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Beating the W-2 Blues
8 (Surprisingly Painless) Ways to Achieve Financial Sanity This Year
Take the sting out of saving by creating a "wish list."
While McCurdy emphasizes planning for tomorrow, she believes just as fervently in enjoying some money 
today. That's why she insists that you sit down with your family and come up with a wish list. This is your "fun money." Maybe you want a cruise to the Bahamas, while your spouse wants hardwood flooring for the house. Neither of these goals may be achieved this year, but that's OK. It's fine to plan several years in advance. The point is to figure out what you really, really want and start putting your money toward that, instead of dribbling it away on things you don't really care about. Here's where the different "money attitudes" McCurdy writes about – she divides people into Spenders, Savers, Givers and Builders – really assert themselves. "Savers may actually be reluctant to create a wish list because it seems too 'frivolous', while Spenders may chafe at giving up the 'high' they get from spontaneous shopping sprees," she says. "I would remind Savers that they deserve a reward now and then for all their discipline, and I would urge Spenders to include on their wish list a couple of unspecified shopping sprees with specified spending limits."