"If I Were A Rich Man"

Have you ever wished you owned a money tree?  I think all of us wished this at one point as a child.  I don't wish for one anymore, because a money tree would come with all sorts of problems.  You'd have to water it and PROTECT it from people who would sneak onto your property at night and steal from you!

I do have wishes and dreams about financial freedom.

No.  Not dreams of getting out of debt.  We have a couple of small debts, but compared to many in this country, we aren't buried in it.

I dream (OK, daydream) about money not existing.  About simply being able to have whatever I want without having to come up with the money for it.  Like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof when he sings "If I Were A Rich Man"...

I bet I'm not the only one.  I am willing to bet that most people have a list of the things they'd do and/or buy if there was no limit to their budgets.  So, here is my list of the things I would do and/or buy if I had a never ending cash flow (or money wasn't a requirement for having the list fulfilled).  The list is organized in timeline order.  That means that I'd do number one first, then march on down the list until everything on it is accomplished!

1. Get my varicose vein removed.  While my blessed youngest child was in utero, he 'sat' predominantly on the right side, cutting off the blood flow to my right leg and creating this oh-so-attractive varicose vein going down my inner thigh and knee.  It can get painful if I stand too long.  I know I should have it removed since it is a medical issue, but I keep putting it off because other medical concerns always take precedence, like Helena's braces, or Will's heart murmur... or Bill's bike-injury-of-the-year.  There is always something else more important.  But, if money were not an object, this is the first thing I'd deal with.
2. Remove every mole on my body!  I am one of those unfortunate people who could play connect the dots with the moles all over my body.  I have had over 20 moles removed so far, but I could easily have that many more removed again and still have enough left over to connect the dots indefinitely.  Grr!  I hate most of my moles... with the exception of the one just below my right eye.  That one is in a perfect 'beauty' spot.  That one can stay.  The rest are gonna go!
3. Get my teeth whitened.  Most of you might puzzle over this one on the list.  Yes, I know there are over the counter whitening products that do a fabulous job... on everyone else.  My teeth... and, I think, every bone in my body... were stained through and through when I was a small child and had my tonsils removed.  At the time, Tetracycline was the most common antibiotic treatment.  Now the medical community knows not to use tetracycline in small children because of the way it stains teeth.  Every dentist I have ever had has gone nuts over trying to remove the stain.  No go.  The stain goes all the way through.  The only solution I know of is to remove the fronts of the teeth and install veneers.  A very pricey procedure that my dental insurance won't cover.  Ohhh!  I have always hated my teeth.
4. Pay for my kids' college.  I do believe that paying your own way through school makes it more meaningful. I had several friends and room-mates in college who wasted their time and their parents' money because, "Hey!  Who cares!  I'm not paying for it!"  But, man!  Working your way through college is HARD!  I know because I did.  And I did it without student loans or scholarships.  Still, I am a mom.  I would do anything to make my children's lives better/easier, even if it isn't the best thing for them.
5. Finish the remodel to my house.  And add the attic addition I recently designed.  If I had my way, my house would have 4 bedrooms, three baths, a library, a small office, an epic kitchen, a mud room, an exercise room (with sauna)... and a separate one bedroom 'in-law apartment' over the garage.  You should really see the plans!  The house would be beautiful and still true to its 1920 craftsman bungalow heritage! It's funny.  I know most people would ditch their current house and upgrade to some bigger, fancier abode if there was no limit to the finances.  Not me.  I love the character of this house and I'd just love to see it turn into what I see in my head!  The finished square footage would be hovering somewhere in the 3,000 sq. ft. range.  Not too big, not too little... just right!
6. Finish the landscaping for our yard.  Actually, I'd hire someone to make it look fantastic!
7. Buy a place for my folks.  It doesn't have to be big or fancy.  Just the perfect place for them.  Where ever they want to live.  No bills for them.  And maid service.  Yup.  Just comfort and beauty!  Ahhhh!
8. Make sure my MIL, Doril, is all taken care of, too!  That would probably include remodeling her hundred year old house.
9. Build my hot tub/pool patio behind the garage.  There would be a resistance current pool for exercising, a party sized hot tub, a deck for lounge chairs and tables, and an outdoor kitchen!  It would have access to the exercise room and sauna, too.  That space is currently 'the garden', aka 'the weed patch'.
10. Hire a maid.  Enough said.
11. Hire a gardener.  Need I say more?
12. Buy my convertible sports car.  Red.  With a white stripe down the middle.  Manual transmission.  8 cylinders to make Bill happy.  :D
13. Buy a boat for my son.  A sailboat so he can be a sailor like his grandpa.
14. Buy property for my kids to inherit.  You know, land.  So they can have a good start in a beautiful place.  Just a little spot for each of them.  It doesn't have to be big, or even very expensive.  Just a place of their own.  They'd pick the locale.
15. Travel the world!  Alternate stateside trips with globe trotting trips.  I don't want to buy property in all sorts of random spots.  I just want to visit.  I daydream about meeting locals and getting to be friendly enough to see the 'real' locale, not the touristy stuff.  Staying with families.  Of course, I daydream about luxurious hotels and cruise ships, too!

And there you go!  I know I will probably fulfill at least some of this list slowly, over time... after budgeting and saving and just plain working hard for it.  That doesn't mean I can't dream just the same.  I also know you have one of these lists in your head, too.  It is good to get it out of my head, even just for a little while.  So thanks for your patience while I indulge in a little printed daydreaming.  Now, go off and entertain your own list!