Another Thousandaire's Thoughts

Ian had an interesting post a while back. Here is part of the blog entry:

So, by this stage of my life the only thing I want to spend money on is (aside from the obvious like mortgage, food, cable and transportation) is travel. That is never money badly spent.

So, you can imagine the joy in my acquisitive soul when blogger Leslie offered me a cool five grand. That’s right. In her tagging of me she said $5,000 would be laid on me; my personal bailout, if you will. All I have to do is respond to a simple question: What would you do if given $5,000? A nice little sum that. Not a half million, but tolerable. So, when she tagged me you can imagine how jubilant I was.
All I have to do to get my five grand is suggest a worthy use for it. Excellent.

It was only a while later that I realized that the sum was strictly symbolic and that no filthy lucre would change hands between her and me.

I have thought about Ian's challenge. He did not challenge me (insert pouting lips here), but I will take up the challenge nonetheless.

If someone would give me $5,000 with the stipulation that I use it in some way that has an impact on my life, I think I know what I would do. But before I reveal what I consider to be a great answer, I would like to tell you a few things that I discounted.

My first thought was concerning my 401K. Yeah, it needs a little bit of life breathed back into it. I thought about adding to my 401K, but not only is that sort of boring, but it also might not be a good idea as well. I still contribute monthly, but I can't help but thinking I am throwing good money after bad.

Next thought was education - $5,000 will probably be enough for about a year worth of classes at a public institution. It would be an investment in me. But do I really want to go back to school and get a Master's degree. Probably not.

A down payment on a car. I mean, I think automobiles are a bit on sale right now. And my car is getting older. But you know, I think I can stand another year or two before the car starts giving me problems. And it is paid off. A paid off car drives so much better than a car with a note. I don't know why, but there it is.

A ticket to Los Vegas and $4,000 in chips. That would be one way to spend five grand. I have been gambling before, and I just can't get into it. It gives me little joy.

But after careful consideration, I decided that the wisest way to spend $5,000 would be to use it to purchase hours in an art class. A small class where I would learn to paint. When I was in high school, I was a student that enjoyed creating art but was a bit disappointed with what I created. I guess my imagination was at one level, and my skills were at a lower level. I would want to learn to paint, and then paint. And paint.

When one thinks about writing one's own obituary (not that I am sick or wanting to die), one may want to include skills that makes someone unique. I enjoy writing and would eventually want to pen a book, but if I had $5,000 to spend, I would want to buy paints, hours in the presence of an art teacher and canvas. Then turn the blank canvas into something special. Five thousand dollars is not really a lot of money, but it is enough to change someone's . . . anyone's . . . life. The thing is, you have to know how to spend the money.