When I was visiting Pieter and Ronel this week, they put an idea into my head that has not left it since. I think…perhaps…maybe…that I should build a house. I am still considering the possibility of entertaining possibly thinking about this. Why so shy? It is a very big deal. It will cost, today, perhaps R1.5m, including the land, at the very least. To me that is big money, more than I can afford. And if I wait, it only becomes more expensive, but there is no alternative. So let’s say that I want to really build the house of my dreams, starting Jan 2015. Conservatively I am looking at spending R2.5m. (If I am going to do it, I might as well do it properly.) This means that I’ll have to save as much as I can. It is just-just feasible that I could get a bank loan for R1.5m by then. So the question is whether I am able to save R1m in 3.5 years?! It would require some sacrifices and I’m notoriously bad with long-term plans. I shall probably have to generate extra income somehow.

Perhaps the solution is some meta-thinking: setting some deadlines for the decision (the sooner I start the better), trying to break the project (of saving the money) into phases, and planning some exit strategies. What I mean is that I might want to save a modest amount (of course it never hurts to save) and, if I reach some target in, say, 9 months, I up the game and start implementing some more serious measures. And if I reach some specified target after that I could implement the more severe level of sacrifices (living in a caravan off break and fruit juice, cutting off the internet, selling my car !!?). Hmm. Still pondering.