you have a £5 million lottery win, now how Old Style are you?

mrsJeckyl

Love everyone's comments here.

Personally, after clearing debts, I would like move to a slightly bigger house nearer my childrens school so we could walk / cycle there and not have drive all the time.

Have better quality foods (and a bigger kitchen) so I would happily spend more time there.

Spend more time as a family having both educational and fun days out with DH & kids.

Employ a cleaner & gardener (Find a local person and therefore help local community)

Justamum

It would depend on the size of the windfall. I would love to have the security of owning our own home rather than renting and never knowing if the lease is going to be renewed. I was busy doing our household accounts the other day and DH asked if I would still be very strict with the finances if we had no money worries, and I said 'yes'

jools27_2

A few months ago, I inherited £50,000 from my mum's brother, a retired banker who saved, invested, and lived the most frugal life ever. After the initial shock, and staring at the cheque for a while, we debated what to do with it. The mortgage is small and manageable, and although we had few savings we earn enough to have what we need, and a few luxuries, with my love of a bargain and reluctance to pay full price for anything. We could have paid off the mortgage and had a few thousand left, but its only got a few years to go. We decided to invest half in some short/mid term bonds and an ISA, and splurge on some needed wants for the house, so we have a shiny new bathroom and kitchen, and a new central heating system. And I have a shiny new car, first ever brand new one, diesel to save on the pennies as I drive 2 hours to work and back. We know that the money in the bank is a buffer if needed, as OHs pension will not be great, and with changes to the NHS pension scheme I will need to work longer than I had planned, but its ther in case of emergencies. There was also some money left for the kids, which ddhas put into a short term plan, and I have DS money invested till he's 18 and a bit more sensible!
A few years ago, we would probably have moved house, or splurged most of it, but getting older and wiser!

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I just can't bear waste, and like to think even if I suddenly became wealthy that this would still annoy me. I grew up regularly shopping in charity shops and I think the love of a bargain is too deeply ingrained in me. If someone compliments me on what I'm wearing and it was expensive, that's nice, but if it was a charity shop steal, I consider it a great moral victory. Spotting a bargain at a car booty is surely far more fun than just going into a designer shop and handing over your credit card?

I would like to regularly buy some of those nice looking Duchy biscuits in Waitrose. At £2.50 a box that would feel quite excitingly decadent.

katieowl_2

When we downsized - one of our main reasons for doing so was that it would mean we could clear the mortgage. We were only months of not being able to pay it anymore, so it was a huge relief to know that we didn't have to worry about that anymore. With the remaining equity we cleared all our other debts and put some money into the new house to get it up and running for the long term. Things like a workshop for OH and the chickens house and run, raised beds in the garden, and all the work to convert the extension for the B&B. We also replaced one old car with a newer s/hand one.

I had another windfall last year when I was left a little money. I've stashed some of it for a rainy day, and bought a few more things for the 'long haul' to make life a bit easier! I had some work done in the kitchen (I love my new gas hob!) I replaced my magimix after much agonising - to replace just the bowl bits was almost as much as a new one with a new 10yr guarantee. We also had a dip in our income over that period so it tided us over without going into the red. We also had to replace car 2. I've just a little of it left, and part of that is going to replace a window, which will help keep the house warm over the winter.

I do worry about the future, as I've been a SAHM I've never paid into a pension, so it would be nice to to have that worry on the horizon...

But TBH I've been watching the pennies for so long, that even if I won Euromillions I don't think much would change. I've been buying the reduced stuff for so long, I don't think I even know what I'd want if I was given the choice of anything :rotfl:

Kate

euronorris

MuchAdo wrote: »

OH and I were discussing it last night...

It came up as a friend had an unexpected windfall last year - perhaps not a life-changing sum to everyone, but it certainly would be for us!

I said I would want to pay off the mortgage & debts, reduce my working hours and have more quality time. OH said he would buy a new car, move to a bigger house and go on 5* holidays - probably sums us up!

If money were no longer a problem (i.e you could comfortably afford your basic needs and whatever luxuries you like), would you keep your OS lifestyle, or elements of it? Or not?

To me, it would be nice to reduce the penny-watching, but I'm not sure I would ever want to lose the majority of my OS lifestyle. I certainly never want to go back to how I was 10 years ago, or re-join the stress of the 'my house/car/designer bag etc etc is bigger/better than yours' mentality of my former life - I genuinely hope no amount of cash would make me do this, although I guess it would be a test!

Just got me thinking

OH and I have discussed this before. It depends on how much is won of course, but if we won the lottery for example (jackpot), then we would both stop working, find a nice house in the countryside near a waterway, do it up, have kids and BOTH be able to stay at home with them as much as WE like.

We'd also be giving our close family members a sum of money each (hopefully it would be enough to clear each of their mortgages), and a couple of dear friends.

It would also allow us the luxury of being able to indulge in our hobbies and passions, which aren't very MSE, and study for any qualifications we want.

Realisitcally, I think some of OS ways would go out of the window, but other ways would come in (growing own veg, having more time for knitting, cardmaking etc).

After a while, would love to be in a position to start a business. Also, once the essentials are paid for, there is enough for us to live on right through retirement, and we have set up some trust funds for the kids, we would give away the rest to charities.

This is all, of course, based on us winning the €30 million, tax free, jackpot here.

Ahhh, a girl can dream! :rotfl::D

euronorris

chirpychick wrote: »

I would move house to be in a rural area with more land so i could have chickens and the dogs and all our other pets could have plenty of space to roam but just a 3 bed place nothing exotic and i would change my car but only because my car is ancient, unreliable and uneconomical so id want something cheap and economical to run. Other than that no, id keep everything the way it is.

Sorry, I just had to comment as I have a coaster with the image you have for your avatar!

givememoney

We were in that position back in 1993 my father had died and being the only one I sold his flat and made £28,000. This sum seems ridiculous now and it was in the last recession. I would have liked to hold onto it but my husband was out of work and dad owed money on it which had to be paid back.

However, this put us on the road to financial recovery. We saved some, and spent some. Hubby got another job but not very well paid and we had two teenagers at home at the time. We bought some shares, went on holdiay to Florida, bought a brand new car (the first) and tucked the rest away.

Ever since we have fortunately had money behind us and yes I still look for bargains, cook from scratch and try not to waste money.

Glitzer

It depends on the size of said windfall.

We rent and being low earners, if it was enough, we'd like to buy a house. One with a large garden to keep chickens (DH's dream) and have a veg patch (DH's dream). I just want a large secure garden for our toddler DS; we have access to a communal one but there is no gate and we live on a main road so it's a nightmare taking him out into it. I want a large country style kitchen with an AGA and we both love cooking from scratch so that wouldn't change, we always have it's just now we try and make meals go further but I expect that won't change. I now loathe waste!

A smaller windfall and we'd buy a car. Whilst we have good public transport in Bournemouth, the family things to do aren't on bus routes, we can't really do days out anywhere so we'd love to do that more with DS. For us it's not necessarily the cost of entrance fees etc (as we only get one or two family days together a month due to work) it's not actually being able to get anywhere. Plus a car would give us a better quality of life in that we'd be able to join our friends more for days out. I always feel really left out when they go out for the day but there is no room for them to take us too.

Also I'd like to clear our debts.

ETA I would like to be more secure and to be able to spend more on my DS. I always feel guilty when I drop off/pick up from the childminder as she has so much more stuff, which I know is silly as she has to provide such a variety plus she has more space. But it would be nice to run up to Christmas or Birthday without worrying whether I can afford to get him what I want to. Again given he's only 17 months I know that is silly...

Hawthorn

I think maybe what I would change is better quality food (organic grass fed beef/organic free range chicken etc etc) and a holiday a year....nothing too extravagant, just a week at the seaside would do me :rotfl:.

Other than that I don't think so, purely because I LOVE getting a bargain. I get real joy out of picking up a pair of almost new branded jeans for less than a fiver on ebay. I also love buying on offer and storing.

Perhaps I would buy a more economical car or something like that, since my husband is a mobile care worker now. Or get him a pushbike on offer.....even better!

Nope, I'm afraid there's no saving me from my penny pinching ways