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HomerandomIf you had to be selfish.

If you had to be selfish.

It’s Friday mother lovers, and you better be prepared to love your mothers well this weekend since it’s all about them. Love ya mom 🙂 Since you all have likely checked out mentally in anticipation of the upcoming weekend, I figured it’s a good time to engage the PDITF audience and promote some community interaction. I pose a simple question:

If you could be selfish with $5,000 what would you do? 

See what I did there? I said you had to be selfish with it. So  don’t think you’re getting off easy, taking the moral high ground, pretending you are going to donate this hypothetical $5k to charity, use it to pay off debt, contribute to retirement, or some other noble/responsible purpose.

No! Today you must be greedy. You have to use that $5,000 on something that only (or PRIMARILY) benefits you. It’s okay to be hypothetically selfish, so don’t feel bad.

If I had $5 g’s to selfishly blow, no questions asked, I would, WITHOUT A DOUBT, go buy myself a motorcycle. I sold my street bike over two years ago now (exchanged it for that tiny little diamond that sits in Girl Ninja’s ring) and would love to get another. Nothing beats the feeling of wind rushing across your face as you ride down the street.

It would be totally selfish of me to buy a motorcycle, not necessarily because of the money spent, but because Girl Ninja DOES NOT want me to have one. Although she herself admits she understands why I enjoy riding a motorcycle so much, to her it just isn’t worth the inherit risks and exponentially increased danger factor. Probably doesn’t help that my dad was in a motorcycle accident a few years back that resulted in the near amputation of his leg. Instead he got off “light” with a muscle transplant, multiple skin grafts, a permanent limp, and one gnarly looking battle wound. Yup, doesn’t look like I’ll ever get the blessing to own a motorcycle again, thanks a lot dad 😉

So reader, I’d buy a bike with my $5,000. What would you do? And what keeps you from doing it?

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57 COMMENTS

  1. Haha, small world. I would do the exact same thing as you. Buy a new dirtbike. I already have one but it’s getting on the old side to keep racing. Maybe 2 or possibly 3 years left in it I think.

    A big reason why I’m not buying a new bike is because the one I have runs well enough for now. Plus we are trying to actively pay down debt and free up extra cash to pay down our mortgage faster.

  2. I would build up a machine shop in a closet. A micro lathe and micro CNC mill would eat up about $3000. The rest I would spend on tooling, materials and legit software.

  3. I had just made the decision to sell my motorbike (Yamaha R1) but now I am not so sure! If I had 5k I would book another dive holiday (little bit obsessed) 🙂

  4. I would get laser hair removal. I have a condition that includes excess growth, and I spend an insane amount of time dealing with it. So for a cool 5k….I would never have to deal with it again. SWEET.

  5. Either: a trip to an expensive location I’ve never been to like China or Japan. Or a nice painting or drawing in that price range.

    What keeps me from doing it? At 63 2/3rds, retirement is too close to reality that I have to be concerned about excess spending.

  6. Definitely a vacation to Europe. Though I’d also be tempted to blow it on consumer items like clothing and electronics.

  7. I’d say it’s a toss up between flipping some Facebook IPO shares or extending my upcoming two week vacation by another two weeks. I’d probably go with the FB stock and hope it yields enough to do the other option.

  8. EITHER: A new computer (mine is on it’s last freakin’ leg…) and a nice vacation for the BF and I (I’ve always wanted to go to Morocco)

    OR: A new bed frame and mattress. I got our current one at a used furniture store for $75 – frame, headboard, mattress and box springs all included (it sounds gross, but I promise it’s legit). We have no idea how old the bed is, and while it’s fine for now, it is the number one piece of furniture we need to replace (we have mostly used/hand-me-down furniture, most of which we love, but a few pieces eventually need to be replaced).

  9. Professional weight loss help, like a personal chef and trainer in my house every day, and a full workout room.

  10. I’d go on vacation to India.

    Or I’d have the family room renovated. Ceiling tiles, be gone!

  11. I’m a bit of a geek so I would buy a 1909-s VBD Lincoln cent. A really nice version of it. It’s such a pretty coin and fairly rare in good shape.

    What’s keeping me from doing this? My wife, she only kind of understand my coin collection and doesn’t really like the idea of me spending 5K on a penny!

  12. Weeellllllll, if I am not allowed to pay off my dept with this money……..I would take a class to become certificate to teach English as a second language. Find a job overseas and use the other part of the 5K to get over there (i.e. plane ticket, set up housing, etc). What is stopping me from doing this now: I have to pay off debt, and I need to save up to go overseas; so basically what is stopping me now, is lack of money.

  13. Depends on what you consider selfish. If a downpayment on a new-to-me car counts, then I would totally do that. My car runs just fine, it’s just getting up there in miles/years. Or at least, it’s getting up there enough that I have started thinking about how much longer it will last.

    If that’s not “selfish” enough:

    BF and I would go to NYC and pretend to be rich for a weekend. And maybe buy 2 tickets to a major SEC game and all related expenses (hotel, rental car, plane ticket, booze) — if the money stretches that far.

  14. Put it toward our house downpayment, or pay for a winter vacation for the family next year. Pretty standard. What stops me? Uh, I don’t have $5000 to spare.

  15. I would probably quit my job, combine the money with my accrued vacation time payout from HR, give my husband my reliable car, sell his clunker, and RELAX FOR A MONTH. Just live life without the stress of my commute, job, or juggling everything we have to do. I would then get a local, walkable job–any job–to fill my time a bit more, maybe part time, and then apply to the year-long intensive tech program I’ve been wanting to do forever.

  16. Our 10th Anniversary’s coming up… rather than spend it in North America (west coast of Canada to be exact), we’d pool the extra $5K with our vacation fund and go to Europe. We’d definitely go to France, Belgium, Holland, Italy, etc… maybe even sneak over to Croatia (my mother-in-law’s Croatian and Hubby speaks the language fluently). Trust me, if we had the extra 5K, we’d be Europe-bound in October!

  17. I just got a quote for invisalign for $5200 for treatment (before any insurance and such kicks in). I would pay for my invisalign.

  18. I would extend and get a cover for my deck. I love sitting/eating outside in the nice weather, and my current deck is way too small. I’ve thought of doing it but not ready to bite the bullet or write the check just yet!

  19. I would get expensive pots and pans and cookware for my kitchen (All Clad, Le Creuset) and some super expensive knives. What’s stopping me? Being entirely unwilling to drop that kind of cash to replace the serviceable but un-sexy kitchen stuff I already own!

    (My recently-widowed friend would tell your wife to stand firm on the motorcycle thing.. all the life insurance in the world won’t replace you!)

  20. I would so sqeeze as many trips as I could out of that (Antarctica, Scotland, England, Japan – in that order). Unfortunately, there’s a mortgage on the house and in the interest of trying to never be homeless, most of my play money goes to paying off the mortgage.

  21. Interesting question sir. If it had to be selfish it only benefit me, so I would probably use it to get a decent paint job on my 1976 vw bus.

    I’m so used to thinking of responsible ways to spend the money we have that I had to stop and think of an answer! I guess that’s a good thing..haha.

    • We had a ’73 and got it painted (it was primer grey when we bought it) and we LOVED it! Unfortunately we had to sell it due to an upcoming move, but it will go down in history as my favorite car ever.

  22. Shoes. Clothes. Bras and bathing suits that actually fit. A personal trainer to help me design a fitness and diet plan for weight loss that actually fits within my physical and dietary limitations/needs.

  23. If I was being good selfish, I’d use the 5k for my student loans. If I was being bad selfish, I’d go on a mini shopping spree and buy a couple designer handbags. 😀 What keeps me from doing it? I don’t have that 5k!

  24. I think I’d start w/ lasik to fix my eyes. It would be lovely to be able to read the alarm clock w/out glasses. Then I think I’d go shopping- kitchen gadgets, clothes, ect.

  25. I would buy me a new computer and a vacation ANYWHERE (I have never been on one). What’s stopping me? Not having the 5 grand!

  26. I would pay off some debt… because it would ease some stress. Lack of money prevents me from doing this but, I keep on trucking making the payments that I can 🙂

  27. I’d get out of the United States for a few weeks with my wife. Maybe go to Fiji, Aruba, or Thailand. All inclusive of course.

    • Forgot to add what’s stopping me….two things. 1. While technically I have money in my “mommy make-over fund” I feel guilty doing it even though I saved for it already. 2. Recovery.

  28. I would buy a bike (no, not a motorized one), buy some new climbing gear, blow some money on clothing and eating out (sushi! and thai food! and taco trucks! oh my…) and use the rest for an awesome vacation!

  29. I’d buy the car I looked at this week. An extra $5,000 off the price would be enough for me to go ahead and do it now, but since I don’t have this hypothetical $5,000 I’ll just have to wait awhile longer.

  30. I am going to Australia in February so 5K could help with a bump up to a first class seat!

  31. What would I do? Get a lot of hookers and a lot of beer.

    What keeps me from doing it? My wife

  32. I would either buy a scooter in turquoise blue, or go on a ridiculous shopping spree, enter all the stores I always walk past cuz I’m afraid I can’t afford anything in there!

  33. I would buy a 1999-2002 Infiniti G20. I love that body style and they are great on gas! But I actually have the cash to do that because I saved for it. Now I just need to find one…

  34. A 6-day trip to Latin America: Brazil and/or Argentina. Shoes, steaks and caiparinhas!!! I think with $5K my boyfriend can come with but he won’t get any shopping money :). I’m so selfish!

  35. I would purchase a makeup kit, a DSLR camera, an iPhone, a blog design for my other blog, and I would take a trip to Vegas. The only thing stopping me is time. I plan on purchasing all of these things soon, just trying to be smart about it.

  36. Laser eye surgery. I have the type of vision that requires the pricey type of laser eye surgery, not the bargain $500/eye type. I am almost legally blind without my glasses, and having the surgery would mean no more glasses for me!! So exciting, as I’ve worn them since I was 11. What keeps me from doing it is a mortgage, need to save for retirement, and upcoming daycare costs, which will totally kick my budget in the butt!

  37. I would probably split it up into various things. One would be a vacation. Another would be clothes. My wardrobe needs a major face lift. I’m sure I could find a few other things here and there. I’d want to stretch that 5,000 a bit…

  38. I thought I knew what I would do, but after reading some of the comments, I’m inspired by some of these great ideas! At first, my inclination would be to go on *real* vacation – no offense to my family, but most of my “vacations” are visits to them, and none of them live anywhere tropical or exotic. But I do love the idea of a wardrobe overhaul and laser eye surgery – I have worn glasses since I was 8 (although looking back, I probably needed them since I was 4 or 5), and I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to wake up and be able to see.

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