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Unexpected financial windfall- what to get?

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Ok, so I got more money than I thought for my birthday, and that combined with some spartan living here of late has left me in the weird position of having some extra scratch.

The question: what the fuck do I do with this cash? I've got about a grand or so tucked away right now, and at the end of the month you might as well tack on another 200-300.

What I'm considering:

A) An Apple iBook. I've never had a laptop before. What the fuck? Also, don't tell me to get a pc notebook instead. Fuck off.

B) Late August vacation. I could take 2 or 3 weeks off from work and drive around the country, breaking out of my routine of getting drunk in Atlanta and instead getting drunk with scattered friends and acquaintances all over the country and up in Vancouver.

C) Raoul's Rainy Day Fund. I'm seriously considering starting a savings account and just dumping all of this shit into it. I don't particularly like my job, and as long as I keep living simply I'm gonna put away 200-400 per month into a savings account. That way, if my job pisses me off I can give them the finger and still live for a little while without having to get another job right away.

Whatever I do, I will enjoy it, but I think that if I tuck the money away I'll feel better in the long run. What say you bastards?
 
"C) Raoul's Rainy Day Fund. I'm seriously considering starting a savings account and just dumping all of this shit into it. I don't particularly like my job, and as long as I keep living simply I'm gonna put away 200-400 per month into a savings account. That way, if my job pisses me off I can give them the finger and still live for a little while without having to get another job right away."

That one gets my vote although anytime you put something noteworthy in the bank, set aside a little for fun. Putting an unexpected 1.1k in the bank and blowing $200 sounds like a plan.
 
Save the money.

Or rather don't treat a financial windfall as one... but rather as part of your regular income.

At least that's what rich people and investment gurus suggest... but I have a saying that... money spent in your youth is worth much more than money spent old. But the collarary to that is, it's alright to spend money building equity (or saving it) if you also derive some amount of satisfaction and assurance from it.
 
Raoul Duke said:
Ok, so I got more money than I thought for my birthday, and that combined with some spartan living here of late has left me in the weird position of having some extra scratch.

The question: what the fuck do I do with this cash? I've got about a grand or so tucked away right now, and at the end of the month you might as well tack on another 200-300.

What I'm considering:

A) An Apple iBook. I've never had a laptop before. What the fuck? Also, don't tell me to get a pc notebook instead. Fuck off.

B) Late August vacation. I could take 2 or 3 weeks off from work and drive around the country, breaking out of my routine of getting drunk in Atlanta and instead getting drunk with scattered friends and acquaintances all over the country and up in Vancouver.

C) Raoul's Rainy Day Fund. I'm seriously considering starting a savings account and just dumping all of this shit into it. I don't particularly like my job, and as long as I keep living simply I'm gonna put away 200-400 per month into a savings account. That way, if my job pisses me off I can give them the finger and still live for a little while without having to get another job right away.

Whatever I do, I will enjoy it, but I think that if I tuck the money away I'll feel better in the long run. What say you bastards?
Click to expand...


The vacation sounds the best of the those options, followed by the laptop, and followed by saving it. If you have enough for a iBook why not take a trip abroad with some friends? I love this country, but for a good vacation you need to get away.

I am not one to talk though, I am pretty frugal most of the time. Except when it comes to coke and hookers of course.
 
Seriously buddy, you have to save it. It's definitely the best way to go, just spend a couple hundred. You can probably find something just as fun as a laptop to buy with that much.
 
temp said:
Seriously buddy, you have to save it. It's definitely the best way to go, just spend a couple hundred. You can probably find something just as fun as a laptop to buy with that much.
Click to expand...
Yeah- shitty coke and cheap hookers... grumbles...
 
Save it. The other two seem like a waste unless you just have to play a game on the couch in your underwear on your ibook (that's understandable!). But saving it is the best option. If you can't decide on how to spend it, chances are you'll be disappointed a little after you put all that cash down. Keep saving and when you see something you really want, you know you have the cash for it. Saving is the hardest thing to do, but it's also the most satisfying in the long run. Plus, when it rains it pours, and you don't want to be caught without any savings.
 
I was going to say that you could put it into an IRA, but it looks like two other people already have the "save it" theme down.
 
Zaptruder said:
Save the money.

Or rather don't treat a financial windfall as one... but rather as part of your regular income.

At least that's what rich people and investment gurus suggest... but I have a saying that... money spent in your youth is worth much more than money spent old. But the collarary to that is, it's alright to spend money building equity (or saving it) if you also derive some amount of satisfaction and assurance from it.
Click to expand...

This is very wise advice - both practically and philosophically.

+1
 
C) Raoul's Rainy Day Fund. I'm seriously considering starting a savings account and just dumping all of this shit into it. I don't particularly like my job, and as long as I keep living simply I'm gonna put away 200-400 per month into a savings account. That way, if my job pisses me off I can give them the finger and still live for a little while without having to get another job right away.
Click to expand...


Do that. And after a while, if you don't need to dip into it to support yourself, it becomes a nice little nest egg for later on in life.
 
Raoul Duke said:
B) Late August vacation. I could take 2 or 3 weeks off from work and drive around the country, breaking out of my routine of getting drunk in Atlanta and instead getting drunk with scattered friends and acquaintances all over the country and up in Vancouver.
Click to expand...

Do this, but fuck Vancouver. Hang out with the Seattle area Gaffots.
 
Zaptruder said:
Save the money.

Or rather don't treat a financial windfall as one... but rather as part of your regular income.

At least that's what rich people and investment gurus suggest... but I have a saying that... money spent in your youth is worth much more than money spent old. But the collarary to that is, it's alright to spend money building equity (or saving it) if you also derive some amount of satisfaction and assurance from it.
Click to expand...

With your saying, are you saying it's worth more in that you should be saving it, or that it's more logical to spend money during your youth?

I'm not quite sure I understand your saying. The fact that it's 2am may have something to do with that but I would be very appreciative if you could explain what exactly you mean.
 
Phoenix said:
If you've got credit of any kind - pay down/off your debt.
Click to expand...
^

also as much as I would suggest A or B being excellent choices, C is really the way to go IMO. Just make sure and stick to your plan. I once pissed away a thousand bucks (over several months) that I thought I was going to "save" I got extremely mad that I hadn't just bought something cool with it.
 
Yeah I'd have to say I'm in the save your money camp, I like to have a 1000+ dollars in the bank at all times myself. It takes a little while to save that up though. So far I bought a PSP and a new computer this year and I still got 700 to my name and no debt.

Unless you havent' been on a good holiday in awhile I'd suggest just stashing the money for when something better comes along, or in the case of job loss, something worse...
 
morbidaza said:
With your saying, are you saying it's worth more in that you should be saving it, or that it's more logical to spend money during your youth?

I'm not quite sure I understand your saying. The fact that it's 2am may have something to do with that but I would be very appreciative if you could explain what exactly you mean.
Click to expand...

Personally the way I'd take my advice is that there needs to be a good balance. Spend some now and enjoy it, and save some for later; you can enjoy the money you save right now through the assurance you get right now. But you can also spend that money later... except it won't be quite as sweet as when you're in the prime of your life, when you're poorer!
But you'll only be poorer now if you save... if you don't save, you'll be poor forever!

Well, as far as practical advice goes, Raoul should save his money for a bigger more awesome purchase... like a HDTV! I doubt that 1000$ will go into anything like a retirement fund or even used as a deposit or some such on a house or investment... which is kinda more old man stuff.

In summary... balance! (of immediate satisfaction and savings!) Ultimately, you'd want to spend everything you earn, rather than have a glut build up at the end and not been able to enjoy it all... but you also don't want to be left without anything towards the end.
 
Well, I've decided to save it. But I'm gonna keep adding to it each month, as I practice my mindful spartan living. The goal: build up enough of a reservoir to travel all over the country in style sometime early next year. Hell, traveling itself probably won't be that expensive as I know someone within a day's drive of the next poor bastard. I'll probably just have to spend money on gas and rations(food, booze and the like).

And yes, we will DEFINITELY be going into Bat Country. And a Vancouver stop would imply Seattle, of course, although I'm not too sure that you poor bastards are ready for me. I am, after all, a professional... something or other.
 
If you haven't pissed away $1000 in your life yet, then do it. Then you've ticked that box. But if you can, save it.

I'm always spending my bonuses rashly, based on them not being 'real money'. The last one I treated as income, and it helps - its the same as me getting an extra £200 a month for a year, so thats my savings sorted out.



seriously, what beats coke and hookers? SERIOUSLY
Click to expand...

Coked up hookers.
 
CabbageRed said:
"C) Raoul's Rainy Day Fund. I'm seriously considering starting a savings account and just dumping all of this shit into it. I don't particularly like my job, and as long as I keep living simply I'm gonna put away 200-400 per month into a savings account. That way, if my job pisses me off I can give them the finger and still live for a little while without having to get another job right away."

That one gets my vote although anytime you put something noteworthy in the bank, set aside a little for fun. Putting an unexpected 1.1k in the bank and blowing $200 sounds like a plan.
Click to expand...

IAWTP
 
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