What would you do with $10,000?

[Rilian]

No, that's the deh-deh-err.

Deh-deh-err? I 'ardly know 'er!

No, not urr, err. Like air. day-day-air.
oh, you probably know that.

[Cane]

My honest answer is boring. I'd pay off my car loan.

The wife and I are talking about taking a big trip this summer, so I could use the money for that.

Really, $10,000 isn't enough to make me change what I already would be doing.

[Timorous]

I would finish of the redecorating, put a bit in the bank so I have an emergency fund and build a new PC. Depending on how much I had left I would also set up a media/dvd server and put in a gigabit lan for the frontroom and bedrooms. Any money that was left over after that which should be atleast 5k would go on the mortgage. Future returns on paying off the mortgage quickly are huge.

[folkhero]

big ass-TV and a fancy new computer with netflix and some games to go with them
or trip to Vegas and I pay for all by friends scattered across the country to come too
or a trip to Shanghai with a friend who's from there
or a car, my car is being a bizznatch these days

Nothing too exciting there I guess, but all of those things sound really nice right now.

[quadmaster]

well
18 foot high trebuchet cost us 300 dollars, range `800 feet
Assuming cost goes up with the cube of height, triple the height,
shoot 2000 feet in the punkin chunkin youth division.
whee!

[RoadieRich]

I'd learn to fly, and buy a plane with whatever's left. I should be able to get a nice second-hand Piper for that. Any left over after that would be saved towards fuel and landing fees. And getting it painted black with white detailing.

[EmilyR]

Some combination of...
add it to our "renovate the third floor" fund (where "renovate" entails knocking down as many walls as possible without the ceiling collapsing in order to make a single big room)
and/or...
add it to our "sort out marriage party/legal fund"
and/or...
redecorate my dance studio, replace our spa pool & install a new sauna and/or steam room ☺

Well, as chance would have it, we've recently received a fairly large chunk of money (about £12k) and the bulk of it has gone on... none of the above!

7k has gone towards a holiday, and the rest is split between rennovating the 3rd floor & the spa/sauna refurb

[Bakemaster]

What would I do with $10,000? It really depends on the context. I mean, Sarah and I will have saved $10,000 something like four months from now, and we have certain plans for that money (plus however much more we can save in the next 18 months or so). But if someone handed me $10,000 on the street, I'd use it differently. I'd finally go on a honeymoon. I might use the rest to pay off my student debt, or I might just save it for a down payment... I might do a combination of the two. I'd donate a hefty chunk to charity. I might have to pay taxes on it. I might lend some money through Kiva. I'd go out every weekend to a really nice restaurant for a month or two.

[unus vox]

At the moment, I have about 30 grand just sitting around. I don't have any debt, and I don't have any financial obligations other than food/rent/etc. That money's just lying around, collecting interest at an incredibly low rate. I'm fairly young, so I'm keeping it until I need it. I anticipate someday I will quit everything and go on an adventure; $ would make that no problem.

[SummerGlauFan]

Hmm, I would get a new car, maybe also a low-end motorcycle, and probably put the rest in a high-interest bank investment.

Ok, ok, I would probably buy a sword, too. I collect them.

[meatyochre]

tattoo! then put the rest toward rent and food for the next year and play video games all day, every day

[emceng]

I'm bumping this thread because I did come into $5k from a trust made when my grandfather passed away. I still can't think of anything great I would love to use it on. I could renovate my house - but I don't want to live where I am longterm. Why dump tons of money into a home when I intend to upgrade homes in 5-10 years? Similar issues with paying down the mortgage. I have a nice TV, all the major game consoles, a computer that is quite good enough for anything(except Civ5). A vacation would be great, but I don't want to go alone.

[SecondTalon]

I'm bumping this thread because I did come into $5k from a trust made when my grandfather passed away. I still can't think of anything great I would love to use it on. I could renovate my house - but I don't want to live where I am longterm. Why dump tons of money into a home when I intend to upgrade homes in 5-10 years? Similar issues with paying down the mortgage. I have a nice TV, all the major game consoles, a computer that is quite good enough for anything(except Civ5). A vacation would be great, but I don't want to go alone.

Fixing up the house, generally speaking if you put a thousand into the house in fixing it up, you can ask for MORE than a thousand when you sell, up to a certain point of course. Given that you're planning on skipping out in 5-10 years, upgrading now would probably be a bad idea, as it'll get worn and possibly wrecked and need fixing up before you leave.

Paying off the mortgage, though... the more you put in, the less you pay in interest. And if they recalculate every year, it will also reduce your payments. First year or so I was in my house, though the minimum was a little under $700 a month, I paid $800 a month because I had a tenant who was paying me $250 a month... anyway, point being that after a year of paying just a hundred bucks extra a month (so $1200 extra), my monthly minimum on the 30 year loan (now 29) dropped to just a little under $600. $1200 in one year "saved" me $100 every month for the next 29 or until I paid it off, whichever came first. (Other circumstances came into play later, blah blah blah you don't care about my current situation and I'm not telling anyway. Hah!)

So dropping that 5 grand on your house would likely reduce your payments. Of course, you've examined your mortgage bill, and see that of the whatever.. let's say $1000.. more than 50% of that is going to interest alone, right? Reducing the principle reduces the interest owed, which means you'll be coming out more than $5000 ahead in 5-10 years when you sell the house.

Alternately, you could always invest it in something that will allow you to extract your money in 5-8 years, which you'll then use as a down payment or cash to fix up your current home to sell, as that'd fit the timetable you provided.

But that's the responsible thing to do. I suggest a fuckton of comic books and $1000 worth of Twizzlers.

[RandomString]

I'm bumping this thread because I did come into $5k from a trust made when my grandfather passed away. I still can't think of anything great I would love to use it on. I could renovate my house - but I don't want to live where I am longterm. Why dump tons of money into a home when I intend to upgrade homes in 5-10 years? Similar issues with paying down the mortgage. I have a nice TV, all the major game consoles, a computer that is quite good enough for anything(except Civ5). A vacation would be great, but I don't want to go alone.

First, don't worry that your computer isn't good enough for Civ5, it's kind of a disappointment (at least for me). It plays too easy, even on the hardest settings.

Talon's idea about the mortgage might be worth looking into, and indeed was my first thought. However I must remind you, that this thread is not about investments, or charitable giving. You're now bound to spend the money on something irresponsible.

[Midnight]

What would you do with $10,000? There was a thread asking what people would do with an infinite amount of cash. I want to know more practical ideas. What would you really do if you had a moderately large sum of cash and no obligation as to what to do with it.

I also want to avoid lame answers - no paying off your debt, giving it to charity, or lending out to someone. Investments are acceptable, but borderline.

music stuff. Amps, an mbox pro (they have a 3rd generation one, now!), probably another bass, and better cymbals (maybe a better snare with leftover money)

[CombustibleLemons]

Buy a bunch of guns and ammo then become a really good shot.

[++$_]

Paying off your mortgage is a really good investment. If you pay a 5% interest rate on your mortgage, then paying it off ahead of time (and putting the money saved on interest into the mortgage as well) basically gives you a 5% APY (at least until you refinance or sell). You sure aren't going to find a CD with that kind of rate. When you sell, you'll get the money back.

Now, if you think you have a way to get better than a 5% return, go ahead and do that instead. For example, putting at least some of it in a retirement account is probably a better investment. Also, if you think you might be foreclosed on at some point, then obviously don't put the money into your mortgage, because you'll lose it if you default.

Another option is just to keep it on hand as cash. (Note: I mean that you should put it in the bank, not literally keep it "on hand".) One should always have some cash around for emergencies.

[meatyochre]

I'm bumping this thread because I did come into $5k from a trust made when my grandfather passed away. I still can't think of anything great I would love to use it on. I could renovate my house - but I don't want to live where I am longterm. Why dump tons of money into a home when I intend to upgrade homes in 5-10 years? Similar issues with paying down the mortgage. I have a nice TV, all the major game consoles, a computer that is quite good enough for anything(except Civ5). A vacation would be great, but I don't want to go alone.

I'd go crazy a little bit (waste maybe 1k of it on fun stuff, like a new computer! yeah! or rescue a kitten), then put the rest into savings or a cd for better interest. Mostly because shit happens in life and I never have enough savings when shit happens.

[Giant Speck]

I'd hire someone to build a new roof on my parents' house.

[scarecrovv]

As long as I can't just save it or do other boring things, then I'd probably buy a sailboat. And not just a sunfish either. I'd go for one of those big Hobie Cats, like a Wild Cat or an FX One. Those things are a metric fuckton of fun. Then I'd use the left over money to buy a rifle, and learn to shoot it properly. Then I'd buy a can of Pringles.

[hintss]

a reprap and a 100 watt laser gun (goes on with evil plans )

the reprap because I want one, and it will print mounts to put the laser tube on the gun, and a laser gun because, well, its a laser on a gun. Do I need to explain more??

[Link]

Interpreting the "no stock answers" from the OP as "I am given the money only on the condition that I don't put it into savings, or similar standard answers", I'd first get myself a decent oscilloscope ($2k or so), professional soldering equipment ($500-ish), and a macro lens for my camera (let's say $600). Considering there will be a large chunk left (up to around $7k), I might put the remainder into getting a pilot's licence if that, combined with current savings, is enough to actually get it. Otherwise, a regular driving licence (I still need one anyway - $2.5k tops) and laser eye surgery ($2k). The rest, I don't know - maybe upgrade my camera from a Canon EOS 450D to a 7D and some other fun stuff, or travel a bit.

Ignoring the "no standard answers" rule, it's the 'scope, soldering equipment and possibly the lens, and the rest will go into savings.

[Headshrinker]

10 thousand is not a lot by any stretch, if i lived cheap i could take a year of work and write a book or somthing. maybe learn a new skill, read every book i have wanted to. somthing like that.

[tastelikecoke]

I'll take a $10,000, and eat it!

[RoadieRich]

My sole intention was learning to fly
Tongue tied and twisted just an earth bound misfit - I.

(That should be taken literally, not that I'm going to spend it all on hallucinogens, which I recently learned is apparently what that song is about.)

[Aaeriele]

10k doesn't even pay my rent for the year. SF rent is kind of silly.

[hintss]

a reprap and a 100 watt laser gun (goes on with evil plans )

the reprap because I want one, and it will print mounts to put the laser tube on the gun, and a laser gun because, well, its a laser on a gun. Do I need to explain more??

Then spend the rest on a soldering hot air rework station, a metal lathe, a dremel (that top of the line one), the stand thingy for the dremel, a betterer computer, and a small metal foundry.

[Thesh]

I would put part of it away, and put the rest towards the principal on my mortgage.

[charolastra]

Put it into a CD until the Spring when I can buy a car (not driving in 5 years + New England winter = imminent death), then buy something used. Then I'd use whatever is left over to afford said car, such as overpriced insurance and a "how to fix your own car" crash course.

[RLabs]

My college interviewer asked me this and I said I would save it all for college, since that would get me through about two months. I don't think that was the answer she was looking for...

I would probably get a Lenovo ThinkPad tablet for $1,500 (wow that actually was cheaper than I thought...); my current laptop is incredibly buggy and slow and crashes a lot, plus the screen would be useful for art projects. Lots of books. For some reason, I have a weird desire to build a house; I don't know how much money a really simplistic one would cost to build.

[meatyochre]

My college interviewer asked me this and I said I would save it all for college, since that would get me through about two months. I don't think that was the answer she was looking for...

I would probably get a Lenovo ThinkPad tablet for $1,500 (wow that actually was cheaper than I thought...); my current laptop is incredibly buggy and slow and crashes a lot, plus the screen would be useful for art projects. Lots of books. For some reason, I have a weird desire to build a house; I don't know how much money a really simplistic one would cost to build.

Even a simple log cabin would cost you (or someone you hire) many hours in labor. Maybe you could afford a hobbit hole. Or a mobile home!

If you just want to build a house to build a house (and not to live in for yourself), you could look into habitats for humanity maybe?

[Fat Zombie]

This isn't exactly a $10,000 thing (or even a £10,000 thing), but I think it's within the scope of the thread.

If I came into possession of a large sum of money, I now know what I would do with it. I would get myself a pilot license and get a group of people together to do this:

The King Kong Cub

(Maybe with a Piper Cub. But maybe, depending on how well the airframe performed at larger scales, a Spitfire or a Hurricane!)

[PictureSarah]

I have more than $10k in the bank. I am saving it for a house.

[Torvaun]

I would build myself a machine shop. I've recently figured out that metalworking with machine tools is FUCKING AWESOME. And now I want to spend approximately all my time building stuff, but I can't, because I don't have the damn shop, and the machines are too big to steal.

[Kaliayev]

Do a postgraduate course I've been trying to save up for for a while now. My old University offers a Master of Letters course in Terrorism Studies, which I did a couple of modules of when I was doing my Masters, and it costs about £5000 for the whole thing. I intend to use that as a stepping stone towards a PhD.

That would also leave me with roughly £1300 left over, going by the current exchange rate and I'm not entirely sure what I'd do with that. Perhaps spend a few weeks living it up in Prague - I have friends there, and was invited to go there at the end of last summer, an offer I had to unfortunately decline. Going by what my friends said, that sum would go a decent distance there, and I'd like a holiday which didn't involve living out of a backpack and sleeping on buses, as fun as those can be.

[emceng]

Woo, necro! This thread came into my mind again recently. I'm getting a bonus at work in the next month or two. Most of it is going to the $2k in water heater and vet bills I racked up in January. But it still made me think of this. Anyone else have cool ideas?

[lucrezaborgia]

Anyone else have cool ideas?

http://www.polishhussarsupply.com/Armor.html

If you need clothing to go along with it, my husband is the tailor and he is the dude on the immediate right of the top of the page.

[Sheikh al-Majaneen]

I would not spend ten thousand dollars on frivolous stuff...except for a hussar suit + sabre.

[dhokarena56]

Books.

Although, I've always wanted a little cabin in the woods in Finland or the NWT for a winter house.

[PatrickRsGhost]

Someone a while back said money doesn't buy happiness, but it does pay off debt, which is sort of the same thing. It's really the exact same thing. Trust me, as someone who's been eyebrow-deep in the debt shitpile, paying off a credit card or bill is like having a huge weight removed from you. I felt that when I paid off my credit cards, overdue bills from my old house, and paid off my car. When I pay off my hospital bill, I will be 100% debt-free.

If I had $10K, I'd buy me a new bed, probably either a Select Comfort Sleep Number bed, or else a Duxiana mattress. I would also buy a new car. It wouldn't completely pay for a new car, but I'd have enough to put a decent enough down payment to keep my monthly payments more manageable. I would want to get something in the hybrid range, since I drive 65 to 70 miles, one-way, covering a total of about 150 miles every day, which includes the miles commuted for lunch.