If I Had a Million Dollars...

Money is the root of all evil but today it's on my mind pretty heavily.

Mother's tend to look at the bigger picture when it comes to spending. Can I get more than one use out of the product I'm buying? What else could I do with the money I'm spending?  Will I regret this purchase tomorrow?  And 7 times out of 10 we do. The very next day the kids bring home a new sign up from school along with a dun for $20 or someone has to go to the doctor and there is that damn co-pay due. I'm over here saying... if I hadn't got my hair done yesterday...And for that very reason, when we spend money, it's typically on our children or spouses. No guilt there.

On an occasion when we are forced to spend cash on ourselves, we opt for things like new clothes that fit our body better, a meal we don't have to prepare, or some type of beauty treatment to make us feel new and alive- like we're more than just snot rags for our kids. Have you ever wondered why women circle and circle clothing racks? It's not just because we're indecisive or we like to compare and meander, it's because it torments us to do for ourselves!

Men, however, usually spend quite freely. Clothes. Gadgets. Gear. They see, they buy. End of story. And in the case of my husband, super impulsively.

Say you were given a million dollars free and clear to do with whatever you pleased. What would you do with it? Most people could probably answer this in a heartbeat but it took a little longer for me. I think it's a woman thing. When I'm broke as a joke,  I can window shop for hours making lists of things I think I need in my head. But the minute that I have any money in my pocket (or in this case imaginary money), I'm completely at a loss as to what to do with it.

So after some deep thought and quite a few reservations, here are my ideas..

Purdy, right?

• For starters, no I wouldn't quit my job. My job gives me purpose outside my home.
• First, I'd have a home custom built to suit my family on a 5-10 acre piece of land just outside of town. I'm not talking about extravagance because eventually, the money will be gone and I'll be the same person I am now. I'm talking about functionality paired with timeless charm. You know, something I can afford the electric bill on. 
• I'd put $150,000 aside in interest-bearing accounts for each girls. I know this sounds like a lot but it would be used to pay for college and anything remaining would be passed onto them at the completion of college... their inheritance so to speak.
• Pay off my student loan debt as well as Tyler's. This should be number one really. Ugh. I loathe Salliemae!
• Buy my husband one of those purdy Silverados he talks about. Something that looks tough and rugged. There I go taking care of my husband. But hey, it's a Silverado.
• Pay off any debt my parents and grandparents have as well as Tyler's mom and grandparents. It's important to me that they be able to enjoy their lives also
• Go on a really nice vacation with my whole family.. Mom, Dad, Seth, Ginnie, Bill, (Barb and Dave if they're able) . Somewhere with a beach. Take lots of pictures and make lots of memories.
• Bank the remainder. Lord knows if I have any left over, something will happen and I'd need it. Better safe than sorry I say.

I reviewed my list a hundred times and realized that I didn't leave myself much room for charity. A part of me says.. put something in there about charity, about giving or donating to others. Well, I think that donating to charity is a private matter. It's done to benefit others, not for me to boast about. So I'll just keep my ideas and intentions about that to myself.

So... What would you do?