So, what would YOU do with $250 million??

[Kismet]

A number of states participate in the PowerBall lottery, and tonight's jackpot is $250 million. So, what would you do if you won that kind of money?

DH has our plan all laid out. :D We would sit on the ticket for somewhere close to a year so that we could each finish up on some of the professional pursuits that we are involved in. After cashing in the ticket, we would travel, travel, travel! We'd also pay off our house and car, give some to our family, and figure out how to invest the rest. We would likely buy property closer to our families. Oh, and we'd spend more time cooking! :) :) :)

How about you?????

[linsleyd]

We've discussed this as well!
We would pay off the student loans, give lots to family and friends, put the rest in investments/bank and just live. Quit our jobs, travel, paint, etc. Heck you could live off the interest comfortably for the rest of your life! :D

[CompassRose]

I'm not in the States and so can't win a Powerball...but I do pay the poverty tax for 6-49 and Super 7 tickets, which are sort of the same thing...

Quit our jobs. Posthaste. Pay off our debts. Invest a large chunk in something solid and reliable, and share out generous bites to all our family.

Then --
Hire somebody to finish off the remodellings-in-progress on our house, and sell the house.

After that, we have a few options; we'd probably end up doing most of them, but the order might vary. Each of us would go back to school, and collect one or two degrees. We'd buy land, and build a straw-bale house on it, as well as making the space a sort of meditative/spiritual retreat. Travel, all over the place, but more likely in little jaunts than in long expeditions (we have cats you know). Pursue our various hobbies, and figure out which of them we'd care to have as our REAL "jobs". Donate money to charity, and fund the founding of a true alternative political party in Canada, to replace the sadly-mourned Rhinos.

[gertdog]

I had this conversation with friends just the other night. We were talking about far less than 250 million, but it was the same principle.

I'd pay off student loans.

We'd buy a house. I'd install my dream kitchen.

I'd pay off my sister's student loans and write her a big check.

We'd take a really nice vacation and bring along all of our family and friends.

I'd provide an endowment to the animal shelter where we adopted our dog Gertie so they could achieve their goal of becoming a permanent no-kill shelter.

I'd provide an endowed director of education position at the museum I used to work at.

Fully fund our retirement and our as-yet-non-existent childrens' educations.

Fund some college scholarships.

More travel! Maybe a vacation home. :) Maybe a permanent vacation. :D

[funnybone]

Originally posted by linsleyd
Heck you could live off the interest comfortably for the rest of your life! :D

Not at the interest rates today? :D ;):rolleyes:

[lhall]

DH would like to go to Disney world for 2 months or so and invite friends & family to come our treat. Meaning different groups at different times. My family one week, his another etc.

I'd quit my job too.

We'd probably also share some money with some friends and family.

Leigh

[CompassRose]

Originally posted by funnybone


Not at the interest rates today? :D ;):rolleyes:
If you have Larger Sums to invest, you get a much better interest rate.

I mean, MUCH better. I was temping for a bit in a finance department of a corporation. Said corp regularly invested million-dollar or so chunks of profit in short-term investments, and got interest rates between ten and fifteen percent, when Joe Regular was lucky not to have to PAY money for the privilege of having a bank account. (Where'd that thread go about unfair charges???)

[jjsooner73]

My DBF and I talked about this the other day.

We would pay off student loans, quit our jobs, build his parents and my parents houses and give them $$ to live on very comfortably for the rest of their lives, ditto for my grandparents, help out other family members, buy our dream cars, sell my house, build a lake house near where his family is, a house in Colorado, and a beach house in the FL panhandle, and a house near my parents, if they were to stay in Oklahoma.

Then, I'd do a lot more volunteer work. Do fun summer camps all summer long, instead of one week. :)

I would fund the building of playgrounds, in Memory of my nephew Dakota, that are inclusive to special needs children (but for ALL children) so those with physical limitations could play alongside their brothers and sisters and friends.

I would travel. Alot.

Have the 7 kids I told DBF I wanted (on our first date). :D

[Minky]

Hmm. $250M sounds like an obsenely large amount of money, but I'm sure we'd manage somehow to deal with that enormity:o

Load up kids' college accounts. Buy or build vacation home. Take whole family on vacation - Alaska, Europe, St. Croix - heck we'll hit 'em all. Give to local Foodbank, our church, and (stealing gertdog's no-kill shelter endowment) local chapter of Humane Society, along with several other charities. DH would probably continue to work, if only to manage the investment account:p Me - I'd probably do a kitchen upgrade and spend some time at cooking school:)

[Melman]

I actually bought lottery tickets for Powerball! That's only the second time I've bought lottery tickets at all since the SC lottery started just a couple of years ago.

I haven't really stopped to think what I'd do with the money. I'll worry about that tomorrow. :D :D :D :D I think my first thing would be to find a TRUSTWORTHY financial analyst. I'd also pay off some bills, probably buy a new car, and do some upgrades to the house. There would definitely be some travel being done too!!

We were talking about this at work yesterday. Someone asked me how long it would take me to get to HR to turn in my resignation. I laughed and said I wouldn't do that...I'd stick around here and torment everyone without any concern of being fired. :D Heck, I figure once I'm loaded, I'll get all kinds of promotions, etc. They'd want to keep me around just for the free advertising they'd get. :D :D :D

My big question....did you pick the numbers yourself or let the machine pick them???

[m4star]

OOOHHHH I LOVE THAT QUESTION!!:D

I would immediately pop open that bottle of Moet White Star in my fridge. Then I'd hire my mom as my financial analyst. I'd fund a trip for my whole family (yes, in-laws too) around Europe. Then I'd pay for everyone to be "retired" permanently.

I'd worry about buying a new home, new car, etc... later. I'd just have fun living the life of ultimate leisure where I'm at right now. Heck I'd most likely donate most of it to charity and just live a simple/unstressed life where no one I loved "had to work".

[MKSquared]

Pay off my student loans.

Buy John (roommate) a new car, since his just got totalled by a drunk driver. (The car was parked on the curb, so he's fine.)

Pay my tuition up front for the next year. Yes, I'd still go to school, but I could take whatever classes I felt like!

Buy a house. An old one, with lots of windows, near water.

Buy my parents a new house. Wherever they want.

Invest, invest, invest.

Start to build up the endowment of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Get that ball rolling.

Give a large sum of money to my High School's music program.

Buy a chateau in France with my little brother.

[stefania4]

1. Buy a house in one of the beautiful inside-the-city-limits neighborhoods that we love.

2. Filet mignon every night for my sick dog. And an orthopedic doggie bed.

3. Heck, filet mignon for the healthy dog, too!

4. Since it wouldn't matter that I'd never make a decent living, I could get that Master of Social Work degree I've always wanted.

5. Send each niece an annual check towards educational expenses; the parents could use it toward private school tuition, college, travel, whatever.

6. Take care of our grandmothers.

7. Contribute to some of our favorite charities.

8. I'd upgrade to a FOUR-DOOR Honda Civic!

[Chefzhat]

I'd take us all on the Cooking Light Cruise!:D

[jmarie]

Chefzhat: " I'd take us all on the Cooking Light Cruise! "

Way to go! I'll be there! I was thinking I would rent a big place and have a huge party and fly everyone on the board there for the weekend- all expenses paid. (And even give everyone shopping money!)

Of course, after paying off all loans, buying everyone I know a house. Paying off my church's debt. I sure would have a lot of fun with that money making others smile.

Joyce

[Melman]

Bummer...I had exactly ONE number correct on two different tries. That gets me exactly NOTHING!! Anyone else get lucky with any combinations?

19 - 21 - 26 - 31 - 51 - 40 - PowerPlay: 3


I"m hoping Chefzhat has them all right! :)

[beejayw1]

Didn't buy a ticket, actually ;)

I was driving to my parents' place in NY state and I started daydreaming of what I would do if I hit the jackpot, and it was fun.

I'd pay off the bills for everyone in my family
I'd set up trust funds for my nieces and nephews, that they'd get when they turned 25 or in an emergency

That taken care of, I mentally designed and built a house for myself. Boy, was it gorgeous, and it had an in-law's suite for my parents, jacuzzis in every bathroom, color-themed rooms... I haven't chosen the rugs yet. Needless to say, it's been a lot of fun.

[stefania4]

Originally posted by beejayw1
That taken care of, I mentally designed and built a house for myself. Boy, was it gorgeousI did that, too! The wraparound porch and the octagonal library were my favorite features (besides the enormous kitchen, of course).

[beejayw1]

Originally posted by stefania4
I did that, too! The wraparound porch and the octagonal library were my favorite features (besides the enormous kitchen, of course).

Mine had a wraparound porch (the building is Federal in style, though...stone) but I didn't think of a nice octagonal room! Hm!

Mine has Jenn-Air cooking features and a nice island, with everything at a convenient height. And mine has granite counters, too!

I'll be inviting the whole CL BB to come visit! (Hm... Gotta win that money first, though...) :rolleyes: