I Think They Should Give the Money to the Members of this Board

[Zombi]

. The only difference is, when I fly, I'd damn well fly Business Class. No more Coach for me. Ever.

Oh, business class...the best I can hope for at the moment is a medical certificate getting me one of those seats by the bulkhead. *prays*

If I won the lottery, I'd hire a decent manager for my mother's fitness club (loooong story!), and start a wool shop. I'm going to start up the wool shop anyway, but several million would make it a bit easier in the startup period.
Other than that - my dad shall have the Porsche he covets, and tickets to the Ashes at some point. My mum will get an Audi, a maid, a cook, a butler, and an Aga. And a nice big country house to put the Aga in, of course. Whatever's left over can sit in an account, accumulating interest until I find something worthwhile to do with it.

Then again, if I won the lottery, maybe I could afford to buy stuff from H.Naoto, and get those Vivienne Westwood shoes I want...*drools*

[dougiezerts]

She should distribute the money equally among her co-workers (but not the manager).
Then they could all quit en mass!

[Depot Denizen]

I'm with MystyGlyttyr on this one. I'd pay for my college debt and get that out of the way and not worry about it. I'd still work so I stay sane, and plop the ~$50,000,000 into an investment account and live off the interest. I mean, after paying off a car, motorcycle and college, that's still a boatload of money. I'm only 22, so I'd be set! Mebbe I should start buying lotto tickets...;-)

[morgana]

The roommate has plans to *start* a business if she ever wins the lottery. She's going to build a castle, put a friend of ours through cordon bleu school, and start a wedding venue.

Swans in the moat, horse-drawn carriages, in-house seamstress and florist and photographer, the works. Oh, and living quarters for her on the third floor of the castle. Complete with hot tub. She even knows where she wants to build.

Me, plastic surgery, pay off the bills, a trust fund for a friend's autistic son, and travel. Lots of travel. Work? Nuh-uh.

Yeah, we get a lot of entertainment value out of that dollar investment.

Morgana

[OfficeSlug]

You know, if you have that kind of CASH in the bank, you can afford to at the very least LIKE your job.... and you have the "F YOU" money to back yourself up if management gets snarky with you....

"Oh yeah, well, I quit!" and you can take care of yourself!!

[Jester]

If I actually won the lottery? Isn't this the conversation we've all had with friends and schoolmates, in dorms and late night parties?

Yes, it is. And a worthwhile one at that.

Now, there is a lot going on below this, but remember, someone brought up the idea that this might be a $200 million prize, so figure $100 million. If you're gonna dream, DREAM!

Myself, the very first thing I would do would be to have my parents buy whatever house and/or car they wanted. Lord knows they have bailed me out of enough situations that I owe them and then some. More even than I will admit on this board.

I would definitely drop some money on cars. I. Love. Cars. And I have a few I have always wanted to have. I would still keep the Jestermobile....love it. But I would have to have a black Porsche 911 Turbo. Been dreaming about that one since junior high. And a few others. Just for fun.

Would also make a point of making sure I had a place both in Key West and Phoenix, my two favorite places. And, since my current roommates have been so damned good to me for so long, would definitely pay the rent at the current place, whether or not I stayed, for a year or two. I am a good guy, after all.

Would hire someone to clean and organize my room and my life. Ugh.

Might enroll in culinary school. I love cooking, but would not mind some formal training. Not to work in the field, mind you. Just for my own personal satisfaction.

Might just open a bar, in Key West, Phoenix, or Mexico. Run it the way I think it should be run. Sell it when it stops being fun. (Same way I quit my job DJing at the clothing optional bar once it started seeming more like a job than fun.)

Depending on the size of the prize, might just make a donation/endowment to my alma mater, Arizona State University. Yes, I really do love my school. You go to three high schools in two states with questionable times and then have a blast at the only college you go to, see how loyal you are! If I did this, would also do something similar for Rutgers, in the name of my late father. He would appreciate that.

Would definitely invest a large chunk of it, but likewise would put a large chunk aside just for me to be silly on.

One thing I would unquestionably do, one thing I have always wanted to do, but have only been able to do on a smaller scale, is be in a bar, a really big bar, a packed bar that is rocking....and buy the whole freakin' place a drink! The bartenders would only hate me until they saw the tip I would give them afte the chaos died down.

Would definitely buy my best friend Neets a new car. Whatever she wants. She has been there for me forever no matter what. Love her.

Season tickets to the Oakland Raiders home games? Why not. Never been to the Colisseum....that would be a neat way to start.

And super geekdom here: would rent out a theater for a few days, and for all my friends and drinking buddies, show all six freakin Star Wars movies, in order. (I have actually been to a theater that showed IV, V, and VI, in order, a few years ago, before I, II, and III came out. Great experience!)

Oh, there are things I would do......wouldn't you?

[Brighid45]

Oh man . . . the eternal daydream. Let's see . . .

With $100 million lump sum, I'd pay off every debt I've ever incurred to anyone and invest a sizeable amount just so I could live off the dividends. I'd hire a good investment counselor and a CPA to keep the books cooked and taxes paid. Then I'd start giving money away to the few charities I know will spend it right. I'd start a food pantry here for those in need, with a place for them to come in and get a hot meal once a day, and be treated with respect and compassion.

My mom would get more than enough to keep her comfortable and happy too. She'd have anything she wants.

With about $50 million left, I'd buy this old house I live in, move it to the country and renovate it, have a self-sustaining all-recycle off-the-grid small farm, with a biofuel still and a truck garden big enough to feed four families. I'd pay off my close friends debts and help them out gratis. Then I'd settle in and have fun on the homestead. Woohoo!

[Broomjockey]

I think I would become a professional student.
I've got a wide variety of interests, and it would be nice to be able to take the time to learn more. I'd also probably become a job hopper. I'd work somewhere related to whatever I'm studying at that time. When I switched studies, I'd switch jobs.
I'd pay my parents back for some of what they put up with from me.
Also, I think I'd spend some time travelling and seeing as many different cultures as I could.

[Spiffy McMoron]

-I'd try to get a Master's and then a Doctorate in history.
-Buy a house in a nice, friendly neighbourhood
-Buy a car. Or two.
-Give some money to my parents-on the condition that Mom buys that little red sports car she's always wanted.
-Two words: More ink!
-I'd travel a bit-Australia, Europe, spring break in Mexico (mostly to see if it's as big a party as they say it is on TV). I also would love to rent a Mustang convertible and drive across America, and drive across Canada. Just because I can.

[Erin]

I'm going to start up the wool shop anyway, but several million would make it a bit easier in the startup period.

If I ever win a large lottery prize, I'd want to open a yarn store too! and I'd have an online store too.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

If I ever won the lottery:

1) Buy a house for us. Mom would also get a new vehicle of her choosing, and I'd buy one for myself and get my license.

2) Buy a bedroom suite for me, as I would finally have a bedroom big enough to fit on into.

3) Pay off bills, of course. Outside of that, I really can't think of much that we need in the way of household items.

4) Go to college, which would be no problem since I could pay for it myself. The hard part would be to decide what area of study to go for first.

5) Quit the Kitty (or maybe for a spell go to part time and work a couple of days a week.)

6) Maybe buy some stocks in a couple of companies. Not a lot, mind, but just a hundred shares or so. That way, it goes belly-up, I'm not losing my shirt so to speak.

7) A house at the beach would be nice. Or, better yet a condo as they require less maintenance.

And the doggies and kitties would have anything they wanted.

[Boozy]

-I'd try to get a Master's and then a Doctorate in history.

I'm totally with you there. My B.A. is in history, and I would have loved to have continued. My grades were good enough to get into an MA program, but not good enough for a scholarship, which I definitely would have needed.
So yeah, I'd do school if I won the lottery.
But I hardly ever play. The lottery is basically just a tax on people who are bad at math.