Some ideas to fulfil your wish list

It may take time and effort, but you may be able to fulfill more of your wishes than you thought.

06:07 19 February 2014

If you have ever wondered what it would take to make your wish list come true, the answer might be easier than you think. While some people receive funds to fulfil their bucket list or life dreams, not everyone is so lucky. This doesn’t mean that the rest of us should give up on our wishes. Some financial wishes might be small, some might be larger but the first step to getting there is to realise you have to set aside the funds to make it happen. It will not happen overnight, but someday is a far cry from never.  

 

Here are some ideas to help you get started on your wish list. 

 

• Define your wishes—you do not really need to write your financial wishes down if you do not want to, but it can help to get them on paper on a computerised spreadsheet. You can estimate the amount of money you’ll need for each wish and then you might want to arrange your wish list from the smaller wishes to the larger. At the very least, you will be crossing a few things off that list which may give you the motivation to keep striving. 

 

• Saving plan—once you have an idea of the scope of your financial wishes, you have an idea the amount of money you need. Don’t automatically assume that you won’t get to realise your wishes. If it seems overwhelming take it a wish at a time. Divide the amount of money you will need by 12 months, so that ideally you will be able to fulfil one wish in a year. 

 

• Credit cards—remember, use credit cards sensibly. They probably should not be used to fund wishes unless you can guarantee to yourself that you will be able to pay off the credit card within the year. Otherwise you risk spiralling into debt.