Ten Savings Goals and My Rewards for Getting There.

* I have opened an ING account after all these years of talking about it. Interest rate is so much better than the bank I currently deal with. (You should smarten up current bank I deal with, people shop around you know.) Now it's time to save for that deposit. Because I like spending more than I like saving, I have set up a reward system which both inspires me, and justifies purchasing the 'essentials' I feel I can't do without. Each goal has: a name for the transfer over to ING; the value of the reward; and; the subsequent target in order to be able to purchase it.

1. Map and Mat—I 'need' a map cover (small) and a new inflatable roll mat (Prolite Women's, plum) for my trek this year; $26.95 and $199.95; Goal: $1326.90.
2. Pole to Pole—sense of achievment, very inspiring—I 'need' two hiking poles (Airshock Titanal Compact); Two x $129.95; Goal: $2459.90.
3. Phone home—I 'need' a Dell Netbook to stay in contact with my loved ones while I am away, and to stay on top of these lists—look how far back two weeks away put me, imagine five weeks!; $697.00; Goal: $3997.00.
4. My choice—I 'need' to get five more pairs of Irregular Choice shoes—the amount here is changeable dependent on the final choice of which five; $605.00; Goal: $6005.00.
5. Coat—I 'need' a new winter coat—possibly by the time I get it, due to the whacky order of things 'needed' in this list, it will not be winter any more; $300.00 guestimate; Goal: $8300.00.
6. Feather bed—I 'need' a new doona, pillows and woolen underlay; $440.00; Goal: $11040.00.
7. Fossil—I 'need' a new bag big enough to carry everything around and still look fabulous, feel textually marvellous and smell like new bag; $269.00; $14969.00.
8. Who's Been Sitting ...—I need an office chair for my study—note the lack of inverted commas, I actually do need this or my back will melt; $399.00; Goal: $19199.00.
9. Tie me up—I 'need' two corsets, I just like them, they're waist-y—Riding corset at 'Corset Design', and TBA Overbust (how to choose); guessing $700.00; $24000.00.
10. Pack it away—I 'need' an Ikea wardrobe—only thing is they no longer have the one I want, so this is wardrobe guestimating only; $1500.00; 27500.00.

You may have noticed that none of the figures in this add up correctly. That is because I remembered an eleventh thing that I 'needed' and so I have added a hundred dollars per goal to make up the thousand I will need for my canoe. Whoo hoo! That's one of my favourites.