NGPF Activity Bank

Saving #5

CREATE: Your Savings Goals

We all know that saving money is good for us. In this activity, you’ll brainstorm and prioritize saving goals for your
future.
A. Using post-it notes, small pieces of paper, or a piece of scrap paper, brainstorm specific reasons for you to save
or saving goals you would like to meet. Some of the reasons may be big, like saving for college. They may be
small, like saving enough to buy a new pair of sunglasses. Or, they may be something in between, like saving up
for a bicycle. Go to it! Come up with at least 20 ideas.

B. Now sort your ideas into three piles:

a. Short-term goals: ones you would like to achieve within two months
b. Medium-term goals: ones you would like to achieve from within two months to three years
c. Long-term goals: ones you would like to achieve three or more years out.

C. Turn the post-it piles into three lists: short-term goals, medium-term goals, and long-term goals. Write your
goals in the chart below.

Short-Term Goals Medium-Term Goals Long-Term Goals

< 2 months 2 months - 3 years >3 years

- Haircut - Get my own apartment - Build a house

- Christmas presents - Lease a new truck - Raise children
- Truck parts - Be financially sound for - Bills
- New boots myself - Retirement
- New phone - Get a computer - Vacation funds
- A welder - Pay for a dog - Build more project vehicles
- Get a new bed - Buy a boat
- College funds

www.ngpf.org Last updated: 2/6/18

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1. Which goal, in each category, would motivate you ​most​ to save?
a. Short-term:
Things like truck parts because it leads to an end product.

b. Medium-term:
Getting my own apartment because it's the first step to being independent.

c. Long-term:
Building my own house, it’s something I want to do.

2. Let’s say you have a part-time job, and you’re able to save $100 per month from your paychecks. How would
you distribute the money between your 3 savings goals above?
I wouldn't split it up equally because some are more important so I would save the least for short term and
the most for the long term.

3. Why did you choose this strategy?

Because to get to my long term goal is going to be expensive so I want to save as much as I can.

www.ngpf.org Last updated: 2/6/18

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