If I Had a Million Dollars...
I’d buy me a kick-ass vacuum cleaner!
C’mon, admit it…we’ve all dreamed about what we would do if we won the lottery or suddenly inherited a fortune, right? And while some people might put travel or buy a big house at the top of their wish list, all I really want is a vacuum cleaner, because mine really sucks. Er…actually, it doesn’t suck. Right now, it barely even works, just makes this pathetic little whining sound and then begins to smoke. I’ve taken it apart, checked for blockages or anything that might have become wound around its spool, but everything checks out fine.
This is (I think) the sixth vacuum cleaner I’ve owned in the past fifteen years. I’ve tried them all; uprights and canisters, the kinds with bags and the kinds without, HEPA-filters and non-HEPA filters, expensive and inexpensive. Despite the fact I keep telling my husband that vacuum cleaners don’t like to suck up copious amounts of sheetrock dust, or sawdust, or metal shavings, he treats my household appliances like construction tools. Mind you, he does have a kick-ass vacuum cleaner of his own; it’s an industrial-grade wet-dry vac, but since he usually leaves it at whatever job site he’s working at, he looks to my poor little household vacuum cleaner to take care of his construction projects at home.
So now here I am, looking at vacuum cleaners and trying to decide if I should buy the Oreck, the Electrolux, the Hoover, or something really kick-ass, like the Kirby or the Rainbow. But I’d need almost a million dollars to afford one of those babies. Actually, if I had a million dollars, I’d hire a housecleaner to come in and do the dirty work, and I’d sit out on my patio and enjoy the view!
If you had a million dollars, what would be at the top of your wish list??
Where should I begin? :)
LOL Actually, if I had a million dollars, the first thing I'd buy would be a house (boring I know). But it wouldn't have to be huge, just not a fixer-upper because my hubby's notorious for never getting his promised weekend projects done. And the house would have to be a few hours away from where I live now because the second thing on my to-buy list would be a four-year college education. I'm currently attending a community college and I'm just not getting out of it what I'd like to. But, alas, the nearest university is two hours away. Of course, I could probably invest really well and make it so I never had to work again, but, well, the more money I have, the more I want. I'd just get greedier. LOL :)
BTW, about the vacuum? I go through them like crazy, too, because of pet hair. It's forever getting wound around the bottom spinning thing (spool?) and then I can't push it and the smoking commences. Gah. And I have to vacuum today too. :(
Absolutely!
Sassa, when I asked my daughter what she would do with one million dollars, she said exactly the same thing--she'd buy a house and then set aside enough to pay for college. I wouldn't need $1 Million, either. I'd be happy with $100K. Actually, at this point I'd even be happy with $10K, LOL!
I've been budgeting so long
I've been budgeting so long that I'll be frugal with it. I'll probably go for a house but not a large one. Most likely a modest home that I could say was mine and a printer for my computer because I think mine is on the last leg. If I'm upgrading the printer I may as well upgrade the whole computer.
RE:vacuum- I'm lucky that my place doesn't have any rugs except a small piece under the computer chair so all I need is a small handheld
Christa, a million dollars
Christa, a million dollars definitely doesn't get you as far today as it did, say, twenty years ago. There's a woman in our writing chapter whose husband bought a $20 scratch ticket and won a million dollars last year, but I don't believe thier lifestyle has really changed. They tucked it away for their retirement.
I would love to have a writing-room; a small office with a good computer (one that has an "e" key, LOL), and lots of bookshelves! And I might get myself a new car; my lime-green Beetle is about eight years old, has nearly 150K miles, and although it runs fine, we've put a lot of money into it for repairs. And my husband refuses to drive it, LOL!
I could use a new vacuum
Mine is held together with kebab skewers, masking tape, spit and polish. Good thing my husband is mechanically inclined and can make things work.
But, more than that, I need new flooring. Carpets and hardwood.
One day...
ani
OMG, Ani, that is too
OMG, Ani, that is too funny...if I win the lottery, I promise that you and I will both get brand new, kick-ass vacuum cleaners!!
You're the best!!
The sad thing is I am not exaggerating. Okay, maybe about the spit and polish. But there really is a kebab skewer, masking tape and regular transparent tape all in place to make it work.
Being retired on a fixed
Being retired on a fixed income, the first thing I would do if I won the lottery is pay off my mortgage and then hit the grocery stores.
Mmmm...what would you stock
Mmmm...what would you stock up on at the grocery stores? My parents are retired, and I know for a fact that my dad buys coffee by the truckload. Sometimes they run a 2-for-1 special and he buys 10 pounds of coffee and gets 10 pounds for free. I opened his freezer once and was shocked at how much coffee he had in there! But to his credit, he does use it all. Coffee and gum drops are his favorite things to buy.
I don't know...
I might just start with a vacuum cleaner. Sometimes I want a Dyson, but I'm pretty sure I hate that snooty designer, lol. Maybe you should just get a kick ass wet vac for home? My Mom has a Rainbow, which she loves but she hates the payments. She has another one which is good too, but I never remember the name.
I always start spending with those small indulgences you'd never get if you had to save. Like...nail charms. Or new make up. Then I move up and get my hair colored. If I got a million dollars, yeah, I'd buy a house. Big enough for my kids to play and have rooms of their own. But I live in Southern Cali... A million dollars probably wouldn't cover it, lol.
Ohh, I'd buy dinner. I would so totally buy dinner!
Dee, you're the second
Dee, you're the second person who has mentioned Dyson to me today, and before then I'd never even heard of them! As for buying dinner...absolutely. In fact, I'd have a table reserved for at least one night each week at my favorite restaurant!
I'd also get each of the girls a complete bedroom makeover. They've been raised with hand-me-down furniture and insufficient storage space, which was fine when they were little but now they both want bedrooms that they can hang out in and feel comfortable.
Heh
The first thing that came to mind because of this post, was a Dyson. I always wonder if they're as amazing as they look. If I had a million dollars I'd pay off student loans/the rest of school. And save half. Well, it depends on how I got it and how much I'd be taxed :P
I'd also like to travel. But... home appliances are also high on the list. Maybe a new fridge. Finishing the basement. So many things to do.
Of course, there's always the requisite fun but not serious answer of buying a kiddie pool, filling it with money and swimming in it :P
LOL! Aliquis, I love the
LOL! Aliquis, I love the idea of swimming in money!! I've never heard anyone say that before.
Haha
Karen - I think I made it too clear I grew up on Duck Tales - you've never seen Uncle Scrooge swimming in his money banks? :D I don't think it'd be very fun or work - but wouldn't it be nice to be rich enough to try?
$1,000,000
I'd hire someone to come in and clean my house and then I'd hire someone to come and redecorate and build a room full of bookshelves and probably add on to my kitchen and add a laundry room so I don't have to go to the laundromat. Oh yeah and completely rewire and replumb my house. I don't want a new one just to redo the one I have. Oh and I'd remove the yucky off white carpet throughout the house and refinish the hardwood floors.
Rewiring
OMG, Ellen, I would love to have our house rewired, but for entertainment versus electrical. I'd love to have a surround sound system in our family room, and speakers in our kitchen, and the ability to have music piped into the bathrooms. But my husband will be the first to admit that he hates electrical work and so our house is a mass of tangled extension cords and no speakers anywhere, LOL. It would be worth it to me to have somebody come in and set our house up with a great home entertainment system.
vacuum
I own an Oreck, but my next vacuum will be a Dyson Animal(cause I've got 'em). Not too impressed with the Oreck for the price-over $700. I've heard many people rave about the Dyson. I don't care about the inventor as long as his product sucks.
LindaC
LOL Linda
Very funny -- we have a Dyson Animal, and LOVE IT. And we have 4 animals, so we need it. We're lazy, and four years after buying it, and so far not making the effort to clean the filter, the thing still works -- it's amazing. A little cumbersome and I have to argue with the attachments a bit, but overall the best I've had. ;)
I wish he'd make a toaster... have never had a toaster that really did what it should do no matter if it was cheap or expensive...
Sam
Dyson Rocks!
Hi Karen! I used my Christmas money to buy a Dyson last winter and do not regret it for a moment. Here in the desert, silt leaks in even through closed windows. Dusting has to be done daily and I am not exaggerating. I dusted today and tomorrow I'll be able to write my name on the table. So you can imagine how much silt ends up in the carpet. The Dyson gets it out. My mom lives on a ranch in Montana and has 'leventy billion animals. The Dyson keeps her house hair-free. Like I said, Dyson rocks.