, not a restaurant meal. Handle logistics the day of: Setup, cooking flow, seating, lighting, cleanup. Customer Experience How do you keep the night flowing smoothly and still make it feel personal? How do you balance talking about the farms with letting guests simply enjoy the meal? Scaling the Concept Could this become a recurring or seasonal event? What lessons are you already learning for next time? Make It A Great Week.

Today, I am joined by The Tactical Redneck to discuss updates from the Holler Homestead: baby kittens, baby ducks, baby rabbits?? and so much more. Featured Event: Chainsaw milling Demo and Potluck: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/2025/10/07/chainsaw-milling/ Sponsor 1: StrongRootsResources.com Sponsor 2: AgoristTaxAdvice.com/LFTN 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: Oct 19 Chainsaw Milling Demo and Potluck: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/2025/10/07/chainsaw-milling/ Sponsors: DiscountMylarBags.com AgoristTaxAdvice,cin/LFTN 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

Apparently, we as a society learned nothing two weeks ago about rushing to be the first to present what we think really happened, to build our political agenda into a tragedy, and to move the conversation away from sympathy for those impacted to angrily debating the details of the assault by car and gun, the supposed intentions of the perpetrator – who is deceased by the way and cannot actually confirm or deny – and other completely unrelated things, such as if LDS are or are not also Christians. We've lost the plot. BUT statements are not supportive. This is where the anchor question comes in: What is the right thing to do? Featured Event: November 15 Farm To Table Dinner – Join us for a one-of-a-kind evening at the Holler Hub. Fresh food, good people, and real community. Reserve your spot here Thank you to today's sponsors: StrongRootsResources.com InvestableWealth.com – The Wealthsteading Podcast The outrage cycle: how online reactions to tragedy move immediately to blame, politics, and division. Binary programming: left vs. right, us vs. them — why it's become the default setting and how it trains us to react in anger. A personal story about tomatoes: clinging to a narrative even when it doesn't make sense, and what it took to question mine. The anger signal: that flash of anger is not permission to post — it's your primary sign to pause and ask what the right thing to do is. Practical tools: Admit when you've been wrong. Give crises time to develop before hot takes. Share your opinion with care — or hold it until the right time. The better way: you don't change the world by yelling louder. You change it by stepping out of the game and refusing to feed the machine. Make it a great week!