This has nothing to do with affair recovery. It fits more in the "fantasy" category.
A week or two ago, the Powerball lottery was up in the $360 million range, and of course, that gets people talking about what they'd do with "all that money". You know, quit your job, travel for a year, retire to an island in the Caribbean, etc. (As it turns out, eight employees of a meatpacking plant in Lincoln, Nebraska won and split the cash pot.)
What would you do if you won a huge lottery jackpot? (I mean, besides changing your telephone number.)
Chris.
ps. I stole the idea for this thread from Charlie...just giving credit where credit is due.
This message has been edited by chris924 on Mar 5, 2006 12:08 PM
Okay, FIRST, I would move to a house with just about 2 acres, in a nice area. The house would have a big kitchen/family room with a fireplace. I"d have a landscaper and my own garden. I'd send my children to the best schools. I'd get my son a beautiful new cello and get him in a youth orchestra. I'd get my daughter into art lessons. I'd have a cleaning service to do all the hard work 2 times a month. I'd get a massage once a week. I'd get my nails done..... I'd get a nice wardrobe. I"d indulge my mother.
I'd actually be able to visit some of you here from here when you get together.
I'd take a few photography courses and maybe set up my own darkroom and digital lab.
We would travel. I'd get a small RV and we'd take off and see the US up close and personal....see everything they wanted to see, even "extravagant" and commercial places like Disneyland. My son has been asking to see the St. Louis Arch and the Rockies. We'd go up to Maine and Nova Scotia and feast on lobsters and stay in quaint Bed and Breakfasts.... We'd go to the other end of the country and see the Grand Canyon, and go up to San Franscisco (I love that city) and along the California coast. We'd do all this and I'd "homeschool" them in the "3 R's" along the way. After a few years of this, we'd start traveling to Europe, Caribean, Asia, Africa.....
Well, I'd also invest some of the money so that we could live on it.
Oh, I"m sure I'll think of more and come back and edit.....
Jean
P.S. more.... We'd get a dog. Heck, maybe we'd get two! Oh, I'd get a whirlpool/soaking tub in my bathroom, and one of those "two people" showers with spray nozzles everywhere.... We'd live along the lakefront or oceanfront somewhere. I'd get exactly the kind of car that I wanted, but I'd still get it 1-2 years old, because, gosh, I'm still thrifty....
PPS.... silly me....I put the above postscript on the wrong thread! lol, ugh!
PPPS.... I'd also have a lot of fun at Christmas--getting things for family and friends that I've always wanted to give but couldn't. That'd be a lot of fun.
This message has been edited by Jean150 on Mar 5, 2006 8:18 PM
I'd give all my friends, (including the ones who are living in poverty in Belize) and relatives 50K. I'd start a couple of foundations for young women who are struggling with self-esteem issues. I'd adopt several babies.
I'd build a couple of houses one for my disabled mother, and one for me with a HUGE dog kennel, equipped with couches, a heater and a big screen TV to watch movies with the several Siberian Huskies I'd buy. Then we'd take a trip to Alaska and sled across the tundra before it melts.
I'd buy a lot of land and turn it into a nature conservatory.
I would move to an area with a fabulous private school for kids with autism or build one here so my son could have the best education possible and I wouldn't have to deal with the public school system any more. I'd buy or build a house with an inground pool because he loves to swim. I'd invest in a trust fund for him so I won't have to worry how he will survive after I'm gone.
I'd buy my mom the Mercedes she's always wanted.
Other than that, I'd probably establish some sort of foundation to help kids with disabilities learn and appreciate the arts. Since it would be my organization they would have to let me play my guitar and display my paintings there.
It's ridiculous because I never even play the lottery. --Rosie
I’d buy a home for each of my kids so I never have to worry where they will sleep at night. I’d make a big donation to Independent Living Services for Youth and another donation to Second Chance (our local animal shelter). I’d donate to the American Cancer Society in my grandmother’s name and I think it might be fun to just drive down the street and throw some out the window and hope in lands in good hands. I’d sock away some for my golden years and buy an old mission style adobe house in a small village not far from Albuquerque, New Mexico with a view of the Sandia Mountains. If I had enough left over, I’d buy a little restaurant and serve the best green chile stew and enchiladas in the state.
Like RW, I'd go back to work every day until I made some realistic plans. At least until I could be replaced. Or maybe I'd buy into the biz and keep my job.
I would lay aside trust funds for my kids and their (future) children, so that their education and first homes are covered. I would at least partially fund the educations of my nieces and nephews. I would probably buy a decent house for my ex-wife and one for myself, and maybe one for my older son in his college town, so that our children have good "home bases" until their educations are finished. (My home would be on the site of the one I've occupied for 20 years. Not renovation...knock-down. It would utilize the latest in green and energy-saving technologies, things like geothermal heating/cooling, solar hot water, solar cells for electricity, etc.)
There is some "stuff" left over from my closed business that I'd definitely make right ASAP.
My extravagances would probably be a really expensive/exotic car or two and a housekeeper/cook for my son and me and the dogs.
I would provide for my own retirement with a major investment fund, so that I could travel and live wherever I want when I'm ready.
I would put a chunk into the endowment fund of my church. A tithe.
I would endow a national foundation that I work with so that they could spend more time working on issues and less on finding funding.
My eventual fulltime endeavor would likely be a community redevelopment fund for my hometown. I'd spend my time to "waste" quite a bit of investment income on its work: a lot can sometimes be accomplished by buying and fixing up the worst houses or properties on a block or in a neighborhood. It won't necessarily happen if left to market forces, and if it's not necessarily done for profit but instead to "jump start" market forces to reinvigorate or stabilize a declining area, it's a wonderful thing. To steal a phrase, in neighborhood redevelopment "early money can be like yeast". Low- and moderate-income neighborhoods have to exist, but they don't have to be run-down slums. Decent neighborhoods with decent homes don't have to exist exclusively in former cornfields in the suburbs. (I'm not a big fan of acres of tan vinyl siding on cookie-cutter homes, nor of McMansions.)
It occurred to me as I was thinking about how to write all this, that I see one of the hallmarks of mental health as an active fantasy life where the elements have to do with a "new reality"...one that could really happen, as opposed to one that is merely a figment of imagination.
Several of us have expressed these charitable impulses...things that could really happen given enough money and time.
I think I'm going to give myself the personal challenge of seeing some of my dreams through without hitting the lottery.
I would pay off my sisters mortgage and give each of my nieces 50k for education. I would buy my parents their dream cottage and some new toys (fishing boats, etc).
I would sell my house and buy a beautiful home on an island where I could spend the summers. Complete with fishing boat and all the fun summer camp things. The home would have all windows in the front so that wherever you are you could see the lake. It would have paths to go walking and a beautiful beach. Then I would have a big party with all my friends in attendance...of course I would be buying the airline tickets.
Then I would buy myself something similar in a warm destination for the other 6 months of the year. Perhaps in Hawaii.
I would invest at least half of it and give away a huge chunk to charity.
I would buy a bigger house. I would like it to be out in the country somewhere(anywhere but Oregon) & I would buy several horses.Then I would also travel some. I would like to spend more time in Greece & Switzerland. I would buy season tickets to the Chicago Cubs & a hockey team(probably Chicago Blackhawks). I'd have to buy tickets to the Arizona Wildcats football & basketball games too.I'd invest alot to make sure all my kids would be taken care of. I would donate alot to charities once I checked them out & decided where I could do the most good.I wouldn't have to work anymore so I would finally have time for my kids. I would also have some time to volunteer at a nursing home or retirement home.I would also attend some killer concerts. Let's see, where is Metallica & AC/DC these days?!!I've been working since I was 9 years old so the best part would be not having to work. I would love the time with my family!!!
well i would by a plane ticket and come visit you all haha, or if i didnt feel like flying i would just buy you all a ticket to come visit me haha
mind you if you came here, i would have to clean the house, wow i could get someone to do that!
i might go into work for a couple of days, just to give everyone the sh*ts hahahahaha
apart from that, practical stuff like buy this house or any house i wanted, pay off debts, pay off my bros mortgage, put money in trust for about 1/2 dozen friends kids, buy some toys like a car or a boat, or maybe both haha.
have a party.
then i would also set up some trusts and donate to other charities, they are tax deductable haha, so i could be like all the other philanthropic buggers who make themselves look good by doing that!!! (but i wouldnt claim it on tax though)
apart from that, not a lot, i would like to see how much fun i could have with it.
Of course, I think you KNOW which charity I would donate to...
What I would do with that donation is set up an internship program. One of the issues in retinal diseases is that the researchers are getting older (average age of 56) and there's no one stepping up to take the place of these people once they retire. It's a money thing. As a doctor/researcher, you can get a steady job at a hospital, clinic or in private practice... Or, you can become a researcher and walk around with hat in hand every few years, singing for your supper so to speak.
If there were some kind of program that would gaurantee that research income for say, 10 years, I think more doctors would get into the field.
I'd use half the money to set that up. With what's left, half would be trust funds for the kids. The rest would be for paying off all debts and hitting the road. I have a long list of, "Things I want to see while I can still them", and I'd knock off as many items as I could...
If any of you big winners are trying to decide what charity to donate to, I can point you to a good one... All volunteer, 501(c)3, extremely low overhead (less than 3%, compared to the average of 18%), and people who would REALLY appreciate the help you're giving them...
Cory
You are not a human being having a spiritual experience, but a spiritual being having a human experience.
Ahhh, to dream. I'd start by paying off all our bills, including the government loans we have out for our youngest son's private university he is at. Our oldest son and daughter-in-law just closed on their first home. I'd pay off their mortgage. Aside from all the usual buy a new home, car, and travel, securing mine and my family's financial futures, I would do a little "pay-back." I would make a huge donation to Loyola hospital in Chicago. They, along with God, saved my son's life when he contracted mennigoccal menningitis as a baby. I would make another huge donation to Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago where he had all his orthopedic surgeries (as a result of the menningitis.) They were amazing there. I would also donate to the nearby Ronald McDonald House near Children's who are always there for the families of these kids. And I'd just plain have fun with it and take as many people along for the ride with me as possible. One last thing. I'd pay off Barbara's mortgage and at least lift that one burden off of her.
The first thing I would do would be to hire the best tutors, and the best speech therapist for my son with a disability who does not speak yet he signs. I asked him last night what he would do and he signed that he wanted a garage door and the door opener is his bedroom. He loves to put the door up and down in my garage. No, it's not practicle, LOL, but... He loves to help people fix them and he even carries the garage door books around with him to look at them as well as do searches on garages on the internet. His uncle brought down several garage door books after he installed a bunch in his new house and you should have seen the smiles on my son's face.
Aside from the nice (paid off) home, I'd have a nice big yard and have a little kids play area with a big T-rex dinosaur that my son would love too. Definitely a play area with swings, slides, tire swing, etc. I think I'd have to buy a couple horses but only if I had enough money to get someone else to care for them. I know how much work they are. I believe I would still finish school and maybe get into landscape design for other people since I've had friends ask me to come over to plan out their yards. I would still do my own gardening because I love it. Heck maybe I'd even go to law school.
I would pay off family member's homes who still had mortgages and buy them new cars. I would be open to helping single mom's or dad's out with finances if any were in bad shape enough to get on their feet again. I would also like to help some families who have children with disabilities who may be in need. I may travel a bit, although I like being home based more. I would like my whole family to take a vacation together for once and enjoy each other with no worries. I would also fund some research on chromosomal alignments with the focus being to see if they could rearrange chromosomes to help children or adults born with chromosomal anomalies. I would also like to fund some autism and apraxia studies. I'd want to help fund Cory's eye research, at least so everyone who wanted to participate in that study could do so.
Charlie
This message has been edited by charlie288 on Mar 6, 2006 11:34 AM This message has been edited by charlie288 on Mar 6, 2006 11:33 AM This message has been edited by charlie288 on Mar 6, 2006 11:32 AM
Well, I would buy my dream house (anywhere there's a beach...heck, Ill just buy an island ), travel the world and share the wealth. After setting up myself, children and family, the rest would donated. I believe you get back 3 fold what you give, but it must be given with a true heart....Carol~
I think I might buy an oak roll-top computer desk with matching chair, and a small to mid size Mission oak entertainment center that has some book shelves.
Also, my bedroom hepa filter broke. I'd buy me a brand new one.
what is that, i have heard of some funny things in bedrooms but a hepa filter, that is a new one even for me haha, i imagine it is some sort of air filter, maybe who knows hahaha
I think I'd hire TLMM's handyman that she had at her place. Pay for his ticket here. Have him do lots of work. Tell him there's no need to rush..... And keep adding to the list until my house is quite overvalued for the neighborhood......
