How to afford your dream board in this year

Estimated reading time
 5 min

In this article

• What does your dream life look like?
• Set meaningful, measurable goals
  
• Learn about the 50-30-20 budget method

As children, we indulged our imaginations and celebrated big dreams (like becoming an astronaut, having a pony or eating cake for dinner). But as adults, we often focus more on balancing our wants and our needs. Somewhere in the mix, our dreams are waiting to be brought to life.

That’s where a vision board comes in. Having your goals written down or visualised can help remind you of your dreams, and make it easier to save towards them, to make them a reality sooner. Here are some ways to make this year the year you start affording the things your inner child could have only dreamt of.

What does your dream life look like?

Think about what you want your life to look like in 2, 5, 10 or 20 years. The life that you’ll look back when you’re older and think “man, that was good”. The dream life is going to be different for everyone. It might be owning a home of your own, raising safe and happy kids, looking after two dogs and a cat, or working in a job that gives you meaning and satisfaction. Perhaps you want to look back on starting your own business, buying a vintage sportscar or travelling the world. Whatever it is, it’s powerful to name it.

Visualise your dreams

It's one thing to know something in your head, and another to see it written down or in picture form in front of you. When you have a physical reminder of your goals, it is something tangible to work towards. This might be a vision board (you could create this digitally or on an actual board) or a written list. Put your list in a place where you will see it regularly, and keep your eyes on the prize.

Set meaningful, measurable microgoals

You can’t go from being in debt to being a millionaire overnight (winning the lottery isn’t a bullet-proof strategy!) But you can set smart microgoals that help you get there over time. For example, buying a home might not be a goal you can achieve tomorrow, but you could start amassing a deposit, researching the region and type of home you want, and ensuring you have the ongoing income to pay mortgage costs. What do you need to add, change or lose from your budget each month to get you closer to the finish line? We’ve made it simple to get closer to your dream with our savings calculator.

Activity: If you like writing lists or visualising your goals on paper, download and fill out this free goal setter (PDF) worksheet to help plan your next move. It’s all about setting your sights on the future by taking small actions each month.

Click the image above to access the goal setter worksheet.

Budget time: the 50-30-20 way

No, it’s not the latest diet fad. It’s a tried-and-true method of living in a happy zone between meeting your wants and your needs. If you put 50% of your budget towards your needs (like rent), 30% towards your wants (a weekend away), and assign 20% to your big dream goals (a home deposit), you’ll be able to lead the life you want now while also getting closer to your dream life. Read more about how it works and make your budget work for you.

I have a vision board and a budget, now what?

If you can see it, you can save for it. You’ve put your vision board somewhere you’ll see it regularly, you know what your big dream goals are, and you’ve established the smaller goals you need to achieve on the way. And you’ve put it all in your budget.

Using the ANZ app, you can set a saving goal and assign images to your savings account as motivational reminders. Customers who have set a savings goal in the ANZ App have saved almost 2x faster. Plus, seeing a photo of that Hawaiian beach every day makes it easier to put a chunk of your salary towards your trip.