MAKE A WISH LIST

Making a wish list is a great way to save money!

Let's face it: as human beings, we want and need a lot of different stuff. There is a lot of stuff out there to buy, and there are a lot of salesmen out there that are trying to sell you their stuff so they can get your money. The key to saving money is to know the difference between needs and wants, then only buy the stuff you really need. But what about the stuff that I want? Can't I have some of that, too?

About a year ago, I decided to try a little experiment. I decided that I was throwing away too much money on unnecessary "wants". So instead of running out and buying everything little thing I wanted, I wrote it down on a "wish list" on my fridge. All of my wants, large and small, went on that list. If I was working in the kitchen and thought, "It sure would be nice if I had a little funnel," I put it on my list. When my husband said, "When are we going to build our dream house?", I put that on his list. Writing an item on my list gave me a certain sense of satisfaction. Instead of thinking about the item and feeling bad that I didn't have it, I would say to myself, "There, I wrote it down, and I will get it someday when the time is right." My mom called it my "delayed gratification" list.

I was surprised how fast the lists grew! Even though my house is already filled with lots of stuff, it amazed me how much more stuff I wanted. And I realized that I was saving a lot of money buy refraining from even the small purchases. Even small purchases can really add up!

The original reason I made the list was to refrain from making purchases until I had the money to do so. However, I was surprised to find many other benefits that resulted from my wish list.

1. Now I know exactly what to do with unexpected spending money. If I get money as a gift, a bonus, or if we have an excess in the budget, I can spend it the way I really want. I used to just deposit in my bank account, and it would get used up on bills or car repairs (no fun). Now I can look over my list, think about what I really want, and then spend that money to my heart's content. Getting something I want and crossing it off my list gives me so much satisfaction.

2. Birthday and Christmas presents are getting so much better. Whenever gift-giving times are near, a common question is "what do you want for _______?". My common response is, "Oh, I don't know. I was thinking of something I wanted, but I can't think of it now." Now I just say, "Look at the list, there are dozens of suggestions there." Even my Mother-in-Law has her spies look at my list and inform her of its contents. I'm not the type to expect or beg for presents, but some people I know really like to give gifts. And it is SO much nicer to get something you really like. You don't have to fake a smile and say, "Wow, this is just great. Thanks so much," while inside you are thinking, "how on earth am I going to get rid of this hideous thing without hurting their feelings?" Instead you can say, "Thanks, this is exactly what I wanted!" And this time you will really mean it.

3. I change my mind about some of my wants. Sometimes I put something on my list that I think I really want. But as the days and weeks pass, I decide I don't really want it afterall. Instead of having an unwanted item or attempting to return a purchase, I can just cross it off my list. It's so easy!

4. Sometimes my patience pays off and I am blessed with my desires in unexpected places. Since making my list, I am surprised how often I find my wanted items in places like thrift stores, garage sales, or the super-clearance section at the store. Once I paid eight dollars at an auction for seven huge boxes of household items (one of them was filled with fabric, what can I say?). When I went through the boxes, I found three or four items from my wish list (yes, I finally got my funnel).

5. I have concrete financial goals. Some of the bigger things on my list (new home, new car, retirement, etc.) are now written down where I can see them every day. This gives me an increased desire to curb frivolous spending and save money for the things that I really want.