# How much will it cost me to get you to abandon your real life forever? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 26, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020 "2010-11-26T23:16:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/41 "2010-11-27T12:50:13Z")
I’ll take £3M and move to New Zealand please, Skald. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/42 "2010-11-27T14:20:52Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I’ll take £3M and move to New Zealand please, Skald. You either misread the OP, or are trying to hoodwink the demon on the basis that Maori is the native language of New Zealand. If the latter, that’s what I would do to (though isn’t there some supposed drawback to bargaining with th devil - particularly if you try to pull a fast one? :)), except for the fact that I would not leave my current life for any price. Lots of things are more important than money. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/43 "2010-11-27T14:33:19Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Right now? A hundred bucks would do it. > > Tomorrow, it’ll probably go back to millions, so you better act fast. Husband leave the seat up again, did he? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/44 "2010-11-27T15:02:23Z")
If it’s really forever, and I can never move back (talking with my family on the phone isn’t going to cut it) I wouldn’t do it for any amount of money. If, after 5 years, I can move them out to wherever I am, I’d do it for about 200 million dollars, and I’d go to Italy or some Scandinavian country. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/45 "2010-11-27T15:30:26Z")
Depends a lot on where you would send me… D.R.Congo, Central African Republic, Burma, North Korea… no deal at any price. If I can pick the location (keeping with the restrictions of course), then we might be able to work something out… but it’s gonna cost ya! ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/46 "2010-11-27T15:53:54Z")
6 million. I’ll need 3 million to quit my career and another 3 million to give up my family and friends. I think I’ll settle somewhere in southern Europe preferably some little beach community where I can fish all day. Eta: I have to be able to take my dog with me. If I have to leave him behind the price goes up considerably. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/47 "2010-11-27T16:55:09Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Define “anyone I know”. Do Dopers count? Well, I did write “real life.” I’d say that means people you’ve met in person or at least talked on the phone too. But you also have to leave both the United States (which is going to include any of our overseas territories) and North America, and you can’t go to, say, London. But Siam Sam will be acceptable. Unless of course he’s done the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/48 "2010-11-27T16:56:30Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I’ll take £3M and move to New Zealand please, Skald. I don’t think you want to try to hoodwink the Boss. He’s more vengeful than I. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/49 "2010-11-27T16:57:42Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > 6 million. I’ll need 3 million to quit my career and another 3 million to give up my family and friends. I think I’ll settle somewhere in southern Europe preferably some little beach community where I can fish all day. > > Eta: I have to be able to take my dog with me. If I have to leave him behind the price goes up considerably. The LowerArchy finds it acceptable for you to keep your canine, as our studies indicate this will make you miss your family more, not less. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/50 "2010-11-27T17:17:37Z")
Not contact my kids for five years?!? :eek: Not for the whole of the universe. And while I’ll admit the pre-holiday stress has me thinking a vacation from the spousal unit wouldn’t be such a bad idea, I was thinking closer to five days than five years… ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/51 "2010-11-27T17:44:03Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > Not contact my kids for five years?!? :eek: Not for the whole of the universe. Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/52 "2010-11-27T17:52:18Z")
No kids, and I would leave mrAru a note. After all the time he spent away making us an income in the Navy, I can vanish for a few years to make us retirement money 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/53 "2010-11-27T18:01:34Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Oh, I’m certain of that, but I also expect there will be surprises. When I started the thread on being isolated from all human contact for a year, I was shocked that anybody was willing to do it at all, whereas I think over half were willing to do it. I’m amazed that you were amazed at the results of that thread. I believe the terms were to live one year in the lap of luxury and at the end of it get a $1 million. The only catch was that you couldn’t talk to anyone for the year. A year is nothing when the idea of being set up for life is thrown around and the only “work” you have to do is sit on your ass and watch DVDs and play video games. This is a considerably tougher trade and I’d probably require somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 million before I even consider it. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/54 "2010-11-27T20:05:46Z")
More than that, just because that five million is what it would cost to try to get back employed and so on. Doesn’t even count lost personal items, let alone lost items with sentiment. I don’t have much inherited stuff… that’s all with the parentals, but I do have my great grandma’s iron goat. And I’d have to walk away from it. From my music. From my computer. From my guitars. From my thousands of books. All of it. It’d take time and effort to get even a tenth of it back. (not to mention what my car loan would do to my credit report) (not to mention what it’d do to my reputation when I try to get a job somewhere else) And, again, while I don’t have a wife, I do have a future responsibility, as the only child, to watch over my parents. For five years, I could handle not talking to them. I’d probably enjoy it a whole lot, to be honest. But I do need to be able to take care of them in ten to fifteen. Would I walk away? I think it’d be good for me, to be honest. Love to do it. It’d be a great life experience. But no, five million won’t cut it, just on recovering what it would do to my current life arc alone. It’d probably be significantly more. Of course, there are details. Do I just have to drop everything and vanish? Do you put my stuff in storage? Do you move it? Can I take one guitar and my PC? Do I have a job over there, or am I just being dropped in Cambodia with pants and no cash? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/55 "2010-11-27T21:13:14Z")
I want a job lined up when I get there, preferably in my current field (social worker). I currently make about $40k/yr, and don’t want a paycut, so at least $40k/yr USD equivalent salary. And a $10,000 up-front payment to cover new furniture and such. Oh, and I don’t want to have to be groped by TSA on the way over 😉 Boat would be a preferred method of travel to my new destination. Otherwise, where do I sign? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/56 "2010-11-27T21:57:23Z")
> [@Captain\_C](#): > > I want a job lined up when I get there, preferably in my current field (social worker). I currently make about $40k/yr, and don’t want a paycut, so at least $40k/yr USD equivalent salary. And a $10,000 up-front payment to cover new furniture and such. > > Oh, and I don’t want to have to be groped by TSA on the way over 😉 Boat would be a preferred method of travel to my new destination. Otherwise, where do I sign? We can maybe help you with the no-groping thing, but you want us to help you become a social worker – to do GOOD? You have confused me with Raphael. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/57 "2010-11-27T22:00:09Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Of course, there are details. Do I just have to drop everything and vanish? Do you put my stuff in storage? Do you move it? Can I take one guitar and my PC? Do I have a job over there, or am I just being dropped in Cambodia with pants and no cash? Of course we’re not offering to drop you in Cambodia with pants & no cash. No one useful to our side is taking that offer. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/58 "2010-11-27T22:01:47Z")
Are you recruiting evil social workers? It’s not particularly my field, but destroying desperate people’s lives at government expense sounds kind of fun. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/59 "2010-11-27T22:20:28Z")
$10 (TEN DOLLARS USD). Cash only. And not a penny less! ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020/60 "2010-11-27T22:26:38Z")
Nope. Wouldn’t leave my hubby and kids for any amount of money. If I could take my hubby and kids, and leave my MIL behind, then we could talk about it. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-will-it-cost-me-to-get-you-to-abandon-your-real-life-forever/562020.md?page=4)