If I had a Million Dollars

I probably will never win or receive a million dollars except for hard work and investing for retirement (and then I might not reach that much) but sometimes I like to think of what I would do if I was to receive, win, or inherit a million dollars (or any amount for that matter.)

Now I know a lot of people would be saying things like, "I would give half to this or that charity." "I would start a scholarship in so and so's name." Blah. Blah. Blah. But really who would really do that if they win a million. Sure some people would but I have a different philosphy. Before I can enrich the lives of complete strangers, I need to enrich the lives of my family.

The first thing we would do is pay tithing of one tenth to the Church. Plus we would probably give a large fast offering and maybe donate to 1 or 2 of the other church funds. I know the church would make sure it got to the people that needed it.

The second thing I would do is pay off our house and cars. That is the only debt we currently have. Yah, for us. We worked hard since when we got married I had student loans and Ray had credit cards. After we paid the house and cars off we would probably trade in our van for a newer model with more bells and whistles. We would also put our house on the market and buy a slightly larger one (I wouldn't mind just two more rooms) with some upgrades and a much larger lot.

Third we would put a big chunk to retirement. Make sure that we would not have to work in our golden years and would be able to travel and serve missions like we want.

Fourth, set up college, wedding, and mission funds for our children. They could use it for all of those things. I still think children value college more if they pay their own way. I remember how good it felt my last two years when I paid for everything myself with out the help of grants, scholarships, or loans. My parents never helped me pay for my college although they did help with my mission and wedding.

Fifth, I would make sure my parents and my inlaws were able to retire comfortably. Both my parents and my husband's parents have struggled throughout their lives and may still struggle through retirement.

Sixth, I would go visit Jerusalem or some big trip like that.

Then I would like to give some kind of gift to all my siblings and my husbands siblings that need it. Either pay off some/all of their debt or help with a down payment on a house.

With the rest I would like to start or donate to some program that gave homeless people a chance to get off the street by teaching them a skill to help them get a job and get a place to stay. When I was younger I had these visions of teaching homeless people how to build apartment buildings and when they finished that would be their homes and then maybe start a factory or second hand store and hire only homeless people and those needing a second chance so they can build their resumes and they would own part of the business so the success of that business would greatly benefit them.

So there you have it. That is what I would do with a million dollars.