Private Jets vs. Tight Budgets: Tips & Tricks to making it happen financially
We haven't won Lotto. The raw financial reality of funding two international basketball dreams - refinance hacks, Wise cards, and weaving Lei to cover the gaps.
Let’s address the massive elephant in the room. How on earth do we afford to travel the world supporting our boys at massive international tournaments, fly them to the USA, drop them off ourselves, and fly back over to visit them at different times?
Well, the brutal disappointing truth is we have unfortunately never won Lotto. Both Val and I have decent-paying jobs now, but we are still out here working and grinding a minimum of 40 hours a week. We don't have a hidden inheritance, and we aren't balling like that from generational wealth.
But from day dot, we made a non-negotiable pact as parents to our boys: If you want to play, and you are going to put in 100% effort, then we will find a way to fund it regardless of the price.
That doesn’t mean we let them go on every single trip they fancy. We have been incredibly intentional with the tournaments we enter, the people we surround our kids with, and the coaches we allow to mentor them. We haven’t always got it right, but I promise you we’ve never made the same mistake twice.
I’m pretty comfortable in the fundraising space, and Val complements me perfectly by building rock-solid relationships. Those connections have boded incredibly well for the boys in terms of organic sponsorships and koha.
The Heavy Cost of the Black Singlet & Homeownership Hacks
New Zealand is one of the very few countries in the world that has athletes pay out of their own pockets to represent their own country. Thankfully, Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) has done some great work behind the scenes recently to bring some of those campaign costs down, but over the years, we’ve had to fundraise aggressively to keep the boys on the court.
👉🏽 Fundraising Ideas Blueprint coming soon
We are so incredibly grateful to own our whare. A few years back, when Hunter made the World Cup team to head to Turkey, we knew we absolutely had to go and support him for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It wasn't going to be cheap, so thankfully we were able to refinance our mortgage that year to make it happen. Working at MortgageHQ already meant I was exposed to some amazing strategies in this space, and it really showed us what is possible. (Just a quick heads-up, this isn't official financial advice!)
One massive eye-opener is the power of refinancing. When you switch banks, they literally hand you a cash bonus just for signing up. Best of all? You can look to do this every 3 or 4 years to get extra cash back into your bank account - subject to approval and that it is the best option for you. Honestly there is little to no loyalty from the banks to you so why would you not.
I really wanted to share this because I see so many of our friends and whānau—both those who have been homeowners for years but might be sitting idle, as well as others who assume homeownership is completely out of reach, thinking they don't have choices. But honestly? It is so much more achievable than you think! You don’t have to do it alone either. It’s simply about knowing your options, figuring out your numbers, and getting a clear game plan to make it happen.
Total transparency: we are not great natural savers even to this day. In fact, we can almost never stack a standard savings account because there is always a sports fee, house maintenance, USA doordash request or travel bill taking precedence. It's a massive work in progress for us. To fill the gaps and make these massive global trips happen, we have absolutely had to take out personal loans along the way. I am not encouraging going into debt in any shape or form, but we have chosen to prioritize our kids and these experiences. If navigating that means carrying some short-term debt, I can live with that.
The Ridiculous Reality of US Prep School Money
When Hunter first went to Darrow School in Upstate New York, all we had to pay for out of pocket were his flights over. The same followed suit for Cooper. To put this in perspective, the annual tuition at Darrow School (and most top-tier US prep schools are around this if not more) sits at a staggering $69,000 USD per year.
The reality was that those tuition costs were far beyond our reach. We were incredibly fortunate that the legendary BABC program stepped in to help bridge the gap, alongside Darrow's internal scholarships and financial aid, allowing the boys to play on their elite club circuit. The sheer scale and resources dedicated to American youth sports and college systems are hard to fully comprehend as Kiwis until you see it firsthand.
Through BABC, Hunter was incredibly looked after, experiencing things we never could have imagined—like flying via private jet to a tournament in Omaha and sitting courtside at a Boston Celtics game. Both BABC and New Heights NY have even generously covered some flights to bring the boys all the way back home to New Zealand for breaks, which has helped us financially as well meant the world to us.
The biggest barrier a lot of Kiwis face is that we absolutely hate asking for stuff - especially money. But if you don’t ask, you will never know. The trick is not going in too hot or acting entitled. If you focus on raising good people, your character will organically open up those life-changing commercial conversations and opportunities.
Learning to Accept Your True Village
But here is a major piece of advice for parents entering this space: you have to learn to ask, and you have to learn to utilise your friends' offers and connections.
When people in your circle step up and offer to assist you with something—whether it’s logistics, connections, or financial support—take them at their word. Utilize the offer! They wouldn’t have extended the offer if they didn't genuinely mean it.
On the flip side, navigating this pathway will also open your eyes. If someone offers to help and then reneges on that offer for no apparent reason, look at it as a blessing in disguise. The writing is on the wall right then and there - they are simply not your people. Guard your energy and pour into the ones who genuinely back your village.
Mum's Type-A Travel Booking & Budget Hacks
When you are dealing with travel in the States, the exchange rate is an absolute killer. $1 NZD converts to roughly $0.57 USD, meaning every American dollar hurts your bank account by nearly double. To survive the bleeding, here is some of the logistical system I use to lock down our trips:
WISE Cards: We exclusively use Wise to send, hold, and convert money across currencies without getting hammered by standard bank fees. You can also create bank accounts to receive money in whatever country you are. I have used this for when Australian Friends and Families want to support the fundraisers but don't have a NZ account and to avoid the transaction and exchange fees I get them to sent it directly to my Wises Australian account number.
Hunter is 18 now, so he runs his own card. Coopz carries a physical version of our card and a digital version loaded onto his phone.
👉 Grab your own Wise card via my referral link here.
The ShopBack & Hotels.com Double-Dip: I book absolutely everything I can through the ShopBack app to stack cash rebates. I cross-reference this by booking our accommodation through Hotels.com via ShopBack. This allows me to claim the cash back while simultaneously racking up Hotels.com reward points, which translates to entirely free hotel nights. It has come in handy more times than I can count!
👉 Sign up for ShopBack using my reference link here.
Smart Accommodation Sourcing: When looking at hotels, I read the reviews (with a massive grain of salt, of course), and then I ruthlessly map out the exact distance to the sports venues, public transport links, and local supermarkets. Staying a few blocks away from the venue might look cheaper, but if you are spending $60 USD a day on Ubers, you are losing money. I also use platforms like Hotels.com booked through Shopback aswell so I get not only the cashback but reward points for free stays aswell.
Locking in the "Geek" Tours Early: Whenever we touch down in a new country or city, I am a total travel geek - I love doing a structured tour or hitting a famous tourist landmark. In Cappadocia, Turkey, we booked a half-day tour and the iconic Hot Air Balloons. I refuse to wing it. I use platforms like Viator (also booked through ShopBack!) to secure our spots months in advance. If you are highly social, you can sometimes get cheaper hookups from the locals on the ground, but you run a high risk of being ripped off. As a Type-A personality, I need everything entirely locked in before our flights leave the tarmac or at the very least some sort of plan
Ruthless Cost Forecasting: Before we pack a single bag, I build out a detailed multi-category travel spreadsheet. I research the absolute best flying routes—taking into strict consideration landing times, total travel duration, layovers, specific airlines, and upfront costs. I map out the local average cost of food, convert the currencies back to NZD, and forecast the true cost of the trip in advance.
👉 Travel budget calculator template coming soon
The Late-Night Side Hustle: To completely clear the remaining financial gaps, Val and I are constantly running side hustles around our day jobs. For me, that means making custom cultural graduation and celebration Lei / ula late into the night. For Val, it means running private shooting coaching sessions before his 9-5 or taking on cashies.
We do what needs to be done to support these opportunities and experiences for our family.
When you buy into our village or pick up a piece of The Te Ratana Gear, you are directly helping fund the flights, the visas, and the massive international logistics keeping our boys on the stage.
Heads up: this post contains referral links. If you use them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — it helps fund the boys' journey. We only ever share tools we genuinely use ourselves.