Jaci Dawn

Do you do this? Sure, you know you do this. What if I won $7,000/week for the rest of my life from Publisher’s Clearing House? I mean, if you can wade through the tons of unsolicited junk mail they send you after you send in your original entry (and order, because orders *always* get preference, right?). And then there’s the ton of junk that comes in after you pay the bill in full (because who wants to stretch out a $20 purchase over four “convenient” payments?). And nevermind that the items they offer for purchase are basically the same items they offered you in the 1990’s and 1980’s, and are things no one really wants unless they’re 110 years old with nothing to do but add cute crystal kitties to their collection…

OK – my husband talked me into sending in my entry this year. I was not going to do it because of the above, but he insisted. I bought a 3CD collection of old Country-Western songs that I have not yet opened, but which contains a whole lot of my mother’s favorite songs from the 1960’s and some of mine from the 1970’s. I finally recycled the tons of additional junk mail they’ve sent. If my entry isn’t in that first mailing, then I really don’t want that $7,000/month for life.

That’s too much junk mail to wade through.

But, let’s play the game anyway. You win $7,000/week for life.

After taxes, that’s probably about $3,000/week for life – but it’s still more than you’re making now.

I’d like to become a philanthropist. But I’d want to be able to pick my beneficiaries out at random and without their knowledge that I am making that decision to bless/help them. So, no letters accepted of “please help me because…”

Certain animal rescue organizations would benefit, but not PETA or any other agency that is hypocritical in approach. I would also look very closely at the bottom line: how much money actually goes to the cause? World Wildlife Fund would lose. Nature Conservancy and the Xerces Society would be high on my list.

I already donate to Israel and PBS. I’d merely increase those donations. I stand strong with Israel. And I believe in the mission of PBS. Oh – and NANOWRIMO.

Altruism aside, what would I do with that kind of money? I’ve never been a really good financial planner, but I might hire one. Not that I think money is important (it isn’t), but I do believe stewardship of money is probably important.

There’s the usual “I’d pay off these bills”, but I don’t have a lot of those left after years of struggling through credit counseling services. The mortgage, my car payment – ta da!

Family. Hm. That’s a hard one. Would I even want family to know I won the income? Much as I love family, there’s a horrid side to having money when the rest of family is struggling. I’d rather be able to anonymously help them out and not have them know I have the income. You know, keep family as friends and not get into the whole “loan me some…” Because family can never pay you back and family doesn’t really owe you the loan.

Would I move? Probably not. I’d probably go for some remodeling projects, an addition to the house for visiting relatives…

Quit my job? Not right away. I like my job. I like working.

Move east? I know I just said I wouldn’t, but there’s the temptation to move back to a smaller town east of the Cascades, in the high desert country. And… yeah… that would be very tempting.

We have a number of fixer-upper-jobs pending, and they’d have to be taken care of first. I figure that even if we wanted to move, it would be a year before we could do so: bring the house up to market value, fix all of our rigs, de-junk our life…

I’d buy a horse. I want a full-size lawn ornament. Take on a rescue. I’d definitely get a horse. I’d probably buy him about the time we move east of the Cascades and have land on which he can run.