If I had four million dollars..

People sure are funny.  We all want to daydream about good stuff happening.  Not too long ago,  a local group won the lottery and all we could all talk about is what we would do if it would have been us. 

So… Here’s my “list.”

First off, I think after you take the hit for taking your lotto proceeds as lump sum and paid your taxes, you would have really only got around 4 million.  Only… I know, funny, right!

The 1^st thing I’d do – QUIT MY JOB and tell my husband to quit his.  I’d most likely do this immediately but it would be tempting to not say anything and the first time my boss pisses me off (which I assure you, wouldn’t take long) just walk out.  Neither one of us likes our jobs.  That’s not to say we won’t do something else but it will be part time doing things we love!

I REALLY wish you could stay anonymous.  I’d be afraid I’d be getting hit up for loans etc all over the place.  I think I’d be able to say no because my son’s future needs are so uncertain but still. 

Here’s how I would spend my money:

Type of
Expenditure	Item	Cost	Balance
	Starting Balance		4,000,000
Car	replace corolla	15,000	3,985,000
Car	Truck replacement	20,000	3,965,000
Debt	student loans	45,000	3,920,000
Debt	Mortgage	131,000	3,789,000
Debt	Truck	8,000	3,781,000
Donate	East Central IA Autism	250,000	3,531,000
Donate	Hospice	150,000	3,381,000
Remodel	New Windows	8,000	3,373,000
Remodel	Kitchen	40,000	3,333,000
Remodel	bathrooms	8,000	3,325,000
Remodel	Trees trimmed	1,500	3,323,500
Remodel	landscaping	3,500	3,320,000
Self Improvement	Children's education	100,000	3,220,000
Self Improvement	ABA therapy (autistic son)	25,000	3,195,000
Self Improvement	Hubby Music Studio	15,000	3,180,000
Self Improvement	Computer equip	10,000	3,170,000
Self Improvement	Dog Training	150	3,169,850
Self Improvement	Personal Trainer	1,000	3,168,850
Travel	Disney vacation	6,000	3,162,850
Travel	New York Vacation	5,000	3,157,850
			3,157,850

No that’s not a mistake.  I’m not moving.  The price of the vehicles is correct too.  I don’t need a bigger home or fancier cars.  I want more reliable vehicles.  I would make the someday I want to do this to my house list happen sooner.  But there is nothing on that list that I’m not currently saving for and thinking I will do that at some point. 

I also know that I have a ton of money left.  I didn’t even completely burn through the first million and that’s with donating 10% of the winnings.  That’s on purpose too.  I will be investing the remainder in stocks and bonds in the hopes of living entirely off the interest and not touching the principal.  Hopefully with the right investments, we can grow the balance a little.  Assuming a 5% rate of return, and the fact that we won’t have any debt, I’m sure we can live quite well on 100,000 per year and roll the rest of the income, less taxes, into the principal balance.

Here’s what I see us doing with all of our extra time.  Hubby will pursue his dream of being a music writer and studio musician.  He will also be on hand to help me run children and with my business.  I will expand my ebay business.  This is a flexible enough job that I can volunteer at my children’s school, run them to their appointments, and not have to worry about daycare.  Since I won’t have a full time job for another company, I can leave to score the best deals for my store.  Perfect!

Know what the funniest thing is about all of this dreaming though?  My husband and I both feel strongly that it is a waste of money to play the lottery.  We NEVER buy a ticketJ

Not in Advertising

I understand that the typical Craigslist advertisement is not written by an English major or reviewed by a professional editor prior to posting.  However, most word processing programs will point out the majority of these errors.  Please use your spell and grammar check so that I don’t get a migraine for looking for my weekend bargains.

Just check out the following and keep in mind that this is just a small portion of the interesting ads I found today.

Expert in Sharks

My daughter has become an expert in the “What time is it Mr. Shark” game.  She also had lots of practice with “Wheels on the bus,” red light green light, and Simon Says.  Apparently playing these games every day for two weeks is supposed to teach young children how to swim and pass their Red Cross Level Ones. 

Seriously… $50 for games I can play with my daughter when I take her to the pool!  I wanted her to learn to float and do bobs, and do an elementary paddle so she can have a shot of saving herself if she accidentally gets into deep water.  Instead the kids are assisted for less than a minute each day to float on their back and then on their front while kicking and play games the rest of the time. 

The last day the manager of the pool who has been walking around the pool every day but not really doing anything comes over and wants them to float independently and do full bobs and get their hands a feet going at the same time.  How could they possibly be able to do this???  They’ve not been taught how!

I will most definitely NOT be enrolling my children in the Cedar Rapids Recreation department swimming lessons again.  We will go through the YMCA or CRAA or maybe a different town (Marion or Vinton)  Here’s to my daughter learning to swim NEXT yearL