How this single mum took her kids to Disneyland

JO HARLOW and her kids are living proof that anyone can save money. She shares her tips including total “no-spend months”.

SINGLE mum JodieAnne (Jo) Harlow and three her kids went months without spending a cent on anything except food, took on extra jobs and channelled Oprah, to achieve their dream of going to Disneyland Anaheim.

A few years ago the Queensland family were living on the poverty line. But this week, after reaching their goal of saving $10,000, they flew to America.

With a lot of determination anyone can save money, says Jo, and her family is living proof of that.

“I KNEW MY DAUGHTER’S CHILDHOOD WAS NEARLY OVER”

When Jo’s Disney-loving daughter, Christine turned 14 early last year, Jo knew that there wasn’t long left of her childhood. So if she was going to make her childhood dream of visiting Disneyland come true, she’d have to hustle.

Jo knew that on her income, working for herself as a disability and aged care assessor, the task would not be easy. Particularly given that Jo had been a single parent to Christine (now 15), Charlotte (13) and Sam (nearly 9) for nearly ten years.

“I’d travelled a lot before I got married, and after I was divorced I won a couple of competitions that allowed me to travel a bit more, but the kids have never been overseas.” Says Jo. “There just wasn’t any room in the budget.”

Jo Harlow and her kids.

Jo Harlow used Oprah Winfrey as inspiration.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

A big believer in setting intentions and staying focused, Jo was determined that as a family they’d be able to make it work. And dangling that Disneyland carrot worked a treat — the kids were on board too.

“Christine got a job, the other kids started earning money from outside sources and together we researched intensely for good deals,” says Jo. “We went without, and made do with what we had and tried to spend as little money as possible.”

And it worked.

By doing odd jobs for family and friends, the younger children have been able to contribute $500 each.

Christine got a job at a local cafe one day a week around school, and has contributed $1300 to the trip from her earnings. And Jo has come up with the rest by banking the money they were able to save as a family by making a few lifestyle changes.

“Now we’ll not only visit Disneyland, but Universal Studios, Hollywood, Vegas, Santa Monica and the Grand Canyon.” Says Jo, “Plus we got tickets to a concert of Christine’s favourite Youtuber, Todrick Hall, and we even got seats at a Dodgers game!”

Jo and the kids are living their dream.

JO’S TOP TIPS FOR SAVING MONEY FAST

1. It has to be a team effort: “We were all in together. We made a commitment to go without the extras for a short amount of time, so that we could reach our goal.”

And when Jo says “go without” she means it.

“We had no spend months. Other than essential food, bills and petrol for the car, we spent nothing else. You’d be amazed how much you actually fritter away when you’re not looking.”

2. Change your perspective: “We changed our mindset to stop thinking ‘can we?’ to thinking ‘how do we?’ and it really helped.” Jo explains.

“We had to get rid of the idea of Disneyland as a dream, and turn it into an achievable end goal”

“Work out what you need, set the budget then get to doing what it takes to make it happen.” Says Jo.

“We had a few $30 shop weeks where we did an inventory of the pantry, and then planned our meals to make the most of the ingredients we already had.”

3. Set your intention every day: Jo says you have to stay focused, it’s not easy to not spend money. When you can’t be bothered cooking, what’s in the pantry can look uninviting, but you have to stay focused and use what you have. You can’t just forget and call in a takeaway!

“I saw Oprah Winfrey a few years back and she is all about the importance of setting your intentions every day.” Says Jo.

“It’s like adjusting your sails and setting course. I love it. I love her. So we set our intention to visit Disneyland as a family without financial issues in 2017. And as we did that the universe conspired to make it happen. I started getting more work than I’ve ever had, Christine got a job, the other kids started earning money from outside sources and we were on our way to saving and making our intentions a reality.

“Speaking your intention out loud day helps remind you why you are doing what you are doing and helps to keep you focused.”

You can read more of Jo’s savings tips on her blog, Mentor Mumma.