Tuesday, March 6, 2012

If I Had A Million Dollars

Hiya! How is ya? Today we is gonna ignore grammar rules, 'cause itz fun to talk like hillbillyz.

OK, never mind, that got old real fast. We're going to talk opposite of hillbilly talk: we're going to talk like millionaires!

I know that in general it's not good for the soul to set your sights beyond your means, but sometimes it is fun to dream, isn't it? Have you ever thought of how you would spend a million dollars?

This is what prompts this conversation:


The hubs and the two teenage boys saw that the local dealership has one of these and they stopped to drool all over it, so much so that they never made it to their destination that day. What was their destination? Oh, just skiing on what may have been the last day of the year for good snow. Yes, they were that smitten by this new VW. And of course, all I have heard since is, "Please, can we buy it?"

My answer: "Yes, as soon as I have a million dollars."

So, if I had a million dollars, I would buy them a new car. And since they are getting a new car, I should get a new car too.



And since we'll have two new cars, we're going to need a garage to park them in, which means I'll need a new house.



However, the pool might need to be indoors since we only have about 3 days of hot weather each year. Musts for new house: enough room for kids to do cartwheels, closets galore, and no missing pieces of trim.

If I'm gonna going to (look at my hillbilly habits trying to sneak back in here! The shame!) have a nice new dream house, I'm going to need to have my driveway paved as well. And that means we can have a basketball court. Yay!

And then I'm going to need something for that Jeep to pull. Something like this:


Plus, I'll need a couple of these to go with it:


With all these new toys and the shiny new house, it will be hard to leave home, but I'll still want to take the kids to Disneyland and then go to Germany with the hubs this fall for our anniversary.

I'm sure by now most of my million will be gone, but I do hope to tuck away some bucks for schooling for the kids (and myself, as I seems to not learnd nough the first time round) and money for private lessons so they can become accomplished adults.

AND, I would also like to buy a national marketing campaign for my books so I could see my fan base become greater than 10.

Oh, and WORLD PEACE. I would like to buy some of that too.

So what would you do with a million dollars? Invest? Travel? Spend it selfishly, a la me? Let's beat the dullness of March (another unremarkable month) and dream a little, shall we?

13 comments:

Nicole Jessop said...

I had my students write an essay on this a little wile ago and had to write my own for a sample, so I'm totally prepared for this one!
I would by my hubby his dream helicopter and give him all the money he needs to finish school (that would make this process go SO much faster), build our dream house in Montana, a new truck for me and I guess he can hook up his new rzr to. Then I'd pay off all of our debt, along with both of our parents, pay for my siblings' schooling, and probably Sarah and Eli's if they choose to go, and then put the rest in an account and live off it! Oh, and go to New Zealand!!!! ooo.... I could work for fun and use the rest of the money to buy a vacation home in New Zealand...... oh, dreams. Maybe I'll rethink my truck.

Devree said...

If I had a million ddollars I would like to get college funds out of the way. There goes half my million. I'd also like to repay my parents for all the medical Vlad I needed. If I had an untouched million dollars I would start as St. Judes in the West so kids with cancer wouldn't think it's too far for them to go to Memphis, TN. Nothing makes me sadder than hearing stories of people who have dies from cancer because their doctors were incompetant. Anyway, if I didn't end up with enough for a St. Jude's in the West I would definately pay for my whole family to Pick Noble up from his mission in the Philippines and then take us to Disneyland with it's soon to be Cars Land and then go to Harry Potter World...That's enoung dreaming . Back to my reaserch paper.

Devree said...

wow I talk like a hick too! I need to read what I type more often.

The Rowley's said...

I'd buy a great bug ginormous house and have someone come decorate it for me. Then Id get Chad all his jeeps, cars, and toys he talks incessantly about. I'd put money aside for the kids' college fund and then use the rest to travel the world in style.
I love how that took zero thought and .5 seconds to write... maybe I think about this too much. I also told Chad I was born to be rich so he better get a move on.

Anne said...

If I had a million dollars I would buy a fur coat but not real fur coat that's cruel .... Sorry , as soon as I read you post on FB that song started running through my head. In all reality I would : take care of future needs for our kids, go to Italy, go Hawaii, pay off our house , do some learnen (I need it) for me and the hubby, buy nice RV to travel in. ... save some, spend some , give some away. and maybe buy a monkey...

PaulaShawn said...

I'm right there with Anne on the song!

Lori, I'm sorry to inform you that you have dated yourself with this post. What century are you from? In the real world, a million dollars would buy maybe a third of that house you like. Forget the upper levels, the landscaping and the pool. I'm a real downer, I know. I'm sorry!

If I had that amount all at once I would pay off my house, put the remainder in mission funds for my kids and my coupleship, and cheer my husband on in his dream job - a baker. And maybe I'd buy some Sunday clothes. I hate spending money on clothes that I wear only once a week.

I'm such a simple minded person, and living simply is my dream!

Robin said...

Wow, a MILLION $. I want a summer home with a pool, AND a winter home with a jacuzzi, AND a vacation home in Europe. Pay all my kids debt off. Buy my kids homes. Pay for Grandchildren's College. Save/invest money for all the flights we will need getting to all the homes. New vehicles and Ski Do's, Razor's, a house boat for the family.(I am really salivating at this point). Give to a Charity for sick children. Have I spent it yet????? I probably need at least 8 million to accomplish all I want. Thanks for letting me dream

Jennifer Lovell said...

First, let me just say that I WANT A MILLION DOLLARS. I feel good just getting that off my chest. Actually, though, I'd be REALLY happy with $100,000. That's not asking too much, right? But let's dream with the million...

I'd start by paying off our debt, because I hate our debt. Then I'd like to pay off my sister's family debt, because they deserve the blessings. Then, I'd like to have some fun--I'd love to fund our family trip to Disneyland and give everybody enough spending money to come home with some really happy souvenirs. I also want to store a bit of the $$ for future flights to visit my family out west. 1-2 visits per year for the next 20 years would be nice (how much would that cost?).
A second car, a house, college/missions/weddings for my kids...and let's throw in one or two more fun things to end it all: a lifetime supply of chocolate chip cookies, and my own treadmill--no, my own home gym, including MY OWN RACQUETBALL COURT. I should have put that first : ).

bigskyboys said...

I'd start with finishing my house, (especially all those missing trim boards). I take that back, I'd pay someone else to finish my house while I was on a nice long vac to Hawaii. Then I'd pay off all of our debt, buy the Mister some long dreamed about toys and a few for myself and then I think I'd let the rest of it sit.

Lori Folkman said...

Nicole: Way to do your homework! Also, what a great topic to inspire kids to finish school! I hope I will have enough money to come visit you in New Zealand. You'll let me stay in your vacation home, right?

Devree: Holy smokes, are you going ivy league? I LOVE that you used the word "Vlad." You made my day, like always. And no worries about the hillbilly speak; I understand it, as it is my native tongue. You did make me feel selfish and vain: I think you deserve the million dollars much more than I do!

Rowley's: We need something to think about while doing the household chores, right? I love that you were born to be rich. I really hope I wasn't born to be a hillbilly, although it does seem more fitting, given my location and my lack of funds. :)

Anne: some songs stick with you whether you want them to or not! Sorry if you've been singing that all day! I was nodding my head with all your statements, but then I went whaaa? when you got to the monkey. Really, a monkey? I thought you already had 4 of those!

PaulaShawn: Killjoy!!! Why must you always take away my dreams??? JK. But you are forgetting one thing: my hubby can build me that dream house for a fraction of the cost, although I might have to take away the clause about all pieces of trim included. And we wouldn't really do the pool, as no one likes to swim in orange water. (See Rowley's? We are hillbillies!)

Robin: You are such a fun grandma! You play like a teenager! And you're not dreaming about Disneyland, since you've been there: done that! :)

JazznJenna: did you say I WANT A MILLION DOLLARS out loud? I hope not, because then your wish won't come true! (Who thought of that rule? Total lamesauce!) A Racquetball court in your house would be amazing! You'll let me play when I come to visit, right? But don't beat me too bad.

bigskyboys: I think I need to teach you how to spend. You really don't want that money sitting around waiting for your kids to fight over it when you die, do you? And I'm surprised you didn't ask for the lifetime chocolate chip cookies like JazznJenna did!

Livingstonslifeinmontana said...

I would buy a big piece of property in Bigfork and split it up between my family (parents, bros and sis) and have Matt build each of us a comfortable home. That is a long time dream of mine...to have all my family live in the same culdesac.

Team C said...

I'd buy a goose that lays gold eggs for easter. I want a feast, I want a bean feast. I want the works
I want the whole works
Presents and prizes and sweets and surprises
Of all shapes and sizes
And now
Don't care how
I want it now
Don't care how
I want it now

Lori Folkman said...

Livingstonlifeinmt: Do you consider me family, because I would like to live there too! Having a family compound has always been a dream of mine as well. I don't know how my family would feel about that though.

Team C: You are a poet and I didn't know it. Your rhyme came just in time.