There are ways to score without playing the odds.

Our family has a game where we write down what we would do with our money if we won the lotto. This is not just a fruitless exercise of “what if” because what it does is show us what is important to us –what our dreams really are.

Apart from the obvious ones like paying off your bond, there are always value-based ideas that are different for each person.

Giving to charity

For example I realised that the portion I would give to charity would be in helping more children to receive an education. Education is important to me so rather than waiting to “win the lotto” I started a monthly debit order to the Peninsula Feeding Scheme which feeds children across the Cape Peninsula.

With food in their stomachs children are better able to learn, and knowing they have a meal waiting for them at school makes them more likely to come to school. I didn’t need to win the lotto to start making a difference.

Flying business class

On the pure luxury side I want to be able to fly business class when I travel abroad. If you’ve ever compared the cost of a business-class ticket to an economy one, you’ll realise you need serious cash to reach this goal.

I thought about it for a while and realised I could do this through air miles. As I fly a fair amount locally for work, by committing myself to one airline for all my local travel I could clock up enough points to upgrade to a business-class ticket at least every second year.

Then I realised that I could boost these points further by opting for a credit card tied to the airline’s rewards programme. This means I could upgrade my husband rather than having him sitting behind the curtain in economy class – that may have been a marriage breaker.

So this week I signed up for credit card that will boost my points (it was very easy to do and the questions around my living expenses were laughable, but that is for another column).

I will pay the amount I spend each month on average into the credit card at the beginning of the month. This means I’m not going to end up with a massive credit-card bill. My goal here is to work the system, not have the system work me. By focusing all my spending through the single card, I can work on my goal to travel business class without winning the lotto – the odds are far more favourable!

Some more ideas

So how about playing the “if I won the lotto game” and find innovative ways to fund your dreams. Here are a few ideas:

I want a better education for my children: Join your local school’s governing board and help improve the school. Find out about bursary schemes at schools you feel are right for your child. Consider extra lessons if you want to supplement your child’s education.

I want to take my family on an overseas holiday: Have you ever noticed how many competitions there are for family holidays? Spend a year entering all the competitions you can find. First make sure they are legit and set up a separate email address so you don’t get spammed.

I want a new car: Ditto on the new car. Start entering competitions.

I want to leave my children an inheritance: Start a tax-free savings account in their name. If you put just R500 away each month into a fund growing at 10% a year it would be worth R380 000 in 20 years’ time – all tax-free.

I want to change the world: There are so many charities and non-profit organisations that need time more than money. Offer your time and skills.

I want to take a year off and travel the world: There are many options here. Firstly if you save 20% of your salary and invest in a fund that returns around 10% a year you will have a year’s salary put away within four years. There are volunteer programmes across the world where you get free food and lodging for helping to build a school for example – you get to travel and do good. Do a six-month house swap or build up a reputation as a trustworthy housesitter and sign up with a global housesitting service. Start investigating – you’ll be amazed at the options.

I want to be debt free: No matter how much money you won in the lotto, if you’re drowning in debt now, chances are you’d be back in the same position within just a few years. If you’re not managing your money now, you never will. Start by cutting up those store cards and credit cards and committing a few hundred rand extra each month to repaying those debts. You will be amazed at how quickly your finances improve.