This weekend is often referred to as the kick off to summer. For over 15 years my husband and I camped with the same core group of friends on Memorial Day weekend, usually at a state park or national forest. Not only has out relationship gone from dating to married with 3 kids, our style of camping has evolved as well. Our days in tents have dwindled. The hours spent hiking, biking, and paddling continues to grow. The things that remain constant about our weekend with this crew is the laughter around the campfire, inevitable rainstorm, and a need for an ice cream run. In our early days of family adventures, camping was the way we could afford to travel. A simple tent on the back of a motorcycle evolved to become an upcoming road trip in our RV this summer which will mark our greatest adventure yet.
In the Arena Community the topic a couple weeks ago was Camping with Kids and it brought back so many reminders of how far we have come AND yet, our adventures are still pretty simple in the grand scheme of things. If you are looking for simple adventures to help you make it through your summer, I’d suggest registering for the Summer Season of the Everyday Adventure Challenge from June 5th -August 5th by heading to ordinarysherpa.com/challenge
Our guest today has an obsession with financial independence. After years of consuming content she thought it was about time she produced and shared her obsession with others. She realized there was a gap in resources around personal finances geared towards moms. Trying to get ahead with money is one thing, trying to get ahead as a mom is whole other ball game. In an effort to learn and crowdsource the best, she is on a mission to find moms who can share their money examples, interview then and share their knowledge with other mom listeners. The Investor Mama podcast was born and the origin story of my connection with Jen was born, as we grew up in podcasting. With 2 young kids and moonlighting as a real estate agent among all the other things, Jen shares some of her money tips for making adventures fun without breaking the bank. Jen Narcisso of Investor Mama, welcome to Ordinary Sherpa.
Key Takeaways
- Podcasting was in the honor of her son Nathan and brought good to his name and kept her going. What are the things that drive you and keep you going?
- House Hacking is a way to rent a portion of your house while living in another unit. When you start to see opportunities in how to use your assets differently it might create streams of income. On the flipside, what’s the point of having money if you aren’t creating joy with it.
- Jen’s dream is to throw a dart at a map on the globe and spend 4 weeks, to create intense family connection time. Forced family time removes you from the distractions of daily life.
- Jen found a way to prove to her husband to take the family to Disney. Her child was in early childhood intervention and the experience at Disney exploded his growth and development.
- Travel with kids under 2. They fly free.
- Jen used Travel rewards through Chase Ultimate Rewards to cover flights, Hilton card has 4 nights and 5th night free and covered hotel. Her mother-in-law had a Citi card that covered Park tickets as a travel eraser. Jen stayed at the DoubleTree at Disney Springs and used the shuttle for free. Jen had ordered from InstaCart, but breakfast was included in the hotel. During Covid it was important to have meals reserved- using the Chase Card you get bonus points on food, and Uber/Lyft was 5x.
- The Unofficial Guide (link to Amazon Affiliate) to everything Disney (and other parks) from how to get discount tickets, to how to plan your day, optimize the lines. The Wyndam Bonnet Creek is on Disney property but not a Disney property. It’s a condo with all the amenities and with a full kitchen, living room and several bedrooms in each unit.
- Jen optimizes her big backyard, local playgrounds, and scavenger hunts. Ultimately your outlook is the driving factor and if you are excited about it, the kids will mimic your energy. Let kids’ curiosity be the guide. Find the extraordinary in the ordinary.
- “My daughter doesn’t know she is missing out.” Kids don’t need to be signed up for a bunch of different activities. Jen prioritizes swim lessons due to the safety concerns around water. The better we get at getting creative at home, the easier it is to master adventures on the go while traveling.
- There is no bad weather, just bad attire. By focusing on good gear they are able to spend more time outside. Having an intention to go outside allows you to focus on the options versus being comfortable inside.
- Kids don’t need to be told what to do if we encourage them to be creative and model excitement. Leaning on your community helps to get you unstuck from lulls in the season.
- Nobody wakes up to say, I’m going to be a bad parent today. Give yourself grace, you just survived your first pandemic.
You don’t need to spend money to be a good mom. Finances are foundational to allow us to thrive in life so having your finances in order opens so many options.
If you are looking for simple adventures to help you make it through your summer, I’d suggest registering for the Summer Season of the Everyday Adventure Challenge from June 5th -August 5th by heading to ordinarysherpa.com/challenge
To Connect with or Follow Jen from Investor Mama
Podcast: Investor Mama
Website: https://investormama.com/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/438814630372392/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/investor_mama/