I don’t buy lottery tickets but that doesn’t mean I don’t dream about winning the lottery. Everybody does that, right? Especially when the jackpot reaches $338 million like the Powerball did last week. And there’s one winner. One. That’s a lot of money. And it got me to thinking about 10 Things I’d Do If I Won the Big Powerball Jackpot.
- Scream. Cry. Faint. Not necessarily in that order.
- Call my lawyer. I would do this immediately, before I told anyone except for Dale.
- Hire an accountant.
- Pay off my house and car.
- Quit my job. Please note that this is not the first thing I would do. I like my job. I just don’t like it enough to keep doing it once I don’t need the paycheck.
- Set up trusts for my kids. The last thing I’d do would be to hand any of them the cash! But a trust with someone to oversee their spending and help them make smart investment decisions would be a very good idea.
- Set up a charitable foundation. I’ve heard that people who win the lottery get inundated with requests for help, from family members to complete strangers. I would set up a foundation to deal with all of these requests.
- Buy beach front property. Maybe on Cape Cod, maybe in Florida or maybe both!
- Travel! The short list: Hawaii, Turkey, Greece, England and France. After that I’d get more adventurous.
- Buy a Mercedes 560SL and buy Dale his big dream truck.
- Buy all the yarn my heart desires! Because I’d have all the time in the world to knit, right?
The truth is that I’m pretty content with what I have. Sure, I’d like to be able to do all of those things but I can’t help but think about how lots of money could change my life negatively. Let’s face it, the true secret to happiness is enjoying what you have. So, how about you? If you wrote a blog post for today’s prompt make sure you add your link below. Click here to subscribe to the Ten on Tuesday emails.
Such fun to dream. . .
Given I don’t play Powerball, these dreams will have to remain a happy fantasy. That said, I put pay off the mortgage pretty high on the list. I mean, if I don’t need to pay a mortgage, then I can use all of the money from my day job to do more interesting things like fun vacations or starting a new business, right?
Love this post–I don’t buy lottery tickets, but still plan how to use the winnings. It always kills me to see these people who say, “Well, I’d get my transmission fixed and paint the house–don’t know what else I’ll do”.
Probably should had added all those smart financial contacts – the trusts, the accountants, the lawyer – and yes, I’d hire an accountant tho’ I am one. I’m NOT that sort of one, and non-profit knowledge isn’t quite the same thing. So your practical ideas weren’t in my list, but they’re the smart things we all should do!!!
🙂
I have this all planned out! I would pay off student loans and mortgages for myself, parents, and siblings. I would buy an apartment in Europe, probably in Germany. I would set up a trust for my son with a proviso to include possible second child. Then I would also travel: England, Scotland, Spain, and various spots in Asia would all be on the list.
With all this planning you would think I actually play!
Our lists are very similar. I forgot about a home on the beach. I would love a house out on the Cape on the Ocean. Heaven…..
Oooh, I remember this game. The most fun was thinking about what charities I would like to benefit. The ‘stuff’ is obviously fun, but it’s the obviously that makes it less fun than thinking about how I might be able to help shape the world we live in with giving.
Thinking about, or desiring to win, all that money, really isn’t part of my thought process. But, I wouldn’t mind paying off my new refrigerator or buying a new car (in a better color). At the moment the only thing I really want is spring!
You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one!!
I love this and it’s fun to dream! Plus, I just read that dreaming is one of the things that contributes to happiness.
😉
My list is about identical to yours! Except I wouldn’t get a Mercedes … I’d be getting a 1962 Corvette convertible in red/white (http://image.corvettefever.com/f/9410670/corp_0802_01_z%201962_chevy_corvette%20.jpg)! I’d also book two trips … a month long Hawaiian holiday for my entire family, and then a month long trip to Disney for me, Shawn, and the kids!
Funny, our number 10’s are the same…Knitters, what can I say?
please win the lottery so i can stay in college forever 🙂
I have often thought about this. Until recently I was always a material person, always having to have everything and want what everyone else has. I am slowly turning the other way no and am beginning to appreciate the things I have. But that said, hell who would not want to win the lottery right? If it was one with a huge jackpot like this, then the first thing I would do is to give $1Mil to each one of my and Anne’s Brothers and Sisters. They can do what they want with it with the assumption that once it’s gone there is no more. Payoff the house, cars, all the bills.. Buy new cars, new motorcycles, etc. I agree with the trust for my children and making sure they are set up for life. Then I would buy the biggest RV Toy hauler and spend the rest of my life driving the United States and making documentaries about my adventures. That would be the best! Oh, and I would pay off the mortgages of all my best and closest friends too 🙂
My list is long, too long to recount, but modest.
Buy a summer place on the North Shore! It’s beautiful, but the ocean is somewhat chilly for swimming!
Insert a John Cooper Mini in place of the Mercedes, beach front property would be in La Jolla, CA and then we have identical lists.