HOW TO PLAN IT TOGETHER

IT’S a game, it must be fun, it is best done without interruptions and it will take up to two hours.

So take the phone off the hook, put the kids to bed and gather lots of blank paper and coloured pens.

Individually answer these questions and write the results down under three headings:

What do you NEED in the:

Next 12 months Next five years When I retire, then;

What do I WANT in the:

next 12 months next five years when I retire.

It helps if you have planned for this exercise and given it some thought.

Don’t hold back on what you want. This is your ultimate wish list. It’s what life is all about … making it worthwhile.

”Needs” are necessities. Things like rent or home mortgage payments, food, council rates, electricity and gas … you get the drift.

“Wants” are dreams and the little extras. Things like dining out, entertainment, holidays, car.

Prioritise your ‘wants’ lists, with No.1 being what you want most and 100 being what you will most probably do without. Then it’s show and tell time.

Surprise, surprise! Shock horror? Or were you both on the same track? Sharing the ‘want’ lists is usually the eye-opener. It’s highly likely there will be some surprises there.

So now discuss your wants. These lists will form part of your budgeting and aren’t written in stone. They can be reviewed and changed as your wants and needs change.