Stop what you’re doing, and listen to this episode. Trust me, it’s worth it.

I came across Joe Jimenez by way of Coach Carson, who has interviewed him twice. Joe lives in Kalispell, Montana, and now owns a business called Switchback Suites. Joe and I discuss his interest in the FIRE movement, (FIRE = Financial Independence, Retire Early) and how he eventually translated that into his own world. A key piece has been using house hacking to get into real estate investing, and to as he says, “play life on easy mode.”

I absolutely loved this discussion, and hope it’s helpful to listeners. I hope it can especially reach younger listeners, as Joe really lays out well what can be accomplished to set your life up for success. All it takes is some intention and a willingness to make a few sacrifices.

Joe and I also get into some depth on travel hacking, which is essentially making a game or system of using credit card bonuses for travel. I’ve used this for years, as has Joe, and we talk about how to do it, the benefits of being systematic, and he shares some very fun anecdotes.

Here’s Joe’s photo of Singapore Suites Class:

A few links we discuss:

* Mr. Money Mustache

* Chris Guillebeau and The Art of Non-Conformity

* Go Curry Cracker

* Paula Pant

* Jillian Johnsrud

* One mile at a time

* Frequent miler

* Choose FI travel

Find more content on The Messy City on Kevin’s Substack page.

Music notes: all songs by low standards, ca. 2010. Videos here. If you’d like a CD for low standards, message me and you can have one for only $5.

Intro: “Why Be Friends”

Outro: “Fairweather Friend”