What you'd do if you had a million dollars and you didn't have to work

[LynneSin]

Quote from the movie Office Space


Peter Gibbons: Our high school guidance counselor used to ask us what you'd do if you had a million dollars and you didn't have to work. And invariably what you'd say was supposed to be your career. So, if you wanted to fix old cars you're supposed to be an auto mechanic.
Samir: So what did you say?
Peter Gibbons: I never had an answer. I guess that's why I'm working at Initech.

---

So the question for the day is this.

If you won a million dollars (post-tax so you'd get a cool 1 mill.) what would you do?

Me, I'd quite goofing off and finally send in my application to the Peace Corps. It sits in my inbox at work underneath some other papers and when work is frustrating I feel the lure towards that application and finally getting it sent in. Guess I was meant to be a humanitarian of some sort.

[Aristus]

1. "Office Space" is a great flick. I've got it on DVD.

If I had a million, tax-free, I'm afraid I wouldn't be quite as unselfish as you, Lynne. I'd want to get out on the road and see America. I'd load up the car with all kinds of provisions and just take six months or so, travelling from place to place all over the country. See the sights.

[mhr]

2. I have an answer

but there is no market for that activity.

Hence the logic of the proposition is erroneous.

Just more of the muddled thinking children are exposed to daily.

[GOPisEvil]

3. A few things...

First, I'd buy a small house in a part of the country I wanted to live in. That way, no matter what happened, I'd have a place to live. I'm disillusioned with my job currently, so I'd probably quit. I might return to school for a graduate degree or second bachelor's. I'd definitely travel and see the world. I'd also invest a portion.

[JayS]

11. "I'm disillusioned with my job currently"

Hey GOPisEvil, maybe you should run for office? I've heard even the Republicans in Texas are looking for a few good Democrats. :)

[GOPisEvil]

15. *snarf* Me? An office holder?

I'm not the type. Plus, I'd just make the Republicans mad. :-)

[Loonman]

4. Move to Australia

Far away from everyone and everything.

[LynneSin]

6. Australia has John Howard who wants to build Missile Defense Systems

Like people are trying to bomb the bejesus out of Australia? Sounds like another way to waste taxpayer's money

He's another Yankee Poodle like Tony Blair.

Why not consider New Zealand? Same neck of the woods but much friendlier government!

[foxy]

5. $! mill

First thing I would do is find me some property preferably in Montana and have a home built on it for me and my kids and then some ranch hand houses for the hands I hire to help take care of the Horses that I get. And everything else that goes with horses and the care there of.
I think then I would have to try and find a good investment for about $100 grand of it so I could still have an income coming in.
After that is all taken care of then I would buy a motor home and we would travel during the summers and let my kids see the country side.
O yeah I forgot the part about donating at least 5 grand to DU for their support of everything they do. Because I think I would have gone bonkers quite some time ago if it weren't for the kind souls here on DU. Thanks everyone!
I'd live my life out on whatever I had left--unless something better came up...

[supernova]

7. Wow!

- Travel the world. I'd love to see every continent, but not be on a particular schedule, staying as long or as little in one place as I liked. Take a year, maybe year & 1/2 to do this. Like to see the rest of Europe of course: UK, France, Italy; SE Asia: Vietnam, Thailand, S. Korea; many, many more. I want my passport so full of stamps I have to get another one!

For travelling the states, rent a big RV and just drive around. Camp when I feel like it.

- Fix up my small, sweet place and add an addition with a master bedroom suite upstairs, expanded gourmet kitchen, home theatre (maybe),

- Investigate whether I want a butler, or at least a valet.

- Get my masters.

- Invest the rest.

[Sperk]

8. I'd become a professional Bush protestor.......

chase the chimp around the country and spending all my free time working to oust the sorry smirky excuse for a president!

[ikojo]

24. Me with a solid million

First I would QUIT MY JOB...I see no benefit from working if I don't need the check. Why put up with a boss if you don't have to? Anyhow rich folk live longer.

Like many others on the board I would buy a house in the Pacific Northwest so that I would NEVER have to live through another St Louis summer again. The house would have to be big enough to house me and my mom.

If I had any money left after buying a house I would invest the remainder so that I could do good works for the rest of my life. I would protest shrub anytime I felt like it and I would volunteer for organizations that shared my politics.

Just because I would not be slogging away for corporate America does not mean I would not be busy that's for sure.

[BigMcLargehuge]

9. what i'd do (in order)

scream and yip loudly for several hours...

Use the phone to solve all my outstanding debt issues.

Order my 2 gig DP Powermac G5 and a 23 inch cinema display

Buy a house in town for the wife, son, and I.

Pay off my Mom's house.

Give my dad and each of my brothers (2) a hundred grand each.

establish a yearly scholarship at my college for kids graduating from my old high school New Bedford Regional Vocation Technical High School that covers one year tuition.

Put half of the remainder in a savings account for son's college.

Put remaining money in savings account.

[radwriter0555]

10. Build my house in Mexico and TRAVEL, TRAVEL TRAVEL..

I want to spend a year in Cambodia.. Thailand.. China... Mongolia. I want to see the Tuvan throat singers and the nomadic horsemen out there...

I want to see the Great Wall of China... and the forbidden palace..

I want to eat dinner at a buddhist temple in southern India.

I want to go to Machu Pichu, and the Galapagos Islands. I want to go to the Cook Islands and Easter Island.

Travel. Eat. Ride.

Shopping is good too.

[LynneSin]

18. Damn, you just described my travel itinary

Can I go along with you?

[radwriter0555]

22. Wanna go to beijing with me? Check out the trips on

skyauction.com.

****sigh****

[Interrobang]

12. I would...

1) Quit my job.
2) Have a hell of a Pennsic this year.
3) Settle my debts.
4) Cancel my GRE for another year.
5) Find someone to take care of my cat for a while.
6) Hop a flight to NY.
7) Rent a better apartment, and get the F to join me.
8) Invest the money in a high-return way so I could live off the interest.
9) Take that trip to Europe I want.
10) Go back to school and get my PhD, but on MY terms.
11) Live and work, or not, as I like.

[Drifter]

13. Juggle .... a lot

I would build (or buy) a Juggling friendly building (high ceilings, hard clean floors, dispersed lighting, etc.)

I would create programs that would allow under privilege children (and adults) the opportunity to learn how to Juggle, and other object manipulation skills. Think something along the lines of a year round object manipulation camp. I would make my services available to all of the local schools.

Learn to Juggle!

Cheers
Drifter

[nuxvomica]

28. Teach me!!!!

I gave up trying to learn years ago. I had been struggled with "Juggling for Klutzes" for weeks then one day I saw a friend just picked up three apples and start juggling like a circus clown. I figured I was jugglerly challenged.

[Ramsey]

14. Become a rock star

Or at least try to!

Although I don't think you could live off only $1 million for the rest of your life, unless you invested very well. Which isn't likely in the Bushronics economy.

[GOPisEvil]

17. Can I be your groupie?

:7 Every rock star needs a fan club, and every fan club needs a President. :7

[BiggJawn]

16. I'd buy me a Boat....

50-60 foot schooner, roller fullers, all the single-handed stuff. Learn how to work it so I'm not screaming for the Coasties everytime the wind goes over Force 4...

Take EARLY retirement!

Call up the RNC, get them all stiff-dicked thinking I was gonna lay some major green on them, get them ALMOST there, then laugh in their faces....

Then I'd get on the afore mentioned boat, sail into the sunset and go visit CiCi the Psychobunny's land for a while....

MAYBE I'd invest the rest....Provided I could find something with a higher yield than a tin can buried in the back yard.....

[LynneSin]

19. The other thing I would do - Driver Re-Education School.....

For the Turn Signal Challenged.

After driving 10 miles down the road yesterday behind a car that refused to turn off their right hand turn signal - the time has come for the school to be opened!

[greenwow]

20. How should I know...

what I'd do with a million? I've never had more than about a thousand that wasn't already spent before I made it.

[Paranoid_Portlander]

21. The nursing home is getting most of it,

along with the pharmacy, doctors, medical insurance. Everyone will soon need to be a millionaire in this country just to meet potential medical needs, especially nursing home care (my aunt in my case).

[GoddessOfGuinness]

23. I'd do exactly what I'm doing now...

But I'd play fewer weddings and foot the bill for more chamber concerts. :-)

[LadeJarl]

25. Way too little...

A million is way too little to get to exited about.

Sure, pay off any debt and buy a house (The type of house would really depend on where you live). New car, sure..

Nothing else... One million is not much.

If you had said 100 million, we'd start talking business :)

[nuxvomica]

26. I would paint

It's an ongoing issue with my family that I don't. Issue with me too but I'm workin' on it.

[Benevolent_Rabbit]

27. I would work hard at getting another million

so I could give the first mil away.