Ok great - so why don't you use the money to take your wife out to dinner or use it as a down payment on a car?

I got up, went to work, went to the gym, came home cooked dinner, and was in bed by 930. 

Workers get a per diem of $35 a day, $10 for lunch and $25 for dinner, that's it.The company tells their workers where they are going to stay, period.The work these people do is cleaning out pressure vessels before inspectors, welders, and other people go in. 

In addition to what @Brian Eastman mentioned, your mother would have gift tax exposure on the paydown of your primary residence mortgage if she's not on the deed, even if she co-signed.You on the other hand, would have mother-in-law exposure during Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

I have no idea what an endangered heritage chicken is but it sounds delicious deep fried with buffalo sauce

Keep that in mind as you invest family member's money...it might make Thanksgiving dinner somewhat awkward. 

I believe it is like $15 bucks which includes a buffet dinner.

I’ll definitely ask some local investors I know to dinner with my girlfriend to help get a discussion started with the other investor and their spouse.

I saw an article a couple years about how dining rooms were becoming obsolete since families have become so busy that they rarely sit down and have dinner together.

And then try to provide value to the investors in your meetups.Invest money into taking them out to dinner, invest time into working with them on their projects for free, just get yourself in the company if those doing what you want to do.