My daughter starts college next year. Need I say more?
I’d put it in a bank and save it for college and law school. After that was over, I would invest the rest (if the stock market was better) and give some to charity.
25K? Wow, from my limited grad student perspective … that’s a hell of a lot. I guess I would try to educate myself about long-term investments and put most of it aside for the hypothetical future kids (or for whatever comes my way), but I think I’d also take a few grand and spend the summer traveling – maybe across the US by rail, or to Japan and Southeast Asia, or Australia. (Not that I don’t do a fair bit of that as it is, but it would be lovely to take three or four months off and not feel guilty about it.)
Buy Tranquilis a new car, since his Saturn was totalled last month.
Whatever is left, depending on how much, go shopping or put into bank.
That has actually happened to me a few of times through unexpected bonuses at work. The first time, I just paid off all the bills that annoyed me. The second time, I just stashed the remainder away. My wife and I bought a beautiful antique house and there is still $50,000 or so in repairs to do. I would just start the contractors up again and invest it for my new daughter’s college education when the next one comes around.
I would pay off the credit cards and then book a flight to Italy. I always wanted to see that country.
I’d pay off my credit card and the remaining balance on my car. Assuming no taxes, I’d still have about $15,000 left at this point, so I would buy a bunch of CDs and DVDs, upgrade my car stereo, sock away a couple thousand for my next computer when the time comes for a new machine, then go to Vegas for a weekend, plus visit some other places I would like to see. I don’t know what I would have left after all this, but I would like to put the last $5,000 of it into savings.
USD 25 000 equals CAD 37 900 +.
Pay off the rest of my debt, buy a new computer, TV, and sound system, get high-speed net access, then it’s off to Europe, baby! And Australia.
Do what I do every 5 years or so - quit my job and READ for a whole year. Well, maybe 11 months. 2 grand would fund my return to Italy.
I’d buy a bunch of guns. But that’s only because it’s not near enough to buy a tank.
hrhomer, could you do me a favor and sock yourself in the gut for me? Thanks a bunch.
All of it on a downpayment on a house. Renting sucks.
$15,000 - Buy A Car
$5,000 - Live off of it until I get out of school.
$2,000 - Pay of credit cards
$3,000 - Wild shopping spree with friends.
Debt - Woohoo!
Gamecube + games - Woohoo!
Nice Computer with video capture and DVD burning software - Yes!
Certain Laserdiscs which are not ever going to be found on DVD - Alright!
and the rest in the bank.
Penny whistles and moon pies!
Moon pies? What a time to be alive.
Pay off some of our debt. I am actually under strict orders from my financial manager (read: wife) that if I do receive some total windfall bonus or small lottery winnings (in the thousands of dollars), there will be no spurious spending.
Lots and lots of student loan payments.
Pay for the paint job my husband wants on his hot rod.
Pay down the mortgage
Take a trip (a little one)
Two words:
Look up.
(In case more keeps falling, or if the owner of the money is coming for it)