Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Discover the importance of a Budget Bucket List and why it’s just as crucial as your monthly budget. Read on to find out why.
Bonus: Get a copy of my custom Printable Free Budget Bucket List Planner
Understanding Why You Need A Budget Bucket List
I know what you’re thinking, and rightfully so, but a Budget Bucket List is just as important as your monthly budget and even more so as you’ll later read.
The other day, I posted a meme on my Facebook page, which featured Charlie Brown and Snoopy sitting at the end of a dock discussing life.
I was not surprised to see it being shared but overwhelmed when I noticed how fast that happened in the thousands.
Why did this photo take so many people aback?
Comments such as those below were shared and made me realize that I wasn’t the only one who lived to die.
Good way to think about our lives!
That’s interesting. I never thought of it that way.
Wow this is a game changer!
Now that’s a different outlook ,but true
We Only Live Once. Wrong, We Only Die Once, We Live Everyday. – Source -unknown.
That’s when it occurred to me that I’ve been approaching life from one angle, straight to the grave.
I’m sure most of you can agree that we believe we are born to die, but after reading the meme, I was convinced I’ve been living my life off-kilter.
The Bucket List Adventure
So many people have a bucket list about living life to the fullest and doing things they want to do before they die.
That’s essentially what a bucket list is.
A bucket list may include getting married, buying a house, traveling to Italy, Spain, and Iceland, or overcoming setbacks with a disability or mental health problem.
Everything someone includes on their bucket list is legitimate because there is no wrong or right, and you own a bucket list.
That’s right, it’s YOUR random bucket list, and you check each one off as they happen.
Financial Failures and Success
After over seven years of blogging at Canadian Budget Binder, many people have told me they want to budget but fail.
This is not unusual because budgeting takes time and commitment to succeed.
We’ve compared budgeting to dieting or paying back a mortgage because you must do it every month without fail or face the consequences.
Related: How we paid our mortgage off in 5 years
The problem with budgeting is there are options, one of which is to forget about it.
It’s one of those things that won’t impact your life right away, as would not paying your mortgage.
The bank won’t waste time knocking at your door if you miss a payment, but your budget may be forgiven.
You see, without a budget, you can make your way through life without any issues, and that’s perfectly fine as long as you pay your bills on time and limit debt.
Not everyone has that desire or determination, but not everyone realizes that you open up a new world of possibility with a budget.
Say YES To A Budget Bucket List
Forget about just living on the edge of your finances and consider what a budget bucket list might do for you.
Consider this scenario.
Growing up, I wanted to be a doctor, and that was all I ever wanted to do with my life, so I put it on my bucket list.
That one word, “Doctor,” meant years of schooling and huge debts, but ultimately, my dream job is doing something I love.
A dream was realized at one end of the spectrum, and another was created: debt.
How wonderful would it be to have your dream and debt-free job?
Is debt freedom on most people’s bucket list? Maybe, Maybe not.
I’m sure some people dream of it and would love it.
That’s the keyword: DREAM.
Make Your Bucket List Dreams Come True
Why are we dreaming about becoming debt-free instead of doing something about it?
Forget the dream and get a living to make debt freedom a reality if we think like Charlie Brown, we have already died before we’ve lived.
It doesn’t matter if Charlie Brown has a bucket list or not. He’s not going to realize his full potential because of his mindset.
Now, if we put on our snow-colored glasses every day and do what we want to accomplish, short or long-term, then we’re all living the dream.
Whether you think like Charlie or thrive like Snoopy, you will go to the same place whether you have money in your pocket.
The point is that we as a society need to start thinking like Snoopy and teach the Charlie Browns of this world that happiness is something we create within.
One of the best ways is to find ways to appreciate what we have in life, even if it wasn’t what we had set out to be from the start.
Although becoming a doctor might have been a life goal, even if you move in a different direction, appreciate how far you’ve come, even if you’ve tripped along the way.
The same goes for your budget.
You might not have as much money as you’d like but appreciate and respect what you have, so you don’t go without it.
Creating A Budget Bucket List
You may be reading this right now, up to your eyeballs in debt, and have no idea what you will do.
Every month is a game of juggling money from accounts to pay the minimum balance on your bills, and you feel weighed down.
You may be reading this right now and have zero debt, no financial worries and not give a damn about a budget bucket list.
Fair enough, but nothing lasts forever, right? Ask Charlie Brown.
You may be reading this and coasting through your finances with little to no worry, wondering if you can do more.
Perhaps you can, but will you?
No one needs to know what you put on your budget bucket list.
However, documenting what you’d like to accomplish will make you smile. I promise.
When I created my bucket list years ago, I separated it into a few essential categories in my life just like I would our budget, but without knowing it.
Ha, now that’s a budget nerd in the making.
Why?
It made it easier to see what I needed to do if I categorized my desires in life rather than random thoughts on a page.
You can add any category you like when you create your budget bucket list because you are the Chief Operating Officer.
This is for you.
You’re the BOSS.
What will your budget bucket list look like?
I don’t know, but now you have something to work on, so don’t just tuck it away for a rainy day.
Keep it close and review it often because your short-term and long-term accomplishments and dreams all matter.
Sample Budget Bucket List
Live On Your Terms
Life is not fair; we can all agree on that.
While we are here, we take a moment to consider whether you choose to live once or every day.
Only then will you see the beauty in creating a budget bucket list.
Just a bit of musing for all of you to ponder today as you prepare to live another day.
Remember, you choose who you will be, Charlie or Snoopy.
Have a great EVERY day.
P.S. If you want to start budgeting, you can download our budget for FREE!
Mr.CBB
Thank you! You are always inspiring
Hi Judy,
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. It is comments like yours that keep on inspiring me. So, thank-you. Mr.CBB
It took my wife and I ten years to accomplish a quest we completed last month. We bought a book on Arkansas waterfalls with the gps coordinates for 120 of them and very rough directions on how to hike in to find them. They ranged from easy to murderously difficult and some took more than one try to locate due to the dangerous terrain. But we finally did it and it was very low cost. Just driving to the area and hiking all day. We did rent a few cabins or budget motels but it took very little equipment, just daypacks, hiking shoes and a couple of good poles each. It was awesome, memories we’ll have forever. But it was very budget friendly and just the best thing. We are now pondering what the next quest will be, I prefer that to bucket list, but hey, same thing. Great post! We live every day!
Hey Steve,
That’s awesome what you both did and sounds like fun but risky at the same time. It sounds like you had a great time. I love budget-friendly adventures. So you both live by quests and that’s great too. I think the important message for all of us is to live every day as you mention. It’s so important because once we’re gone, we’re gone. Well done and happy questing! Mr.CBB