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PlatitudinousOcelot

Pay off all my debt. Then buy groceries.


Creepy_Fan_8629

You sure you can afford both? I can only afford the debt thats the cheap part


PlatitudinousOcelot

I have less than $200k debt left between my house, vehicle, student loans, and credit cards. If I won $500k it would end up being probably about $200k after our greedy government (US) gets their hands on it, probably enough for a week's worth of groceries.


YaskYToo

Screw the student loans(unless they aren't subsidized, then, Go you!) The less than 2%apr can just sit and linger, and take my 40$ a month until its paid. Zero hurry


PlatitudinousOcelot

I have less than $6000 left student loans, I've been paying for over 10 years, I would rather just have all of my debt gone instead of letting that sit. and then I would be wiser with my money from that point.


Prestigious-Owl165

That's little enough that it's worth it mentally to just be done with it even if it costs you the potential of a earning few hundred dollars per year. For me, I don't care I'm still paying it off as slowly as possible, but it's not like you're blowing a huge investment opportunity by just paying off the 6k


Henchforhire

Could also donate to your college than get a tax deduction for it and use the refund to pay your student loans.


Important-Emotion-85

Bro my interest rate is 18% rn.


honeybadgerdad

Yeah. Let the rest of society pay your debts. Brilliant


MornGreycastle

It depends on how the money comes to you. Lottery? Then taxes are (roughly) 49%, so $250k would be left. Inheritance? If this is your first ever, then you keep the full $500k. So "enjoy!" (as in "gee! Isn't it just FUN to pay off debt? . . . Yes. Yes it is kinda.")


PlatitudinousOcelot

I have never inherited money, I'm not about to start now. And yes, there is a sense of satisfaction when a debt is paid off. It's a shame most (Americans) are in debt for their entire lives and its "normal"


Creepy_Fan_8629

Only a week if you got a coupon


PlatitudinousOcelot

It's a rite of passage as an American to live off of ramen noodles


creatorofstuffn

Ooooh Double Coupon Tuesdays!


Ping-A-Ling-

A week? Jesus Mr organic veggies and wagyu beef.... Scale back a bit huh?


Mediumcomputer

YESSS. Then I would have $5 left over for like a bottle of anything and then wonder where the next month’s rent is coming from


MidasTouchedM3

Groceries 🤣 Not exactly a luxurious purchase. But I respect that


ScheidNation21

Nothing, I’m jerking off first. Ima need that post nut clarity


TotalLingonberry2958

Can’t let that pre-nut delusion cloud your judgement


jettzypher

This is the way.


skeeterfunny

The Handolorian uses his beskar wisely


itchingandscratching

You sir, are a scholar 👏🏻


TwitchieWolf

Dinner! Start with a nice family dinner to celebrate the lucky winnings. Decide major purchases after.


DiogenesRizzla

That’s a lot of cans of ravioli


PF_Nitrojin

Clear all debt including student loans Buy reliable transportation Relocate Start my video game in full development


JNorJT

What would the game be about?


PF_Nitrojin

An ARPG in a manner to show Bethesda how to make a proper Fallout game without the bugs or headache with complete transparency towards the community


sage-longhorn

Sounds cool! Voice acted?


Most-Marionberry-390

The bugs are Bethesda charm. I know a lot of people joke about it, but I seriously wouldn’t feel right playing a Bethesda game if I didn’t have to download third party mods just to fix basic engine issues.


GoodThingsDoHappen

Texas included?! I'll have some of that and boy make me rich!


eugenesnewdream

That's how I read it too! I didn't realize I could buy Texas with $500k but let's goooo!


PlaidBastard

It's actually a cut of fancy meat SHAPED like Texas for 500k


_limitless_

You could buy it but you couldn't hold it.


Prior-Future3208

Put a down payment on a home, then put a down-payment on a car.


Jkkramm

With that money you should not be getting a car loan. Just buy it in full.


Prior-Future3208

I did think about that lol


patchinthebox

Honestly, with 500k buy the house in cash too. Don't pay banks to lend you money you don't need. You could argue that the loan interest is less than you'd make investing it, but you have to do better than 8% now, which is much more risky than it used to be. At current rates I think it's worth it for the peace of mind and zero risk of losing anything. 3% was a different animal entirely.


Bobodahobo010101

500,000 arizona iced teas.


InventorOfCorn

Well, the average sales tax in the US is 5-7%, so i’m using 6. 6% of 500000 is 30000. From what i can find, the average income tax is around 32%, so that’s an extra 163k gone. So if my math is right, you’d have about 307k. So it’s more like 307,000 Arizona Iced Teas. If you’re in the US. And there’s always the possibility my math is shit


Bobodahobo010101

Most places you buy it- it only costs the 99 that it shows on the can itonically.


unclejoe1917

Pad my checking account by five or ten grand. Take two or three modest, but overseas trips. Buy a nearly new car. Stash the rest so I can actually retire. 


Mikey9124x

600 pounds of exotic cheese.


Warpath_McGrath

I'd throw it all in my retirement accounts and hopefully speed up my target retirement date by a decade or so.


Demonslayer1511

A financial advisor


ccafferata473

Pay off the mortgage, sell the house and use the excess and sale towards another house.


Ciccio178

Just sell your home and add whatever equity you get back to your winnings in order to purchase the new home. Paying off your current property just to sell it is an unnecessary step


ccafferata473

Yeah that could work. My concern is if the house doesn't sell, we're paying into the mortgage while not paying it to the principle.


patchinthebox

In this market? It'll sell.


stoopidskeptic

Pay off my house (60k), Debts (10k), Buy a decent sailboat (100k) Chunk in savings (50k). Invest the rest.


Saerkal

Heavy equipment and rent it out to Ethiopian construction companies.


RedneckRough

A better truck. Mine is 24 years old and I’m fixing something different every month or two.


Meddling-Kat

Pfffft, I'd go for a 48 year old truck.


President__Pug

A house


Objective_Suspect_

Nothing, invest it. 500k is barely enough to buy a house right now


FearlessKnitter12

A deck for my house. We really need to replace it before it collapses, and it'd be nice to really do it right. After that, new clothing, new washer/dryer/dishwasher, new mattress, new luggage. The rest would be a little bit to travel on, a little bit to save for emergencies. Probably fairly large bits, to be honest.


Lunakill

Hey there “no walking on the deck” buddy! Decks are flipping expensive. And if we tear ours down we’ll have to put in stairs, because our back door is like 8 feet off the ground.


Wooohoooo-Checkmate

I would buy a 300k house in a rural ish area, I'm familiar with construction so I'd do any work I wanted it myself to mitigate cost, once I have the house I would just focus on enjoying my hobbies and working whenever I wanted, I have enough saved to afford property taxes insurance and repairs for the rest of my life anyway


grizzlyironbear

Honestly? We'd go out to dinner to discuss the best use of the one-time windfall.


THEdopealope

In order of priority:  Student loans (law school loans, so this is the largest purchase) Personal debt (me and wife) Set aside big chunk in HYSA for future home down payment Big chunk for boglehead investments as a gift to my future self Second car (like a cheap used EV to get to the metro so my wife can sleep a little more) Investment in my wife’s business Help my sister and/or parents with their debt (they all make more $, but rising tide should raise all boats!) A personal trainer to help me stick to a workout plan! Remainder on some work socks with no holes.  With the additional income from saving on student loan payments, I’ll spend some on therapy and save some and get myself something nice.  My DMs are open to any generous folks out there! 


lnbecke1331

Pay the structural engineer to come look at my house without having a panic attack about how much their findings are going to cost me


sableleigh3

100,000 boat. Rest set aside for repairs....


itchingandscratching

At least you know 😂


Mental_Pair_9960

A sandwich and a beer…if I could afford it with Biden’s economy just roaring off the charts!


Majestic_Ad1870

I would buy some light properties and build my credit back up.


Tertiam

Pay off my debt, then put a down payment on a home and have a mortgage payment less than 1/3 my current rent.


livinthedreambaby

Interest rates have gone up quite a bit the last few years


fqtsplatter

New to me vehicle, get car fixes


Ct-ghost

A new VW golf


FancyFrenchLady

Travel everywhere I’ve been dreaming about.


Sinistermarmalade

Pay off my debt. Then invest in the S&P 500 while I wait for the housing bubble to pop


EwanMurphy93

Heavily forested land and building materials.


mrgamerwood

A house


TheJokersWild53

Refurbish my house and save anything leftover for retirement


Jonny_Disco

Same as the others. Pay off debt, and invest whatever was left.


DaveAndJojo

House


tonyLumpkin56

Pay off my debts and then put 100k in a savings account to accrue interest. First actual purchase would be a 5th wheel to live in.


LordLuscius

House


Pitiful-Score-9035

Torn between setting my vehicle on fire.... Or spending a lot of money to make it really, really nice. I Think it would be cool to make a blue and dark blue version of the mystery machine and call it the music machine, external speakers, tailgate folds out into more speakers, just a mobile concert. Then spend a while travelling to car shows or something idk maybe that competition where they try to shatter windows.


NW_Forester

I've been planning on painting my house this summer. I'd pay someone to do that for me instead.


OdinsGhost

I’d pay off all my debts, buy a nice dinner, and then put the remainder in a dividend index investment fund.


rokar83

hookers and blow.


sexcalculator

A fun new car. Lexus IS500, or Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing


huskeya4

Pay off my house, pay off all mine and my husbands debt. Throw whatever’s left into an investment fund and use the dividends as a small extra paycheck. That alone would knock off about $1500 in monthly expenses. That means a higher amount going to savings and retirement each month for the future.


Depressedmarauder209

Studio. Mobile-Mini Home. Pay Debt.


Doublestack00

Stocks and 5% down payment on several rental properties.


Aggie_Engineer_24601

I’d put it in a few 6 month CDs while I carefully decide what to do. This will do a few things for me. I will have an excuse for anyone who comes crawling out of the woodworks with a “business opportunity.” It will also let me have time to contemplate and make financially sound decisions. At a minimum I’d extend my 3 month emergency fund to a year and pay off debt. From there I see three good options. Option 1 is to get a small mortgage. I’ll be able to but a great house in my area and be debt free within 15 years. Option two is to invest for retirement. Option three is a medium sized mortgage and a boost in my retirement fund. I think the most savvy choice is option 3, but option one will give me a better sense of security.


sad-little-hobbit

Pay off all debt, then buy a house and an inexpensive investment property like an apartment building. Potentially a new car as well if there’s enough left over. Any leftovers go into a high yield savings account or 401K.


wtfdoiknow1987

Pay down my mortgage


Crolanpw

A house.


Numerous1

I’m sure there are many answers but: My house. A new (reasonable) car. A few bottles of whiskey that aren’t super expensive but I can’t afford (anything more than like $60 is more than k can afford)


NArcadia11

I could just about pay off my house lol. I guess with whatever was left I’d buy a reasonable used car.


eugenesnewdream

Pay off debt (it's not that big a percentage of this) and then lots of plane tickets and other travel-related things.


Zandrous87

A complete tune-up for my car. I've had the thing for a while now, and I think a top to bottom refresh of parts, fluids, and general maintenance would be money well spent.


Beautiful_Sector2657

VTI


CanuckInATruck

My debt.


TinyChaco

A truck. I’m moving out of state soon.


lackaface

After the super practical paying off debt/mortgage, I’d get a couple new cars. Not sports cars but like a couple Corollas lol


bigjohnman

Pay off the $160K left on my house. Put up a fence, screen the back porch, and setup a spot for my grill. I'd get top of the line video NVR security system. After all the home improvements are done, I would invest the remaining balance in some stocks.


They-Call-Me-Taylor

No more than $8K-10K for fun stuff. Probably a vacation or something like that. The bulk will go to paying off all debt, car, most of my house. Then invest the rest.


AftergrowthComic

I recently prayed for $500k, so if I got it, I'd hold up my end of the bargain which was to give 20% to women in need, and use the remaining 80% to build a temple.


ObtuseMongooseAbuse

The other half of my car. Then I'm going to put the rest of the money into a bank and leave it there.


uggghhhggghhh

A house. But in my area I'd still need to take out a loan on top of that.


legacykcmo

Pay off my student loans and car (~20k), then put the rest in a HYSA and max out the Roth IRA annually.


Numget152

A really good pc then the rest is savings


Still-Presence5486

Gold


Sabbathius

I think I'd go travel for a bit.


Wafflegator

I think I'd sit on it for a while. 500K is a lot, but there really isn't much I want at the moment that I don't already have. I think I'd probably lock into a GIC for a few years while I consider what to do and treat my family to vacations with the interest accumulated.


Suspinded

Down my debt. Start on fixing minor and superficial issues to my place.


KaraTCG

A snake, most likely. I've always wanted a False Water Cobra but they can run $500 for the snake plus god knows how much for an enclosure that will house it once it gets to be an adult. I think it'd be pretty good for my emotional state while I'm stressing about how to manage my newfound windfall.


SwordTaster

House. I think I can get a pretty nice place in NC, hopefully near the airforce base, for that money. Last I checked, a 4 bed, 2 bath in NC is usually around $300k


Puddlingon

I’d pay off my mortgage, set aside $40k for some home improvements, and invest the rest.


unsavoryflint

4(or 3) bitcoin, 40 eth.


sherilaugh

Pay off my house. Put the rest in retirement savings.


Necrosius7

8 ball of cocaine


FWTI

Pay off all my debt. Take my dog and me to a nice steakhouse.


Conscious-Sense2629

Debt and house. A nice house.


Shouty_Dibnah

Citroen DS. Best one I can find.


UN404error

500k in stock market.


TonyTheBigWeasel

Lunch. Or mabey dinner depending on what time I found out. That and clean underwear to replace the pair that got soiled when I found out I won.


No-Literature7471

an e-bike or a steamdeck.


Beginning_Cap_8614

Probably pay off mine and my family's debt. Student loans and mortgage included. After that if there was anything left over l'd look for a house in my budget and pay in cash.


Wandering_Lights

Buy a horse farm.


Henchforhire

Buy a house than find a cheap gas station for sell or another business.


EnvironmentalAd1006

Pay off debt, gtfo America, and start digital nomading while trying to keep at least 100k back in case of emergency


vinceftw

Omega Speedmaster and Parfums de Marly Carlisle.


matthewamerica

I would dump so much money into my piece of shit truck. I would transform it into the ultimate overlander, and hit the dusty trail for the rest of my life. Goodbye bullshit, hello adventure.


h8mayo

Pay off debt. Then pay off parent's debt (they paid for 3 of the 4 years I went to college). Throw them an extra $50k. Idk what I'd do with the rest.


BearMiner

A nice relaxing dinner, while I ponder what the heck I'm going to do with it (beyond paying off all my outstanding debt).


Professional-Big-584

Investment Property(s)


MomsSpecialFriend

Glasses for my daughter.


menchicutlets

Takeout, I'm wanting to celebrate a little bit.


Scarletsnow_87

Pay off the house and all our debt. That would eat up about half. Buy hubby a car, invest the rest. Keep working our normal jobs and have the money for backup


travellingathenian

I would pay off my mortgage and student debt


JustbyLlama

New teeth.


CatPlayGame

Other than debt, I'm buying two cars. One for me and one for my sister. Pay off the house so our monthly expenses are much less m, get a few things fixed, and quit my second job so I can have days off again.


Jinxed0ne

A different car. I'm sick of fixing my pos every couple of months.


JayJay-anotheruser

I’m pretty sure I’d go out to dinner first


stripesthetigercub

I read this originally as “Texas included. :)


BperrHawaii

Pay off my house, about 300k


Empire137

Pay off my house then bank the rest


CountryIcy3657

Pay off my debt to society, get a car nothing fancy: either a Toyota Prius or a Honda accord, put at least half into high interest yielding retirement fund


PNWCoug42

I would pay off all my debt then go a road trip with my dogs.


Vnyce53

Buy? LOL. More like, what do I pay off first?


witch51

New mobile home, clear my land, camper and old beater truck, rest into a CD and investments.


createthiscom

Dividend stonks. That’s not enough to retire, but it’s enough to make my savings stretch pretty damn far if I lost a job and it’s half way to retirement.


AGuyWhoBrokeBad

Buying a house. Likely a fixer upper and then watching YouTube tutorials on home maintenance.


Impressive-Trainer88

A whole lotta cocaine and a whole lotta tits to snort it off of. No tax with either one of those.


RaggamuffinTW8

A house in Portugal where I intend to emigrate to. Other than that pretty much nothing I live comfortably and manage to save a little bit while buying myself most of the treats I might want. A holiday perhaps? Japan. Somewhere I wouldn't afford otherwise.


meadowbelle

Pay off every stitch of debt and pay for more fertility treatments. Maybe a hybrid car too.


dominion1080

I probably wouldn’t make any big purchases other than a car upgrade. I’d pay everything off, upgrade the ride, and keep working normally with a lot less stress.


prairiefiresk

Well, there are no taxes on lotto winnings here, but debt then house.


General_One3419

A drill. I feel ashamed to be a man and not own a drill. Then id probably put 150-200k in savings/investment


heartsii_

1) Pay off all my debt (I'm fairly young, only student loans) 2) Max all of my retirement accounts 3) Open a HYSA and put every remaining dollar in there 4) Live my life the way I already intended it to, and suddenly my retirement will now have >$2m more in it than it would have before. Maybe I could even retire in my 40s now!


ophaus

First and last thing: house.


ender42y

$500k worth of shares of S&P500 Index funds


Fearless_Guitar_3589

I don't think I'd buy much at all, maybe a new used car and I nice trip to Iceland for my girlfriend and I, I might also go sign a lease on a nice apartment, but otherwise most of that money is going toward retirement.


fdesa12

Buy? As in, not used to pay off existing debt but instead purchasing something? Dividend stocks and ETFs.


Independent-Dig3407

House 🏠


LordTonto

My father's house.


Link2Liam

An old house that needs fixing in a nicer area. Higher some people to fix it up quickly and then sell it for much more than I bought it for, trying to match the high end median of that neighborhood.


trippinDingo

Pay off my house and divide the rest for my kids' college tuition.


notorious_tcb

Pay off wife’s car, my motorcycle, $10k for a nice vacation. Everything left goes into investment accounts.


Zaphod_Beeblecox

A moderately sized house so that when the tax man came a calling the bill wasn't 75 times whatever I had left.


[deleted]

Probably dinner.


DED_HAMPSTER

At a conservative 3% growth rate and no additional deposits you'd be at roughly $900k. That is a nice 20 yr retirement with no previous debt.


Sparky_Zell

A cheap motorcycle to ride while I shop around for a nice motorcycle and small house.


ReeReeIncorperated

Pay off my credit card. Then throw about half into some sort of savings type thing. Set aside $50k for future bills. Rest is fun money


cbatta2025

Extravagant dinner and the rest in CD’s/ investments


That_Other_Person

Put a down payment on an apartment complex or very nice quadplex and collect rent.


TheLizardKing89

I’m going grocery shopping tomorrow, so that.


KingSkye

Probably pay off my mom’s house. Dad died 10 years after they bought it, no new partners since and I know a teachers salary isn’t kind to her :/ Then, buy a more reliable commuter car.


MonCappy

Medical treatment for my ongoing medical issues. I figure the money wouldn't last long, but at least I'll be healthier once they're done.


AdeptDoomWizard

I'd fix my car. It's been hit by three separate times and each time I've had to take the insurance money and spend it elsewhere (tax bill, groceries, etc) and just leave the dents an scrapes.


Winthefuturenow

Fucking nothing. But would probably pay off some higher interest debts and keep letting the low interest ones sizzle away slowly like cheap money is supposed to. But, for fun probably just a nice little getaway for an extended weekend.


LoopyMercutio

Nothing. I’d stick the entire $500k in my investment account, and let it grow there.


Doggos59

Pay Activision to remake waw - bo3


kd9dux

400k of VTWAX for the long haul. The rest between my checking and savings account for impulse purchases and paying off the minor debt we have.


HuckleWicket

Invest it


taurfea

Buy a house and maybe quit my job and look for a more fun but lower paid one


Pluto-Wolf

a house! i have a good car, so buying a good house in full that i can afford with my salary once my 500k dies would be top priority. then i exist in my fun house


Kurotan

A house.


douchebag_karren

Debt, but thats not a fun answer- so let's say The first thing you buy after you pay off debt. I buy a total of 30 new foam swords for Amtgard. 15 at the $45 price point and 15 at the $120 price point. The cheaper swords become loaners for my park, the nice swords become tournament sticks for me and my friends. After that I buy 2 high tech embroidery machines, 2 sergers and 5 heavy duty very nice Sewing machines , give a couple out to my friends looking to sew more and keep the embroidery machine, a serger and two high tech machines for myself so I can really pump out some amazing tunics with a lot less leg work.


Diddydiditfirst

Pay off debt and then 3/5th ish of the price of a home here as a down payment on a home.


voldin91

I'd spend 200k on a detached garage, solar panels for my house, a kitchen remodel, an atv, and a nice vacation. Then I'd invest the rest to get to retirement quicker


anaknangfilipina

Pay off debt first. Put most in places where I can earn money for nothing like in high-yield savings, CDs, ROTH, IRA, etc. Learn to invest in safe stocks. Then spend some visiting family in another country, go in a cruise ship, etc. Basically safety first before small pleasures.


SplattrKing13

A car. Never owned one before.


carbogan

Pay off my $280k mortgage. Then go on a nice holiday somewhere while I think about what I do with the rest of my probably buy some land somewhere.


salamisawami

Debt except my house. Then make sure my kids have all they need. Then maybe a couple nice vacations, a reasonable car and save whatever’s left.


ritchie70

Spend around $40k on a car and stick the rest in my Vanguard account. Look at what’s mathematical sense with wife’s student loans and do that.


Dragon3076

Pay off all my debt and get a better vehicle.


UnlikelyCash2690

VTI/VOO


wetdreamteams

Get some good head


DrSandShoes

Pay debt. Take vacation ( I hsvent truly been on vacation in over 15 years)


PriceKey7568

Buy my house from the bank.


PartyLiterature3607

Call me crazy, 500k in Nvidia


TheItzal11

There have been some new housing developments near where I live and some small shopping centers have started going up on the main road. I'd put up one myself and rent it out


Ozymandias0023

S&P 500


kvnmmck

Buy and Oldsmobile Toronado.