if money were no object








what would you do if money were no object?
i think about this question a lot.
like what would i do if i won the lottery, which i never play btw.
i have a small list going that involves a sprinkler system
and painting my house.
i don't think i need to win the lottery to accomplish those things but i do wonder what kind of life i'd be living if money were no object.
i think this little video is perfect.

enjoy

xo



31 comments

  1. To keep my house in the suburbs, for the garden, and also have a small apartment in SF in a nice neighborhood. Otherwise, nothing else.

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  2. so glad you shared this, thank you!

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  3. I'd love to set something up that helped old people in terms of company, community and helping them with day to day tasks such as their mail which is so often impenetrable for them.
    Oh and I'd buy a house in Malibu.

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  4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  5. When I was younger, I always said if I did win the lottery (I don't play it either) I would do this and I would do that - seems like it was always something I wanted. As I have matured, now my thoughts are so different. I would make sure each of my grandchildren had a nice car and a nice home. I would give large amounts of money to Make A Wish and other organizations that deal with children with cancer and I have so many friends with needs that I will be priviledged to share with them. Isn't it funny how our desires change?

    Oh yes, I would buy my dear sweet husband a shiny red Corvette.

    Judy

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  6. "Better to have a short life spent liking what you were doing than a long life doing what you didn't enjoy". How very true. What an interesting watch that was.
    I don't play the lottery either but if I came by a load of cash I'd pay off my brother's and all my friend's mortgages, get my hip fixed and buy a round-the-world ticket so I could visit all the fabulous friends I've made through blogging (hope you've got room for a visitor!) xxx

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  7. Truly thought provoking. Thank you. The only piece of wisdom I wish to pass on to my children is to live within your means and to find what you love and do it.

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  8. Pay off my mortgage, get a car that is less than 10 years old and maybe splurge on a pool. Other than that, I wouldn't change much. I would be able to spend more time helping animals and kiddos, physically and monetarily.

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  9. I would put my mother in a condo with 24 hour care....no more nursing home. And I would try to disperse some in different ways like a babysitter for a young mother or college for marginalized kids.
    I would also take me my mother on a cruise (with a nurse of course to assist her).

    I always thought it would be wonderful to be a mystery philantropist. Observing and picking causes and helping out.

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  10. I love that quote. Our best couple friends became crazy rich over the past five years. They were always well off but business boomed and they have tons of dough now. They just seem to buy flashy stuff although they do take good vacations. It makes me realize that money is great but does not buy happiness, at all. They have the comfort of not ever worrying about money now but they still have troubles and issues and their life is not any more peaceful or happy than anyone elses.

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  11. First, thank you for sharing that video, which is very thought provoking (great images and music too). What would I do if money were no object? That is actually a tough question. There are so many things that would be fun to buy. But rather than think about it that way, I prefer to answer this question from the perspective of giving. I would love to start an organization locally to give financial assistance to people who are close to having to give up their pets due to financial reasons. There is a wonderful nonprofit agency in Massachusetts called Fairy DogParents that is doing this, and I'd love to start something like it where I live. I would also donate money to our local theater, which was built in the 1920's, so they can replace all the seats (they're uncomfortable and have no leg room). For myself, I would definitely TRAVEL the world, which is something that takes money for sure!
    Claudia

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  12. Thank you so much Janet! I love this! If money were no object, I would start a foundation aimed at really helping children whose parents on welfare be able to go get post-secondary education of whatever kind they dream of. And I would start community kitchens everywhere around here. Like Tabs, I would do soemthing as well for seniors - maybe make home care more affordable.

    And then selfishly, I would have a little house in France and take up painting!

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  13. Hi Janet! I like your words and agree with you. I can't agree with the man talking in the video though. Better have a short life ...?
    It is not on my to decide how old I will become but it is sure that those years after being retired, will cost more than the state can provide. So I better start saving money for those years, since I don't know how many of those years wait for me. It is difficult! I know people my age (in their 40's) who refuse to save or even work for those years. They just don't care. This attitude is not very common in Austria. Those friends live abroad.

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  14. Great video. Very thought provoking. Not sure I can answer the million dollar question. I loved the point about living a shorter life doing what you enjoy.

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    1. Dear Julie

      Just wait till you get a litle older and closer to what you think of as near the end of a short life and see if you still think like this. I doubt if you will. Particularly if you have children and grandchildren whom you want to see grow up and you want to be around to offer them your love and support.

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  15. Someone once told me that if I were suddenly rich, I would probably do the same things I do now, only more of it. I didn't agree at the time, but now I understand. I would help my children and grandchildren (as I do now), I would travel a bit more and I would exchange staying in hotels for an apartment in Boston and a condo near the ocean. I, more or less, do these things in a smaller way now. I can't think of "things" that I would want. Rather boring, isn't it?

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  16. This video has a virus.

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  17. The first thing I would do is pay off my daughter's huge student loan. It's hanging over her head every day. All I would want would be to help family members live better and maybe give some donations to charities I think are legitimate. I would find a solution to keep my mother safe and sound as she ages. After that, not much. I have a good life right now with a limited amount of money so don't need much more.

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  18. I'd also start some sort of a foundation . . .perhaps to help animals and older people i think.
    I'd hire a vegan chef to come to my home once a week and prepare a yummy vegan meal for 12.
    Then I'd be inviting 12 different people every week to come try vegan food. the goal being to introduce people to healthy and delicious vegan meals. vean eating as a philanthropy-! then i'd buy a small cottage near the ocean... for a vacation home...and like Razmataz says
    I also love to be a mystery philanthropist....observing and picking causes and helping out.

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  19. I would quit my paying job and do all the volunteering that i now dont have time for....habitat for humanity, meals on wheels, mostly i want to be a volunteer 'rocker' in the neonate nursery. All these sound like 'old people' activities but its stuff i really would love to do. Right now, i work at a job i really dont like...i just need the paycheck.

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  20. What a great post. I think having a lot of money would be a real burden unless you put it towards helping others. If I won the lottery I would give most of it away and would not want to change my life in anyway. I certainly would not want to buy more material items. I heard a lady talking on the radio once and she won approximately 30 million AUD. She said that she anonymously donates to charities or keeps her eyes open for ways to help strangers. I love that x

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  21. Thank you for this post! It reminded me to be thankful that I'm able to do exactly what I want to, and that what I do helps people have better lives.
    I live within my means and save all I can, but I don't have a pension or a 401K or a trust fund.
    I'd like to be assured of health care, and that my daughter doesn't have to some day spend her money taking care of me or her dad.
    And it would be SO much fun to drop some big bank on the waiter who just got yelled at because the chef messed up, or the valet parker running in 100 degree weather!

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  22. Great video, and even cooler narration! I'd build a house in the middle of nowhere & travel, travel, travel. I'd also give something back, especially for those elderly who have very little means.

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  23. I'd start a foundation to help people in our community and I'd retire and encourage my husband to do so as well and buy a Golden retriever...
    work in a local food bank or soup kitchen and maybe travel a bit as we have been so busy raising our kids and paying off our mortgage and bills that we haven't seen much of the country or the world.

    It would also mean Mother would never have to worry about going into a seniors centre, we could be there for her and hire someone to be there when we could not.

    Oh and I'd help our kids get ahead...

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  24. Janet,

    The video is really great...not everyone has the luxury of having an occupation that they love, but to be stuck in a job that one hates just to accumulate wealth? No thanks. I will always remember a gentleman that did some tile work for us years ago. He told me that he had worked on many homes belonging to wealthy individuals. His words "I have never seen such miserable people in my life" have always stuck with me.

    Anyway, to answer your question? Wow, it would depend on how much money. I would make my husband get rid of his old truck, and probably move. (I'm with Caroline.. build a house in the middle of nowhere!) Find a charity that I felt passionate about...there are so many!

    Linda

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  25. OMG! what a clever thought in that quote.

    Money is merely a paper (or metal) unless it is useful to someone. The right of changing your life should be only with you and not with money! Love the post and inspirational comments by others.

    xo

    ~ Herman Swan

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  26. I don't know if money would change things....I love shopping at goodwill or any thrift store! I am very happy digging
    in the mud for bottles, rocks or other "treasure". Just the sun on my face makes me happy! Hearing birds, kissing
    our dog and loving life and my family are everything! Change comes from the inside! But....those ole' student
    loans hanging over my children's heads! Money could sure help those!

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  27. What a good thought-provoking question. Your followers are all kind people. The Gardener's Cottage attracts positive and peaceful feelings--My very favorite blog.
    -Suzanne

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  28. I really liked the video, especially the part about doing what you want to do long enough to become a master of it, and likely then someone will pay you for it. This thought reminded me of something I heard about work, and it goes like this: some people just do the work and some people are artists. Anyone, in any kind of work, can be an artist--you can be a janitor who thinks everyone looks down on you for your lowly work and feeling sorry for yourself that you can't get a better job than that, and being resentful of everyone you perceive to be better off than you. Or you can take pride in the quality of your work, the gleaming floors for example, and you can touch the people you come into contact with in the course of your day with peaceful sense of joy...THAT is an artist. And that is what I strive for in my life...to not just do the task grudgingly, but to be an artist in all I do. This change of philosphy changed my life and didn't cost a thing.

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    1. This is lovely!
      Just today I felt like janitor #1 as I wiped off a disgarded mat and picked up a snotty tissue and thought "Do you think I'm your @#&$-ing maid?"
      Well, they might have, but that's not my problem, because the next group of students were so happy to come into an orderly studio and have a great practice on that nice, gleaming floor.
      Thanks for the attitude adjustment :-)

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  29. What fun considering this, and what good comments! I would fix my house or get a new one -- I am not living there because of mold illness. Buy a newcar, same reason. Retire for real without worry. Help my kids, take my husband on a trip, and support select charities with any extra! (BTW, in college I played flute at an upscale Santa Barbara "hippie" wedding officiated by Alan Watts, the narrator.)

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kindness is never out of style.

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