Have you ever thought about this question? I mean…REALLY think about it?
Sure…people say that they’d give some to charity and some to family and then go on a trip around the world or what have you, but honestly…have you ever sat back and day-dreamed about what you would really do if you won, say, a few million dollars in the lottery?
I have…
1. Take my daughter to Disney World. One of the things I’ve always dreamed of doing from the day my daughter was born was to take her to Disney World. My parents took me as a kid and it’s been a dream of mine to be able to live out that very scenario with my own children. So if I won the lottery tomorrow, I’d take my daughter out of school for a week and the two of us would enjoy Disney…nobody else, just us.
2. Take Sunshine to Orlando. I’m sure I’ve mentioned before just how much I love the world of theme parks, and Orlando is just THE place for me. It’s probably because that’s where my family took me as a kid and I simply never grew up. As an adult, I went to Orlando with my ex-wife and it was NOT a good time (it was the beginning of the end of our relationship). So at this point, I don’t have the greatest memories of Disney as an adult. I would absolutely LOVE to be able to share the entire Orlando experience with her because I know she’d end up loving it almost as much as I already do.
3. Put enough money aside so that Sunshine and I could go on a trip (a cruise, Europe, Hawaii, whatever) every year. Really, isn’t this one of the things that everybody would want to do? Constant traveling around the world? How amazing would it be to be able to travel on an annual basis? My thought is that with enough money set aside in a savings account or RRSP or something like that, it would allow Sunshine and I the luxury of traveling every year. And really, I want to experience the entire world with her…so this would totally be high on my list of priorities.
4. Set up education funds for four children. Obviously, I want my children to be able to enjoy the freedom of not having to pay for their own post-secondary education. I want the futures of my daughter and my son to be as limitless as possible. But I now have additional members to my family, and there are two more children who are part of that. So I would, without question, ensure that all four children have their educations paid for.
5. Purchase two vehicles. As long as my son lives in one city and Sunshine’s children live in another, I am going to travel. Whether I’m living in my son’s city or eventually living with Sunshine in her city, travel is simply part of my future for the next 13 years or so (give or take). I would want to purchase a vehicle that would be great on fuel that would be the primary form of long-distance travel, and then a second vehicle that would be used around the city and during the times that we were all together as a big ol’ happy family (a minivan or SUV crossover, perhaps?).
6. Purchase two homes. Because I would have the financial means to do such a thing, I would purchase a small-ish home in my son’s city and then a larger, family home in Sunshine’s city. That way, I could travel back and forth and still be able to have overnights with my son without having to drive a 5-hour round trip. It would simply be a luxury item that would have a ton of upside potential.
7. Hire a trainer to help me work out in my new basement at-home gym. If I’ve got a couple million in the bank and I’m buying a new home for the whole family, why wouldn’t I take full advantage of my spare time (I mean…I wouldn’t be working, right?) by not only building a gym in the basement but then hiring a personal trainer to whip my ass into the shape that I want to be in.
8. Go on a Disney Cruise with ALL of the kids. I think Ankle Biter and Lil’ Mo might still be a bit young for the long days that would be expected in order to truly enjoy Disney, but give it a few years and we could all go on one of those fancy Disney Cruises that not only includes the cruise but also some time in the parks, too. I can honestly think of no more fun holiday (a bit stressful, but TOTALLY fun) than to go on a full-on Disney vacation with the ENTIRE brood in tow. God…I almost want to take out a second mortgage on my home just to do it now.
I’m going to cheat a bit with my “Top 10″ list as both #9 and #10 are an either/or situation.
I would either…
9. Open up my own pub. One of my dreams (a distant dream, but a dream nonetheless) was to be able to just sit in my own quiet pub with my own music playing in the background. I wouldn’t even care if people showed up or not. Just to be able to do it would be fun.
…OR…
10. Go to broadcasting college. When I was trying to decide what I wanted to do as a teenager preparing for college, I decided that I wanted to become a radio DJ. I thought I had the voice, I knew I had the passion, and I was certain that it was something I wanted to do. My dad talked me into getting a business degree by offering to pay for my education. As a scared 17-year-old, I couldn’t refuse that offer. I went on to become a club DJ for almost a decade, I DJ’d on my campus radio station (even becoming Program Director for a time!), and I’ve developed a voice that people have told me over the past 20 years should be on the radio. I don’t have the greatest voice in the world, but I’ve certainly heard a lot worse. Without finances to worry about, I might feel like finally fulfilling that dream.
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So there you have it. This is pretty much how I would spend my millions. What about you?
January 16th, 2012 at 8:11 am
I’ve thought of winning the lottery a million times… many of your dreams are the same as mine! A number of years ago, a girl I know from Halifax won 17 million! She really is living the dream. Keep dreaming… I’m sure everything will come true!!!
January 17th, 2012 at 8:30 pm
I can only imagine what it’s like to win $17 million. How insane would that be??
And I know somebody who won $1 million and blew it in a year. Works regular jobs now. How insane is THAT?
January 16th, 2012 at 9:10 am
where did you go to university?
January 17th, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Initially? I went to UNB in Fredericton, NB. I went to community college in Springhill, NS. Finally got my university degree from Mt. Allison in Sackville, NB.
January 24th, 2012 at 7:17 pm
I went to MTA too. Go Mounties.
January 16th, 2012 at 9:39 am
Ha! I love this list! Some rationale picks and some shoot high picks…perfect balance! open your own pub? I LOVE that! Or broadcasting college?? SO cool. I think I would travel the world, buy a house, pay off my sister’s and mom’s home, hire a personal chef and perhaps even a maid
January 17th, 2012 at 8:32 pm
It’s one of those things…you think you’ve got everything covered then something else comes up.
I’d definitely give some money to my dad. For everything he’s done for me, it would be the least I could do.
January 16th, 2012 at 10:09 am
Aww. As my dad’s favorite daughter I have to support your #1 idea.
There is a reality show about this. It’s sort of freaky. I like your post better.
Umm. Yeah. My #1 would be take my Mr Sunshine far a way. (can’t even begin to figure out how to divide time/money among the kids…give me hives!).
Ahh. Now I am sitting in an Irish pup eating a pot pie while the hubs tastes the local brew.
January 17th, 2012 at 8:33 pm
Funny enough, when I went to community college I ended up graduating top of the class for coming up with a business plan for opening an Irish-style pub. I had the menu, the bar costs, employee staffing costs, live entertainment costs, and the whole nine yards all picked out.
Yeah…that’d be a fun style of pub to own.
January 16th, 2012 at 2:03 pm
My man and I want to take our kids to Disney as well. I can think of a few things I’d love to do for myself and others. But yeah, I’m with you…. travel, travel, travel…
January 17th, 2012 at 8:36 pm
Absolutely. It’s one of my favorite things to do, and I can think of no better thing that to share that type of experience with the ones that I love.
January 16th, 2012 at 8:31 pm
That is an awesome list and I’m sure you had a great time coming up with it!
January 17th, 2012 at 8:36 pm
I daydream a lot.
January 17th, 2012 at 9:27 am
Good list! I like that it involves alot of family stuff. Mine would too.
1) I’d pay off my parents’ mortgage
2) I’d take my kid to Europe for the whole summer and I’d fly over a few friends for a couple of weeks at a time.
3) I’d put away enough for his education and then some.
4) I’d ensure that I was debt free, for awhile….
5) I’d ensure that my ex was debt-free, for awhile too!
6) I’d use about 25k….to buy needed gifts for friends. Nothing lavish, but things I know they want and need in their lives.
that’s about it….I’m not sure what else i”d do. If it was MANY MANY millions, I’d probly quit my job…..and maybe do pro-bono legal work, a few days a month and try my hand at travel photography…but aside from that….I’d just travel alot and make sure those around me are very comfortable!
January 17th, 2012 at 8:36 pm
It’s fun to dream, isn’t it? Great list!
February 23rd, 2012 at 7:07 am
“have you ever sat back and day-dreamed about what you would really do if you won, say, a few million dollars in the lottery?”
I have and the first thing always seems to be that I’d panic. Being handed that amount of money all in one go isn’t just the crack-open-the-champagne event that everyone imagines. Going public with a big Lottery win draws a lot of attention and think I’d want to avoid that attention as much as possible.
I know that I’d want pay off my mortgage. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to get a mortgage, but no-one enjoys being in debt of any kind, and if I had the choice, I’d pay it off in full now. I’d also want to set my Mum up in the craft shop she always talks about, if it was the kind of dream she really did want to see through to reality.
But before I did any of that. I’d want to figure out what sum of money could practically guarantee that I’d never have to worry about money again, and put it away. I’d want to use my money to help others, but there’s no sense in doing that if you spend so much that you end up being in need of help yourself.
Other than those, it would just be travelling. Going on a luxury cruise wouldn’t appeal to me at all, neither would staying in huge five star hotels. But it would be nice to go wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I’d like to just be able to chuck some stuff in a backpack or suitcase and just go. I want to see as much of the world as possible. The world, not the world’s luxury hotels, if that makes sense.
Of course, you do actually need to buy a ticket to win, which I haven’t done for ages. It probably won’t stop me dreaming though.
February 23rd, 2012 at 8:03 am
Great well-thought-out ideas, Marie. You sound like a smart cookie.
Thanks for commenting!
