Today, I want to go back to our core mission with this podcast and talk about building independence into your life. It all started with an article I read aimed at this new tax bill that congress is considering. It left me wondering when we all became so spineless and unable to take care of ourselves, quite frankly! We will examine the totally missed point of the author of the article, and learn from that for use in our own lives. Also today, I am bringing back an old segment while we can: What mother nature is providing for us.

Resources:

• The new merch page: http://livingfreeintennessee.com/merchandise/
• Food saving process podcast from TSP: http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/1613-food-storage

What mother nature is providing

• Kale
• Radishes
• I am sure there are persimmons, but…
• Mushrooms are NOT flowering this year very much yet
• AND OMG IT MIGHT SNOW

Tales from the prepper pantry

• The New Cow that we share with families. (Which means there is cow available)
• Baked Home Fries
• The New York Strip Steak
• Homemade Dressing This Week: mustard, mayo, balsamic infused with fig, honey, salt, olive oil
• Time to get serious about eating squash

Operation Independence

• Pig processing workshop - ciderhollow.com
• Crypto in English for God’s Sake
• Winter is Coming
• Biltong Update
• Announcement: spring workshop in the HOLLER!! (April 27 & 28)

$100,000 income stories by NPR https://www.npr.org/2017/12/03/567602293/what-living-on-100-000-a-year-looks-like

Two consistent things I saw that the author did not:

• Couples already Established debt
• Couples had To high of a tax burden

Took time to look at my 2017 and how much I actually earned. And the number is a little sad.

• 15k (will be 20 by Dec 31)
• How did I make it? (Budgeting (spreadsheets don’t lie), food stores and other stores, Savings, bartering, some help, and persistence with an end goal in mind.

So why do I go on about this? Because the NPR article made it seem like it was not in the control of the people who earn 100k to change their lives - that it was something that needed to be fixed from outside. To which I call bullshit. Bull. Shit. Yes. Sometimes you are in a position where you need to earn more. And you need to find ways to do it. And yes, earning more helps you become more financially independent. But that can be done at 40k, 50k and 60k if you look for opportunities, keep control of your wild spending - and realize that you ARE in control.

So do me a favor? If you haven’t looked in a long time, take a little extra time this month to write it all out. Track where your money goes. Look at your tax burden, your cost of living where you are. And take control. Shed the things that are less important to your lifestyle. Do you really need that new car each year? Can you push down on the cell bill a bit? Is there a better health coverage plan for you? Did you ask the doctor to go down in price. Can you make room for a side hustle without spending more on the side hustle than you earn back from it? Look at your life and ask: How can I take control?

And if the answer is that you need a new job, well, go get it! If it is that you need to get the hell out of Seattle - figure out a way to do it with a soft landing. If you just need to stop the instant gratification for a bit - go for it - start practicing now. In December. When other people spend beyond their means to keep up with the joneses. Because when you find the end of your life, will you really care what kind of car you have?

With that my friends, I want to remind you that you can support the show while enjoying a luxurious, but not too pricey, cup of coffee. Just go to livingfreeintennessee.com and click on “Coffee.”

Make it a great week!

Song: Anonymous by Sauce