Using Big, Crazy, Unrealistic Dreams to Fuel Savings

Posted on June 17th, 2008 in Frugality, Happiness

For my husband and I, financial independence is the cornerstone of the simple life we want to live. That means we work very hard to save money in the hopes of being able to retire sooner rather than later. We can’t wait to be at the stage of life where we work for fun, with no regard for the day-to-day necessity of work. To stay motivated (and to stay in touch with our dreams), we’ll sit and talk from time to time about what we’d do in life if money wasn’t an issue.

The Money Talk That’s Actually Fun

There are no rules to these talks; nothing is considered stupid or ridiculous. Nothing’s off-limits and no judgements are made. It’s like an unwritten policy. Some of the gems that have come out of these crazy dreaming sessions include the following:

Buying more land and building a personal go-kart track, complete with splits around trees and spin-out curves.
Spend six months traveling to all of our closest friends and leaving gigantic checks behind.
Earning endless degrees in subjects of all kinds.
Building a house with secret passages, hidden rooms, and a three-story slide.

Now, we’re not exactly going to start a special ING go-kart savings account tomorrow. These musings aren’t the standard “figure it out, create a plan for making it happen, and go to work” sorts of ideas. At this point, they’re larks and whims, meant for mental savoring more than concrete action. So why bother then?

What’s the Point of Dreaming about Unrealistic Things?

The point for us is twofold:

To open our minds outside of the typical trappings of wealth and success. We know the fancy cigar, Louboutin heels, diamond-encrusted spatula style of wealth isn’t for us. So, it’s up to us to decide what our ultimate far-fetched dreams are. These ideas help us realize just how much control we exert over own choices.
To create a more visceral reminder of why we’re saving. We know that we want to retire early (actually, it’s more just the option that we want), but that goal is completely intangible. If I try really hard, I can conjure up an image of me waking with a sense of freedom to simply work when the mood strikes, but that dream isn’t very action-oriented. On the other hand, I can feel the wind in my hair as I dodge my husband (cackling wildly behind me) around a tree on our custom go-kart track. Now that’s some good motivation to live simply and keep saving!

In the end, we dream because it creates new possibilities. It gives us motivation. We do it because we can. If you’ve reached the point where all your needs are covered and you’re seeking motivation to cut back, try dreaming big, crazy, unrealistic things. You might be surprised at just how far they take you.

This post has 14 comments

Tom Humes
June 17th, 2008
Nice Site layout for your blog. I am looking forward to reading more from you.

Tom Humes
Marshall
June 17th, 2008
Generally speaking, dreams can have a bad reputation because they’re often goals without action. It seems to me these big, unrealistic dreams indirectly create action though. It’s as if these dreams create action in other areas of our lives that usually can’t be measured. And usually it’s the stuff we can’t measure that matters.
Lance
June 17th, 2008
I love this! Especially you’re list - they’re great dreams. And you make a good point - that we need to dream big dreams. They may not all happen, but maybe a derivative of that dream will happen, or maybe it will lead to new “dreams”. But in either case, it’s sure less likely to happen if you’ve never dreamt it, or discussed it. And in the end, this is providing direction for where you want your life to go - you’re directing it.
I need to do more of this, so thanks for sharing it, and reminding be of the importance of sharing our dreams with those we love.
Karen Swim
June 17th, 2008
Sara, those are great dreams and great advice! We get so much advice about focus and action but your idea allows us to expand our thinking, and actually dream bigger. Thanks for sharing this Sara, made my imagination run wild and brought a huge smile to my face.
Nneka
June 17th, 2008
Hi Sara, I’m a very purpose-driven person. I never thought that imaginations and meanderings were much point.

This is a great way to expand your mind to all the possibilities and really invigorate your dreams.
AxeCity
June 17th, 2008
Dreams aren’t impossible to come true. When I look around at many things in my life, I find that there is at least one or more of my previous dreams that came into my life and are titled now as TRUE and ACTIVE.

I think of a dream as a broad concept of many targets, dreaming itself isn’t a target. It’s very relaxing when I dream of the whole picture of my future life, but, what makes it a healthy dream is setting small and simple targets on the way, those act as my guides towards achieving my biggest dream.

On the other side, dreaming without taking an action and paying effort is a bad sign of being weak and just escaping the current situation.
Becky@FamilyandFinances
June 17th, 2008
Great post. I, too, have always wanted a house with secret passageways. That would be so cool! It makes me think of the Nancy Drew stories I read as a kid.

I have always found it fun to dream big, crazy dreams, even if you don’t think they are possible.
LivSimpl
June 17th, 2008
Dreams are a lot of fun and they can be beneficial if they drive us to action.

I, too, want a house with secret passages (at least one underground) and a lot of property for my kids to be able to build forts on.
learning the ropes
June 17th, 2008
Never quite thought about it this way. Hmmmm…interesting!!! You really have a point there.
Marelisa
June 17th, 2008
What’s the saying: first build castles in the air and then set out to bring them down to earth. Also, Einstein says that imagination is the preview of tomorrow’s coming attractions. I can definitely see you in a go-kart driving around on your personal track! I read something the other day about “a roof-top garden”. I think I’m going to add that to my list of dreams.
Vered
June 17th, 2008
This is a wonderful way to motivate ourselves to become financially responsible. Love it, Highly inspiring.
melissa @ the inspired room
June 17th, 2008
What a great blog! I need to spend some time here, I think your articles look very inspiring!

Thanks for coming by Blissfully Domestic and leaving such a GREAT comment on my post about morning solitude. I LOVED your idea!

Happy day!
Melissa
Barbara Swafford
June 18th, 2008
Hi Sara,

That is a superb idea. Just like brainstorming, many fabulous ideas are the result of thinking big. That also works to find a solution to a complicated problem.
Gabriel
February 24th, 2009
…now I really want a three story slide.

Gabriels last blog post..Welcome to Alternative Livings!