2019: Making Changes To Fund My Expanding Bucket List

December 20, 2018

Editor’s note: As 2018 draws to a close and we launch 2019, I’ve asked each of our bloggers to reflect on their own personal goals, plans or thoughts on the past or upcoming year. Our hope is that you not only draw inspiration from our sharing over the coming weeks, but also that we are all able to feel more connected through our shared human experience and recognize that no matter where we are on our personal financial wellness journeys, that we all have similar hopes, dreams and struggles. Happy holidays! Here’s what Mark has to say:

As I get older, my new hobbies seem to get more and more expensive: Photography (the image for this post is actually my own work). Scuba Diving. Underwater photography. And the wife is eager for us to buy a camper and see America (as long as there is some scuba diving nearby, I’m all for it). Although my bucket list may seem unlimited, my income and household budget are not. Where to make changes to support these new interests?

Preparing for upcoming changes

While it is nice when life remains predictable and the budget remains fairly constant, reality is often different. Our lives are in motion, and change is inevitable. With the end of another year upon us, this notion has me pondering what changes are likely in store for us next.

Probably our biggest change is getting ready to downsize and declutter our home. With two of our three children more-or-less out of the nest (we hope), we have way too much space and too much stuff these days. Selling off most of our furnishings and other accumulated household debris should fetch a few dollars to help fund my hobbies. And moving to a smaller (and therefore less expensive) home will make a huge difference.

Now if I can just convince my wife to wait until the college bills are gone before we invest in that camper…