Ask the Readers: If You Could Have One Wish (Chance to win $20!)

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** Congrats to our winners! **

  • Comment from Naomi - I would love to have no debt--no car payment, no student loan, and no mortgage payments. If we didn't have those things, it would free us to up to provide health insurance for our entire family!
  • Tweet from @hannaincalgary:  that my parents were more prepared for their retirement 
  • Donna Kramer on Facebook

I often get emails from readers who tell me about their financial situations. Some are challenging, while others are heartbreaking. I have a hard time knowing what to say, and more often than not, it gets me thinking about what I would do if I had the power to do anything. What if you have a financial fairy godmother or your penny in the well really made your dream come true? What if you could be granted one financial wish? What would it be? How would it affect your life (or someone else's)?

We want to know what you would wish for. Would you ask that your financial loan be paid? Is there a job that you really wish you could get? Perhaps you have a mountain of medical bills that you want so badly to disappear. What is your most longed-for financial wish? Let us know your thoughts in order to be entered to win one of three $20 Amazon gift cards! Feel free to link to a blog post, if you've written on this topic! We'll include it in our post upon the conclusion of our giveaway!

We understand that dreamers aren't doers, but once in awhile, it's nice to imagine...isn't it?

Win one of three $20 Amazon gift cards:

We're doing three giveaways — one for random comments, one for random Facebook "Likes", and another one for random tweets.

How to Enter:

  1. Post your answer in the comments below, or
  2. Go to our Facebook page, "Like" us, then "Like" the update mentioning this giveaway (you can comment, as well — but you don't have to for entry.)
  3. Tweet your answer. Include both "@wisebread" and "#WBAsk" in your tweet so we'll see it and count it.

If you're inspired to write a whole blog post OR you have a photo on flickr to share, please link to it in the comments or tweet it.

Giveaway Rules:

  • Contest ends Monday, September 6th at 11:59 pm CST. Winners will be announced after September 6th on the original post and via Twitter. Winners will also be contacted via email and Twitter Direct Message.
  • You can enter all three drawings — once by leaving a comment, once by liking our Facebook update, and once by tweeting.
  • Only tweets that contain both "@wisebread" and "#WBAsk" will be entered. (Otherwise, we won't see it.)
  • Only those who have "Liked" both our Facebook page and the contest update will be entered.

Good Luck!

Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.

Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.


Guest's picture
Jeana

I would first make sure I had the $ for dd to attend college. Tuition prices are going up by enourmous amounts each year. I worked two jobs through college and I want her to be able to focus on her school work instead of having to get several jobs to pay for college.

Guest's picture
Jay Bender

I wish that I could find that I can find work in Harrisonburg,
Virginia, two hours north of me at present to be close to my first
grandchild due to be born in Harrisonburg in February, using my
bilingual customer skills while living simply in a studio apartment in
that city.

Sincerely,
Wm. jay Bender

Guest's picture
Liz J

I would pay off our debt and my Mom's mortgage so she could retire before she is 75!
Liz

ebaileigh at yahoo dot com

Guest's picture
maria cedano

My wish is to payoff the $50,000 I owe in student loan for a MSW.

Guest's picture
SmartCookieTresia

My financial wish is to have an abundant flow of money so when I see a need I can fill it. There are so many families out there who have needs and it would be so awesome to fill their need and they never know where it came from.

Guest's picture
Guest

If I could have any one financial wish it would be to have ALL of my debt paid off. I would just like to start again with a clean slate and with the new tools that I have learned from many financial advisors (SmartCookies, Dave Ramsey, Michelle Singletary, etc.)

Guest's picture
Tasha

To be able to go to school for free so that I would graduate with no debt!

Guest's picture
Angelina

I just hope there will be some left for the retirement!

Guest's picture
Vegihiker32

This is a pretty big fairy-wand - but we're wishing right? I'd banish greed and replace it with philanthropy. It'd be lovely to see the entrepreneurial and business leaders of the world compete to see who can benefit society the most - rather than who can live the most personally lavish life-style. Imagine if businesses all did their duty by the societies that make their businesses possible and pay their taxes and pay their employees living wages - just think of the money we'd have to pour into education and health-care alone!

Guest's picture
Nick

All my student loans paid off.

Guest's picture
Stacy

If we're talking just ONE wish (I have several) I would really like to work 20 hours a week at my job but still make the 40 hour pay. This would allow me to still be financially stable, but give me time to focus on my health, exercise, building relationships with friends and family, taking care of my home, and just having TIME to do so many things that could improve my quality of life and save money. Of course, I'd like my mortgage paid off and all of that, but really the gift of time is money, and would make my life so much easier!

Guest's picture
Laura H

My one financial wish would be to live tax free.
Imagine how much money could be saved?!

Guest's picture
SmartCookiejaime

My husband and I used to pay cash for everything or just not buy it. Bills were paid and never worried about. We could spend money and never really think about it. Although we probably should have put some thought into it! Nobody ever had the money talk with me as a child or young adult. I knew very little about it's power to consume you and spit you back out shell and all.

I've had the good sense in the past few years to try and teach myself as much as I can about budgeting and cash flow, savings and the whole bit. Three kids, a dog, cat and gecko later leaves not much choice but to learn. I have also found the courage to teach what I now know to my kids about this very important topic.

So my wish is this: I wish for simplicity. We do not need to be millionaires nor do we need a lot of stuff but I do wish that the stress that comes with debt, mortgage and car payments would fade into the past and our present would bring a breath of life back into our home that has been missing for a bit.

...and the formula to make this happen is hard work and determination.

Guest's picture
alice

i wish i could walk into a store and buy anything and not have to worry about how much money i have left in my account, whether it be that book i heard about or even lunch just to know that i am covered. i just want to be able to live comfortably without the anxiety of seeing my next paycheck and having to decide where each cent is going. to barely make it two weeks just so that next payday comes to start the process all over again. and of course be able to pay for school that would definitely cancel out problem one lol.

Guest's picture
Ed Burns

My wish is to pay off our only debt, our mortgage. Paying off the other debts was relatively easy and quick (less than 2 years), and now we are left with the BIG ONE! We are believing that God will bless us over the next couple of years and we can kiss it goodbye forever!

Guest's picture
Lynda

I wish to be financially secure - to have just enough so that I can do the things I like and help out the ones I love.

Guest's picture
sarah n

My wish would be to be able to be mortgage free by age 40. This will be 12 years from now. I'd love to be able to help my kids out(oldest will be 18 by then) with college, etc, and travel with my husband.

Guest's picture
smartcookieAlisa

I WISH that I could afford to not worry about money. No mortgages or credit cards. No car insurance or car repairs. Ah, what a life that will be!

Guest's picture
Guest

I would love to have my mortgage paid.

Guest's picture
Michelle

My wish woud be: to be completely debt free - no mortgage, car or credit card debt. Then the income we make would be free to do all those things we want to do - provide for our kids, pay for their college, take some memorable trips and enjoy life.

Guest's picture
Dave

I work a lot of long hours and have to travel a lot so I would like to have enough money to be able to take a year off work to spend time with my young kids to make up for all of the great things I am missing while working.

Guest's picture
gina

I really wish that I had my mortgage paid off!

Guest's picture
martcookiesAmy

My financial wish would be to have my daughters student loans paid off so she would be able to stat her life on her own without debt.

Guest's picture
Carmen

No more debt. Especially - no more mortgage.

Guest's picture
Elizabeth

My financial wish would be to have student loans paid off so we could save more for the future and our kids' future.

Guest's picture
JoninFlorida

I wish I could get full health insurance. I live in one of the US States that provide no real regulation of private health care (I left my job to recover from a chronic condition).

Maybe things will change by 2014, but if the first programs are an indication, people like me will continue to be "played with" by the health insurance powers.

I won't waste more space here, but if you want to read my attempt at a humorous rant about the situation, you can see my Daily Show idea suggestion at:

http://forums.thedailyshow.com/?page=ThreadView&thread_id=29915

Guest's picture
june bailey

Off the top of my greying head and alas, sans spellcheck, my financial wish would be that my very independent, (ie. currently non-communicative) 23 year-old daughter follows the example of her financially prudent boring mother, (ie. me) instead of the example set by her more exciting, spending fool of a father! (Then I might cut her in on the Big $!)

Guest's picture
Chantel

This is not a wish that would go without upturned noses. For I know that wishing for money is not well received by all. But if I had one financial wish, at this stage in my life, through honesty, I would wish to win a jackpot that is valued at $345 million after taxes and the amount taken out for accepting the lump sum payment. I know how I would use this money, share this money, give this money and extend this money. Hey, what can I say! I'm a big dreamer :)

Guest's picture
Guest

My wish is for enough money to buy safety, healing and compassion for everyone on planet Earth.

Guest's picture
Lizzeh

My wish is regarding education and employment- I wish that it were affordable and reasonable. I just turned 30 and have been putting off going to college... first because i didn't know what i wanted to do, then because i had too much debt & couldn't afford to stop working, and now because I realize that all of the things I want to do would mean making less money then I make right now.
Were I able to afford to go to college to learn how to do one of my dream jobs, then get out of college and be able to live off the salary of said dream job... that would be my dream come true. sadly all the things I'm interested in- teaching, counseling, writing... just don't make the kind of money to make it worth it to ditch the soul sucking corporate job.

Guest's picture

I've been thinking about this all week! My first response was the screaming thought in my head..."pay off the debt!!!" Once that initial reaction passed I began to think more about what I really would like. Maybe a million dollars? Maybe more? Maybe something else? It's a great question!

Guest's picture

I would love to make sure all school children have a healthy breakfast before school!