Thursday 13

Well, the Powerball jackpot is up to an estimated unbelievable $300 million for this Saturday, which got me to thinking........ what would I do with the money if I won?

Thirteen Things I'd Do with the Powerball Jackpot (not necessarily in chronological order)

1. Take the cash option.

2. Hire a very good lawyer and accountant to help me set up accounts to handle the money. I imagine I'd have a variety of short-term and long-term storage solutions for the funds.

3. Pay off all our debts -- credit cards, house, car, student loan, home improvement loan.

4. Renovate our existing home. I love where we live. The actual house is alright, but our location is GREAT! Our neighbors are GREAT! Plus, I really don't need to live in a mansion with acres and acres of lawn to keep tidy and neat and green. What I would like would be a new kitchen, a sun room, a balcony and sky lights for the bedroom, a finished basement, a garage and just a little more space. On our current budget, it's going to be a long time before all those things happen; with a Powerball jackpot, we'd just move into the house up for rent a few houses down while all the construction was going on and then move back into our old, yet new, home when it's beautiful and done!

5. Take care of our families. My parents are pretty secure, but RockStar's family could certainly use a little financial help. We'd finally be in the position to do that!

6. Fund HandsomeBoy and CutiePie's college fund.

7. Adopt TWO daughters. Maybe from Russia, maybe Ukraine, maybe Kazakhstan, China, Vietnam, heck... maybe even the good ol' USA! All I know is that I'd start on a homestudy and start getting ready to expand our family!

8. Through our adoption agency, WACAP, I'd send money to the boys' orphanages that cared so well for them in their early years. I'd also make a large donation to the agency to help them in their quest to find families for children all over the world.

9. Set up scholarships. I'm not sure if I'd do this locally, for my college, my high school or what, but I'd definitely do this!

10. Donate a large sum to the Rescue from which we adopted BigRed. They do such good work and take remarkable care of the dogs. I've always been very impressed with their committment and results. As they've grown bigger over the years and have reached out to help more dogs, their expenses have also increased.

11. Help my synagogue. We are a smaller suburban shul that does not have a very rich membership base. In our current expansion plans, there is so much that we cannot do because the money is just not there. I'd definitely contribute a sack of sheckels to help make the place more inviting and a great place for the community to grow, learn, worship and celebrate together!

12. Take some really great family vacations -- an African safari, tour the Costa Rican rainforest, RV around the Western US national parks (Zion, Bryce, Arches, Grand Canyon, etc....), skiing at Killington, etc..... We'd also travel back to Russia so the boys could start to understand how their lives might have been. They're too young to fully understand, but I think it would create a good foundation for them.

13. Invest my money in good places. I'd like to support business and causes I believe in and that could make the world a better place. Also, I'd give money to Cancer and Diabetes Research.


Wow, that was fun. I'd love to have the chance to actually do those things. Honestly, I wouldn't be the type to blow through the money or spend it on ridiculous things. Sure, I'd enjoy myself and so would my family, but we'd still be real people. I'd really want to share the gift with my friends, family and the world at large. I have to say - I think I'd be a model lottery winner. So many people are ruined by large wins, but I think I'm up to the burden! I'd sure like to try!