WilliamB proposed this as a question for discussion: What would you do differently if you had ten million dollars? And the sub-questions are: what frugal things would you keep doing, and what would you stop doing?
There are a lot of things I would not change. For instance, I wouldn’t buy a new car, because I already have my dream car!
I probably would keep my mismatched free flatware and my miscellaneous collection of drinking glasses.
I would keep buying secondhand, because that’s good for the environment.
I’d still repair things, although I would 100% outsource appliance repair and plumbing issues.
I’d still use the library.
I’d still try to avoid food waste.
But with $10,000,000 on hand, some things would change. Let’s see…this will be fun to imagine!
I would:
pay cash for a little house
I don’t want a huge house, but I would love a nice little house, maybe an updated older one, with lots of windows and natural light. I also want it to have a little porch and an ensuite bathroom. If it’s on top of a hill, even better because I have always wanted to see what it’s like to live on a hill. 😉
It would be a bonus if it came with an in-law suite that I could offer for free or very low rent to someone in need.
Obviously, I would also hire movers to do all the packing and moving. I’m not hauling furniture myself if I have $10,000,000!
invest plenty for retirement
Financially, I am good right now, at least in the day-to-day. However, my retirement funds are not as fat as they “should” be for my stage of life. So, I would want to fix that.
start a nursing scholarship at my community college
For some of my classmates, getting a nursing degree and then a nursing job was going to be positively life-changing. But coming up with the cash to get through school and pay for licensing and testing is a challenge if you are barely scraping by to start with. So, I’d love to establish some sort of program to help with that.
And since I have $10,000,000, I’m definitely hiring someone to set up and run all of that. It is not my area of expertise!
transition to charity nursing work
I would probably stay at my current job for a few years, just to gain some more experience, but after that, I would opt for unpaid nursing work.
I do want to use my skills to help people, but there’s no point in doing a paid job when I’m a multi-millionaire. It would be better to fill a volunteer spot!
give to organizations that help the disadvantaged
One that comes to mind is Doctors Without Borders. Or…Smile Train, a group that trains local medical personnel to fix cleft lips and palates (to me, that’s even better than organizing volunteer groups that come in and out).
buy a hot tub (and a hot tub maintenance service)
Sometimes when I get off of work, I think about how good it would feel to put my weary body into a hot tub. So, I’m buying one with my ten million, and also hiring someone to maintain it.
I’m trying to make my life easier, not harder. 😉
pay for some meal convenience while I finish school
I would still want to finish my degree because a BSN does look better on a resume, even if you’re trying to do charity work. Also, I am so close. Why give up now?
All the money in the world doesn’t take away the work it requires to finish a degree*, but if I had unlimited funds, I would most certainly press the easy button for some healthy prepared food until I graduate.
Heck, I’d hire a personal chef to create meals for me. 😉
*I know you can hire people to do your schoolwork for you, but that is decidedly unethical, and I would never do that no matter how much money I had!
support local food producers
If cost were no object, I would always buy local farm cheese, produce, meat, and so on.
fly first class
I have never in my life flown first class, but I think that would be a nice upgrade, especially for international air travel (which I also have never done).
be randomly generous
Wouldn’t it be fun to do things like paying for everyone’s meal? Or leaving a giant tip for a server?
help my kids
I think some mindfulness here would be necessary; depending on the situation, sometimes it is not actually helpful to dump a bunch of money in someone’s lap. But I know I would want to help them financially, especially for worthy causes such as pursuing a degree or some other form of training.
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I probably have not allocated the entire ten million with this list, but you know, it’s a start. If I get my $10,000,000 windfall, I can always come up with more ideas. 😉
Your turn! What would you do with $10,000,000? And what frugal things would you give up/keep doing?
Source: www.thefrugalgirl.com…